Nature Restoration Weekend

Nature Restoration Weekend - Ennistymon

Hometree’s Nature Restoration Weekend is an invitation to be immersed in nature, connect with the leading edge of nature restoration,
and the ancient roots of Ireland's natural habitats.

Nature Restoration Weekend is a balance of  hands-on immersion in habitat restoration, community, and nature connection. You’ll spend the weekend planting, managing, exploring and living in community with like-minded people. All while learning from our experienced facilitators, both in our tree nursery and out on the land.

All of our workshops are designed to deepen your connection with nature and build your understanding of Ireland’s native trees and woodlands. This weekend is open to anyone curious about nature restoration in Ireland. No prior experience is required.

Whether you are a professional ecologist, someone beginning to reconnect with nature, or anywhere in between, you will find something meaningful here. The pace of the weekend is self-directed, with opportunities to engage deeply in the work or to slow down and reflect.

What to Expect:

• Learn from the Landscape: Join expert-led walks through native woodlands and restoration sites. Explore the ecology, biodiversity, and layered history of Ireland’s landscape - and the complex challenges it faces today.

• Get Your Hands in the Soil: Spend time learning by doing. Participate in activities in our native tree nursery and restoration site, gaining practical experience in how to grow, plant, and care for Ireland’s native trees. You’ll understand what true habitat restoration looks like - not in theory, but in practice. This will deepen your understanding of the history of Ireland’s landscape, the complex challenges facing habitat restoration today, and the solutions we’re putting into action.

• Deep Adaptation: Take part in a powerful workshop with Hometree CEO Matt Smith, exploring resilience, regeneration, and how we respond meaningfully to climate and ecological and climate crises. This is space for honest conversation - about grief, hope, responsibility, and action. It’s not just about restoring forests. It’s about restoring ourselves as part of the living world.

• Film & Conversation: Nature restoration involves radical collaboration and creativity. We’ll screen Dinnseanchas, Hometree’s short film exploring landscape and spirit of place. This is followed by a facilitated Q&A on the themes and issues it raises, providing an opportunity to reflect on nature restoration and landscape change through culture, story, creativity and community.

• Shared meals & Connection: Camping together, sharing meals, and working the land side by side is a powerful way to build community. Each day begins and ends around the table, with nourishing vegetarian breakfasts and lunches provided. Add in sea swims, evening trips to the pub, conversations around the campfire, and you have the makings of lasting connections.

• Perspective & Capacity: Time spent immersed in nature changes you. As you leave, you’ll carry with you a renewed connection to the land and Ireland’s woodlands - and a renewed sense of agency about your role in their future.

Whether you're chatting while sowing seeds, exploring an ancient woodland or going for a sea swim in the evening, you’ll leave with more than you expected. 

Rough Restoration Weekend - Connemara

Step into the heart of Hometree's restoration work with a unique weekend in beautiful North Connemara. Together, we'll climb, haul and build on a site early in its restoration journey. It's real, physical work on steep terrain, in all weather. The weekend calls for stamina, a steady pace and a willingness to get stuck in. What you'll get back is the deep satisfaction of seeing your effort reshape the land in front of you.

We'll camp on the hillside, cook together and sleep in tents going fully off grid for the weekend. On Saturday evening, we will hold a film screening in the local community filled with music and good craic. 

You'll be working shoulder to shoulder with a crew of like-minded people, turning graft and grit into real progress for this landscape. It's hard work and good company in equal measure! Come ready for hands on work in Connemara, and leave having made a lasting difference to this valley.

What to Expect:

• Learn by Doing: Work alongside Hometree's Restoration team as you explore the ecology, biodiversity and layered history of Ireland's uplands. Through practical restoration work and conversations on site, you'll gain a first-hand understanding of peatland and rainforest restoration, and what it takes to bring landscapes back to life.

• Hands-on Restoration: Contribute directly to the restoration of the site by removing, repairing and improving essential infrastructure. This is physical work in the ever-changing Connemara weather, where every task makes a tangible difference to the future of the landscape.

• Stories, Reflection & Community: Through a screening of Dinnseanchas and facilitated discussion, we'll explore restoration through culture, story and community. Camping, sharing meals, working side by side and gathering around the campfire create space for meaningful conversations, new friendships and a genuine sense of connection.

• What You'll Leave With: You'll leave with practical restoration experience, a deeper understanding of Ireland's peatland and rainforest restoration, and a renewed sense of connection to the natural world. More than that, you'll experience the camaraderie that comes from living simply, embracing the elements, and working together towards a shared purpose.

Is This Weekend for You?

If you're looking to support Hometree, experience restoration in its most hands-on form, and don't mind swapping home comforts for an unforgettable weekend outdoors, we'd love to have you join us.

This is a physically demanding weekend on uneven steep ground, whatever the weather. You'll be pitching your own tent, carrying out practical restoration work, and living outdoors from morning to night. Bring sturdy boots, waterproofs, warm layers and a tent that can handle the Irish weather. After a rewarding day's work, we'll head into the local village for a well-earned pint and traditional music before returning to camp beneath the Connemara sky.

This project is kindly supported by funding from the NPWS Peatlands and Natura Community Engagement Scheme.