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.
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 with Matt Smith: 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.
A national study on nature connection found that “if you have a deep connection with a particular place, it is more likely that you might feel moved to do something if it is under threat.” The study highlighted that a sense of connectedness to nature was enhanced by participating in community-based environmental education and citizen science initiatives.
By deepening connection to our natural world in an engaged, active or immersive way through direct learning experiences, Hometree, enhances awareness, empathy, environmental concern, and supports sustainable actions. We encourage people to act locally and think globally. Hometree’s educational programmes build on emerging research in Ireland and seek to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland.
Testimonials
“Lots of highlights from this weekend - the practical nursery work was very useful, the quality of the food served was consistently excellent, loved the conversations and campfire setting and the time spent in the rainforest was magical and very very special.”
Participant of Nature Restoration Weekend, 2025
“Connecting with, and learning about, nature and feeling like you are giving something back was only the beginning. The real highlight of this week was meeting and bonding with some fantastic people, both staff and other participants. Everyone felt included and part of a group, while being supported to engage on a level they were comfortable with.
And the food was amazing. I will definitely
be making more visits to Hometree.”
Nathan Flaherty, Social Worker
“We were a lovely group of like-minded people passionate about the environment and hungry to learn more. The week is balanced between volunteer work and field visits/classroom sessions. The Hometree team is so open and welcoming. Within a day we were already feeling part of a special family. More importantly, the experience was very inspiring and, in our case, helped my wife, Aideen and I, in our own plans for restoring woodlands.”
Fred, Nadur Nua
