An Fómhair Fiáin : The Wild Harvest
An invitation to gather...
Rewild language and landscape from wild Atlantic coastline to deep bog medicine, biodiverse meadows to mossy woodland floors.
Over the course of four seasons, we will come together once a month, using our hands, heads and hearts to gather, create and engage our whole selves with this incredible bioregion and the rich, deep land-based culture of Northwest Donegal.
As we gather plants and fill our baskets, we will also be tending to the basket of culture by collectively harvesting and preserving the Gaelic names and words associated with these practises. Kindling a community of rewilders who are simultaneously tending to land and language whilst nourishing themselves and their wider communities.
Through the seasons, we’ll travel to and explore different habitats and build deep, lasting and reciprocal relationships with our local ecology.
Over the course of ten months, we will explore;
• How to safely identify and respectfully harvest from a range of plants, trees, seaweeds and fungi.
• Focail agus foliage: Learn local names as Gaeilge/in Irish for each plant as well as other land-related words and phrases.
• Local folklore and mythology associated with different plants and places.
• How plants grow and change through the seasons and come to know their different life stages and ways of interacting with them.
• How to honourably transform your harvest into delicious foods and potent medicines. Knowledge that will continue to smoulder within you for many moons to come.
• How our relationships with plants have shaped us and how we can reweave this relationship into our daily lives.
• How to give back - learn about land tending, seed saving, soil health, ecological regeneration and simple, practical ways that you can contribute to the local ecology.
• How the wider more-than-human community relates to and depends upon one another for their own thriving. What can we learn from their collaborative existence on this earth?
Why is it so long?
Learning about the land is a lifelong journey. Thankfully, we can never learn everything. Journeying with the land across four seasons means that you will encounter different plants through their full life cycles and come to know the different stages of growth and different ways of interacting with them.
Where?
Northwest Donegal.
Our meeting points will change depending on the month but will be in the areas of Cloughaneely, Ards Forest and Gartan. We will arrange a WhatsApp group for car-sharing.
When?
Most days will start at 11am and end around 4pm. This is subject to change, lengthen or bubble right into the night around the fire depending on tide times, season or harvest needs. You will be given plenty of notice to any changes in the schedule.
Dates & Topics
9th March
Seaweed foraging
Begin with full immersion. Experience the elemental exuberance of foraging for nutritious seaweeds. Learn about these often overlooked and culturally significant sea vegetables.
6th April
Birch tapping and spring greens
Learn how to responsibly tap trees for sap and transform it into sweet syrup. Awaken with the early spring greens; offering us exactly what we need to feel the spring in ourselves. Visit to a local regenerative agriculture site to explore possibilities of rewilding Donegal with John Duffy.
21st April
Wild food
Explore creative and delicious ways to transform your harvest into wild preserves; foods to nourish you throughout the months ahead.
3rd June
Wildflowers and Herbal medicine
It’s elderflower season!!! Learn about creating wild fermented drinks and other medicinal treats. Learn from local herbwoman Margaret Chití Ní Bhaoill.
7th July
Salt marsh
Delight in the salty, sweet goodness of the summer intertidal zone. It’s like an edible lawn!
28th July
Lughnasa
Harvest bilberries on hilltops and revive the ancient tradition of ‘Crom Dubh’. Mid-way celebration.
25th August
Berries, seeds & soil
The blackberries are ripe, the harvest is in full swing. Receive the incredible gift of responsibility and learn how much we can offer the land in return through the process of seed saving and soil tending with Joanne Butler.
12th October
Fungi foraging
Meet our fungal friends, learn how to safely and confidently forage mushrooms for food or medicine and explore how we too can become fungal.
2nd November
Roots and acorns
The energy returns to the roots and we arrive, sticks in hand, to harvest the generous food and medicine they provide. Learn how to transform tannic acorns into delicious food.
7th December
Community feast
Bring a friend and let’s gather in our harvest to celebrate with a communal feast, embodying reciprocity and offering thanks for all that we have received.
Total cost for this ten part programme: €750
This can be paid up front or by monthly standing order of €75 per month from March - December.
Non-refundable deposit of €150 confirms your participation and is deducted from overall cost.
What if I can’t come to all dates?
You are welcome to find a friend to take your place for any of the gatherings.
Can I just drop in for one session?
Priority will be given to those who can commit to the immersive nature of this programme. But if there’s space, I will announce publicly and open up drop-in options.
What’s included?
Expert tuition from a range of teachers.
Materials for all classes
A master list of plants covered in English and Irish
Suggestions for optional wild work to do between meetings
‘Bring a friend’ feast at the end of the year
What’s not included?
Transport to and from venues
Lunches & Snacks (Though there will be plenty of times when we will share wild food)
