What we do

 

 Lucy Ní hAodhagáin~O’Hagan

Rekindling Ancestral lifeways for Decolonial Futures

Lucy works in the fecund liminal zones between the cultural, ecological and spiritual, weaving together ancient wisdom with the dream of decolonial futures. Lucy is passionate about supporting people to re-member belonging with themselves, their communities and to the land, to whom we belong. Lucy is particularly interested in rekindling the knowledge and skills we once knew so intimately, which connect us with the embodied, relational ways of the land.

Fia dhaoibh!

Thank you for being here.

Is mise Lucy Ní hAodhagáin, as mBéal Feirste mé ach tá mé i mo chónaí sa Gaeltacht Thír Chonaill. My name is Lucy O’Hagan, I’m from Belfast but I live in the Donegal Gaeltacht.

Much to say about what has brought me here… as a queer, Irish Catholic growing up in Tuaisceart na hÉireann, the north of Ireland, the feeling of unbelonging permeated much of my life. The fields and hedges around our house were both school and sanctuary for me in an unstable home.

Coming to remember myself as belonging to the land and tending to my own personal relationship with that awareness has become a defining part of who I am and the Tobar, well, from which I draw.

I mo chroí, in my heart, I am a sensitive being who has known quite a bit of pain and has been blessed with a whole hearth of beauty. I have always had a fierce grá, love, of the edge dwellers and a burning passion for liberation of all beings. These embers were stoked in my formative years by anti-capitalist, anarchist collectives such as the Warzone Collective in Belfast and Seomra Spraoi in Dublin. The DIY, collective spirit of these hubs were catalysts in how I came to do the work that I do in the way that I do it.

I have a BA degree in Social Anthropology and French, though I didn’t spend much time in the classroom and was off given any opportunity to explore the squats, jungles and juggling conventions of the world.

Meet an Mhucais, one of my beloved elders.

In 2014, after spending a couple of years on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean supporting the integration of environmental learning across the school syllabus, I returned home to Ireland.

I remember vividly reading Richard Louv’s ‘Last child in the woods’ and seeing the words ‘Forest School’ written for the first time. I was hooked.

By September 2015, I was a trained Forest School leader and had set up the first independent forest school in Dublin, located in the iconic Phoenix Park. And so we gathered for seven years around the twisted trunk of an old Sceach Gheal, hawthorn tree.

To say that that place grew me would be no understatement. Over those seven years, hundreds of children and adults from all walks of life joined us around the tine, fire. We were taught by deer and jackdaw, otter and burdock, beech and porcelain fungus. Children taught me how to make meaningful, creative, spontaneous ritual and tended to the roots of me in ways that I will never forget.

 

Meanwhile, I became known as ‘Coursey-Bananagan’ by my loving partner as I was off learning with different teachers whenever I could and bringing that learning home.

Two teachers in particular offered me so much. John Rhyder taught me the ways of the plants, the trees and the animals; Always encouraging me to walk with integrity and to see the magic in the small and often over-looked. I spent three years learning from John and continue to deepen my awareness of the tracks and trails alongside him.

Meeting Lynx Vilden in 2017 was a pivotal moment on my path. Lynx reminded me that these skills lose their significance when practiced in isolation and that really, relationship is at the heart of everything. I travelled and learned with her from the ancient caves of the Dordogne to the northern lands of the Sami. Her devotion to ancient ways continues to inspire me.

My dearest more-than-human guides are eel, deer and nettle.

I find myself now living in the far North West of Ireland, Donegal, a place that has tended me from the age of two and certainly Baile mo chroí, my hearts home.

I am well and truly claimed by this land.

Living here, and indeed anywhere, comes with great dualgas - responsibility.

Mo dhualgas, as I understand it now, is to (re)learn mo theanga dhúchais, my native tongue, to listen deeply and learn from the elders of this place, and to tend to the Coigilt tine, the Banked embers, of this mythic land. I am moving slowly, but with purpose and alongside loving allies.

Alexis Shotwell beautifully wrote: “We practice the world we don’t have yet in the present and in that practice, we bring it to being”. So, here I am, practicing.

Tá mé ag séibheadh ar na haibhleogí, I am blowing on the embers agus ag deanamh cnusaigh, gathering in Sean dóigheanna, the old ways, so that, in these turbulent times, we can feel the hands of our ancestors on our backs and re-member the decolonial, embodied and relational ways of the land once again.

I do hope to see you and learn alongside you cois tine, by the fire, one of these days.

Go raibh míle maith agat! May goodness be with you and may your fires burn bright.

 

Lucy’s Training

“So much of my learning has come directly from the plants, animals & fungi of this land. But they don’t always issue certificates”.

BA Social Anthropology & French | School of Lost Borders wilderness guide month long training

Deer Stalking Certificate 1 | NCFE Level 4 Bushcraft Instructor | NCFE Level 4 Practical Ethnobotany

NCFE Level 4 Wildlife Tracking | OCN Level 3 Forest School Practitioner

CyberTracker Level 3 (Track & Sign) | Level 3 (Trailing)

REC Level 2 First Aid | Large Wild Game (Deer) meat hygiene course

Member of the Association of Foragers | Member of the Irish forest school association

Allyship

We recognise that connection to nature and the health of the land is inextricably linked to the liberation of all people and the abolition of harmful systems of oppression. Wild Awake is committed to the life-long process of building relationships built on trust, accountability, and consistency with marginalized groups and/or individuals. 

We stand in practical solidarity with the below organisations, and many more, and continue to learn how we can leverage our privilege and power to grow webs of kinship with those who are so often on the front lines of change.

1.png
2.png
3.png

FAQ's

1. What is ‘Rewilding’?

‘Rewilding’ is a process through which we can come to understand our role as humans within the wider ecological community; exploring our own ecological niche. Many definitions of ‘Rewilding’ suggest that it’s about humans stepping back from the natural world, but I would argue that it is about humans stepping in and taking up their place as a part of nature and working to end the systems of oppression that threaten the world and all those, both human and other-than-human, who live here.

2. What is Ethnobotany?

Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between people and plants. This could be how we have and continue to maintain our relationships with plants for food, medicine, textiles, dyes, basketry, fire-making, natural navigation and other needs. This study also explores how we have built a cultural relationship with plants through folklore and mythology and how these plants relate to the wider ecological community.

3. What is Forest School?

Forest School is an ethos of learning which seeks to support resilient and creative learners through regular and on-going relationship building with the natural world. Free play and supported risk-taking is central to the practice of Forest School. Forest School is led by qualified practitioners who are continually reflecting on and building upon their practice.

4. What is Cultural Regeneration?

Cultural regeneration supports healthy communities to grow and thrive by connecting to their story as a people and to a place. To ‘regenerate culture’ means recognising the diversity of cultures that can exist within one place and celebrates that diversity as part of the human story of a place. This can play a key role in the building of more sustainable local communities: enhancement of people’s self-esteem and sense of belonging to a place and development of creativity within the local community, especially among the most marginalised.

5. What is Ecological Regeneration?

Ecological restoration means restoring the vital health of a place to support a vibrant and biodiverse community. Ecological regeneration is also know as ‘Rewilding’ and often seeks to restore an ecosystem to a baseline which was disrupted by modern and often harmful agricultural projects.

6. What is Hide Tanning?

Hide tanning is an ancient art that has been practiced by humans for millennia. It is the alchemical process of preserving and transforming an animal's skin into a soft, supple, and durable material. We practice traditional and natural forms of tanning, without harmful chemicals and use skins that would otherwise go to waste. We view hide tanning as a sacred act and practice gratitude for the life of the animal throughout the entire process.

7. What is Vision Fast?

Also known as ‘Vision Quest’, a ‘Vision fast’ is a way of intentionally and ceremonially marking a transitional point in one's life by spending a set period of time fasting from food in a wild place. We follow the lineage of teachings from The School of Lost Borders and Bill Plotkin as well as continually exploring and reviving our own ancestral lines of ritual practice.

8. What is Rite of Passage?

A rite of passage is an intentionally designed ceremony, marking the transition from one stage of life to another. Our rites of passage programmes are designed to support youth as they transition into young adulthood and help them to identify and bring forward to their unique gifts to support themselves, their communities and the earth.

9. What do I need to bring?

Full kit list is sent out to anyone who signs up for a course.

Kit can include:

  • Shelter e.g. small tent, basha etc. There is space for Hammocks. 

  • Personal Cup, bowl, plate, cutlery

  • Sleeping bag

  • Sleeping mat

  • Footwear appropriate to the weather -you may consider wellies as part of your kit

  • Full set of waterproofs

  • Personal toiletries and medication

  • Torch and spare batteries

  • Hand cleaning gel & Face mask 

  • Water bottle

  • Lunches & snacks 

  • Notebook and camera if you wish

  • Folding chair if it’s hard for you to sit on a wooden stump or the ground

  • Swimsuit and towel