Carlow Garden Festival “Prime Plants for the Irish Kitchen Garden” & “Foraging Walk” & Plúr Bakery’s Three-Course Feast Supper, at Shankill Castle,

Talk 1: “Prime Plants for the Irish Kitchen Garden” with Kitty Scully. 3-4 p.m.

Nothing is more rewarding than growing, harvesting and eating your own healthy, nutritious food. In this informative talk, Kitty focuses on ten essential kitchen garden plants that thrive in the Irish climate. From annuals to perennials, expect plenty of practical tips on the ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ for each. Kitty’s passion for growing food, soil and biodiversity is infectious –  this talk is sure to motivate even the most reluctant kitchen gardener.

Kitty Scully

Biography:

Kitty Scully is a well-known organic gardener and local food advocate. Growing up on a mixed organic farm in Co Laois, she picked up a love of eating and growing good food at a young age. She nurtured this inherent passion with a formal horticultural education and by working on organic farms and gardens around the world. An MSc in Organic Horticulture is her highest paper accolade but her practical achievements go far beyond. Kitty has had a diverse career in horticulture to date – from managing a market garden for nuns in North Cork, to spearheading the evolution of the kitchen gardens in Airfield Estate; writing for national papers and co-presenting RTE garden shows, ‘Home Grown’ being her most recent. She currently writes for The Irish Garden Magazine, co-ordinates the Organic Growers of Ireland Network and is Head Grower on a private estate.

Talk 2: “Foraging Walk” with Mary and Robert White. 5 p.m. – 7.30 p.m.

Mary and Robert White of Blackstairs Ecotrails lead an in-depth foraging walk through the grounds and organic farm of Shankill Castle. A hands-on workshop which explores the gardens, woods, fields and hedgerows to gather wild foods that are safe to eat.
The workshop starts with an introductory talk, followed by a 90- minute foraging walk and ends with a short demo preparing some of the foraged finds. Outdoor clothes and footwear essential.

Biography

Mary White

Mary White is a former Green Party Member of the Irish Parliament for Carlow/Kilkenny and former Minister of State for Equality, Human Rights and Integration. She is a linguist, walking guide, forager, flora and fauna specialist. She speaks to a wide public on Deep Ecology, Eco Tourism, Climate Change, Sustainability and other green issues.

Mary runs Blackstairs Ecotrails, an award winning eco tourism business in the Blackstairs Mountains and the Barrow valley, with her husband Robert and daughter Dorothy Ellen. She works with schools and other organisations running wild life and foraging workshops , team building events and Celtic Tree Trails.

Mary is also a well- known conference speaker on green issues.

 “Foraged Feast Supper Club” with Plúr. 7.30 p.m.

Following Mary and Robert White’s foraging workshop, Seamus Jordan of Plúr Bakery cooks up a three-course feast celebrating foraged, seasonal and local ingredients. With the food served family-style at shared tables, this promises to be a relaxed evening of great food and garden chat.