Community Biodiversity and Heritage Initiative

Know Your Hedgerow is a Kilkenny LEADER Partnership (KLP) initiative designed to engage local communities with the biodiversity, history, and cultural significance of hedgerows. In collaboration with the Acorn Project, the programme aims to foster community stewardship and promote eco-tourism by celebrating the natural and historical heritage of hedgerows throughout Kilkenny.

The project plans to deliver forty separate training events across the county, each intended to enhance public knowledge and connection to the landscape, while encouraging communities to care for and restore their local hedgerows.

Workshop 1: Celebrating Heritage Orchards and Hedgerow Traditions

The first workshop took place in Windgap and marked the beginning of a diverse and hands-on series of activities. Participants engaged in mapping heritage hedgerows, grafting apple trees, and hedge planting. The workshop included site visits to twelve heritage orchards located in Burnchurch, Bennettsbridge, Windgap, Ballyragget, Urlingford, and Freshford. At each site, participants collected scion wood for apple tree grafting, reviving the old tradition of planting fruit trees, such as damson and apple, within hedgerows. These grafted trees will be ready for community planting in January 2026.

Photos by Freddie Greenall.  Windgap Know Your Hedgerow Workshop

Workshop 1: Grafting and Orchard Visits

In addition to the grafting and orchard visits, stories of these heritage apple trees are being collected as part of the project's documentation. This summer, youth participants will collaborate with a videographer to produce a series of short films showcasing the stories and significance of these orchards.

The hedge planting session, led by forester Gary Neville at the historic Land League House, was another highlight. A new native hedgerow was planted, featuring species such as hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle, dog rose, guelder rose, and crab apple — the latter grown from seed by a local resident, John. This new hedgerow will not only support biodiversity by providing shelter and food for wildlife but will also offer edible and medicinal plants for future foraging.

Local historian Noel contributed to the workshop by sharing the history of the Land League House, which is said to have been constructed in just five days during the 1870s by 37 stone masons to provide shelter for a family evicted from their home. The act of planting a native hedgerow at this historic site was a fitting continuation of the spirit of meitheal — the Irish tradition of community coming together to work collectively for the common good

What is a Hedgerow? 

A hedgerow is a line of shrubs interspersed with trees, typically running along the edges of roads or fields. These structures may include stone walls, earth banks, or ditches and, although generally man-made, often contain remnants of ancient woodland. Most hedgerows in Ireland were planted during the 1700s and 1800s following Acts of Parliament that required landowners to establish permanent field boundaries. However, some date as far back as the Medieval period, and even to Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements.

Ireland is home to an estimated 830,000 km of hedgerow. Historically, they were essential for marking land ownership, managing livestock, and providing resources such as firewood and shelter. Today, hedgerows are recognised for their critical role in preserving biodiversity and cultural heritage. They also offer significant environmental benefits, including preventing soil erosion, reducing water pollution, regulating water flow, and mitigating flooding.