Muintir na Tire, in partnership with Cork County Council and Cork City Council are delighted to announce the launch of the Cork School Garden Workshops, open to all primary schools across Cork.
These workshops are designed to support schools in starting, maintaining, or further developing their school gardens, fostering outdoor learning and environmental awareness among students. The workshops will take place in November and a variety of topics will be covered including gardening techniques, organic growing, planning a vegetable garden, small spaces, biodiversity and sensory/reflective gardens.
Denis Kelly of Muintir na Tíre highlighted the inclusive nature of the initiative, stating:
“We would encourage whole-school involvement, and so the workshops are open to principals, teachers, SNAs, office staff, caretakers, parents, or community members who have an interest in supporting their local school garden.”
The workshops will be delivered by Aoife Munn, a horticulturist with nearly 20 years of
experience working with school gardens. Aoife, who currently judges school gardens in Meath, brings a wealth of practical, easy to implement ideas tailored for school
environments.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley, expressed her support by saying:
“We’re proud to support schools across Cork in creating new school gardens or enhancing existing ones. Outdoor learning is growing in popularity and offers countless benefits for children, from hands-on education to improved wellbeing. These workshops will equip teachers with practical tools and inspiration to bring more outdoor learning into the classroom”
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy added:
“Cork City Council has proudly supported the Cork School Garden Competition for several years, and we’ve already seen a wonderful increase in school gardens across the city. Whether large or small, each garden brings incredible benefits, giving children the opportunity to learn about growing food and plants in a hands-on, meaningful way. These workshops will further support the schools in developing a school garden”.
To accommodate the large number of primary schools across Cork, four in-person
workshops (4pm to 6.30pm) and one online session (4pm to 5.30pm) will be held in
November 2025. Registration is essential and schools are invited to book whichever
workshop best suits their location and schedule. The dates and locations are as follows:
1. Monday 10 th – Coachford NS
2. Tuesday 11 th – Skibbereen Boys NS
3. Wednesday 12 th – Scoil Maria Assumpta, Ballyphehane
4. Thursday 13 th – Shandrum NS, Newtownshandrum
5. Monday 17 th – online workshop
To register or for further information please visit Muintir na Tire Cork – Cork School Gardens.