Field Good Fridays, Ireland

Field Good Fridays is transforming a 50-acre site into a hub for hands-on restoration, tackling biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and habitat destruction while uniting diverse groups to restore ecosystems, share skills, and inspire grassroots environmental action.

Discover Field Good Fridays, Ireland

Overview & Impact

The “Field Good Fridays” restoration initiative seeks to empower communities in North Clare to address critical environmental challenges, including biodiversity loss and habitat degradation, through hands-on education and community engagement. By transforming a 50-acre site at The Common Knowledge Centre into an expansive outdoor classroom, the team is working to provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary for effective ecological restoration. Through a series of interactive workshops and practical restoration activities, they aim to inspire individuals to initiate their own community-driven environmental projects, whilst also fostering a robust network of grassroots activism!

The environmental issues they address are deeply intertwined with the social fabric of North Clare. Communities here face the consequences of ecological degradation caused by monoculture plantations, widespread use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides in the Irish farming landscape, soil degradation, invasive plant species, flooding and waterways dysregulation, carbon release from poorly managed peatland, and general habitat loss for wildlife.

Field Good Fridays endeavors to make their weekly workshops as welcoming and inclusive as possible – bringing together asylum seekers and refugees from local direct provision centres, Men’s Shed and Women’s Shed groups, older and younger people, farming groups, queer groups, neurodivergent groups, and people of many different abilities. This initiative is building an inclusive network of like-minded people who will continue ecosystem restoration work in their local towns and villages, all while helping participants to feel a sense of connectedness with their communities.

Impact story

In their first year of Field Good Fridays, the team has held 30+ interactive and hands-on educational workshops, learning through connecting with the land. They have engaged with a diverse range of over 200 participants, from the local area and from much further afield. All of this has been completely free of charge for participants, meaning it is accessible to everyone, no matter their socio-economic situation.

Achievements & Partners

In just one year since moving on to their site, the organisation has made significant strides in ecosystem restoration and community engagement. Here are some of their key achievements:

Ecosystem restoration work:

Wildlife ponds: a 10-meter-long wildlife pond has been installed, providing essential habitats for aquatic and terrestrial species. This pond supports local biodiversity and serves as a focal point for their conservation efforts.
Organic food growing: over 300kg of nutritious and delicious food has been grown and eaten to date! Grown with, and eaten by their community of Field Good Friday participants.
Tree nursery: a small tree nursery propagating native species has been established, ensuring a steady supply of plants for reforestation and habitat restoration projects. This nursery plays a crucial role in their efforts to enhance local biodiversity and combat climate change.
Pollinator-friendly meadow maintenance: pollinator-friendly scything techniques are regularly used to maintain meadows, ensuring these critical habitats remain vibrant and supportive of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators essential for local biodiversity.
Community involvement: over 200 volunteers have been engaged so far, through weekly community days, focusing on education and skill sharing. These events foster a sense of community and empower local residents to take an active role in environmental stewardship.

Educational Courses:

Several courses have been successfully run, designed to educate and inspire the community. Through these initiatives, we have created a strong foundation for ongoing conservation and community engagement – building a resilient, informed community.

‘Seasonal Permaculture at Home Series’: Teaching sustainable living practices that can be applied in everyday life.
‘Cultivating Connection’: Encouraging a deeper relationship with the natural world.
‘Foraging and Food Making’: Instructing participants on how to identify and sustainably and respectfully harvest wild foods.
‘Rewilding’: Exploring methods to restore natural processes and habitats.
‘Compost Making’: Promoting organic waste recycling and soil health improvement.
‘Seed Saving’: Teaching sustainable seed saving methods for the propagation of organic food and native wildflower species.

Field Good Fridays currently partners with Patagonia.