Orchards of Ireland
Without looking it up - would you know which county in Ireland is so apple-mad it is called the Orchard County?
Now, if you don’t know, the answer will be revealed at the end…
But let me tell you first that we were there in the Orchard County this weekend to celebrate the end of the apple harvest…
And the reason for pursuing this apple-lined avenue of enquiry was to get a sense of what the apple could mean for rewilding in Ireland.
This fits well with the Rewilding.ie focus on pollinators - because fruit trees and pollinators are so inextricably linked.
“Agro-forestry” might be a buzzword and “permaculture” may be a trend. But there is real value in these ideas being applied in the right places, at the right times, by the right people.
Simply put, the idea of having fruit trees featuring more prominently in our communities and local economies is something we ought to explore….
Ireland is blessed to have the climate and soils that give rise to great conditions for fruit trees. The Orchard County is proof!
And most impressively in this corner of the island, we can see an inspiring example of a long-term culture of commitment to maintaining the knowhow of apple-growing, apple-tree cultivation and processing products from apples.
Orchards are pleasant places and can be havens for wildlife. They can be multi-purpose areas for recreation and relaxation as well as for production of delicious, healthy, local food.
In line with the Rewilding.ie initial focus of “Pollinators First” we can certainly see a great overlap between promoting orchards and protecting pollinators.
And if we return momentarily to the bold vision of Rewilding.ie - which is to make Ireland wilder, healthier and happier for people and wildlife….
Do orchards play a role in achieving this goal?
The answer is a resounding yes.
If you take the view that it is important that rewilding is not purely ornamental, or so Uber-nostalgic that it tries to hark back to a pre-human past… then there must be sustainable livelihoods and lively culture for the people who are attached to each area, too.
Which means orchards are key!
And orchard-ification is a process which we might hope to see more of on the island in the near future. The great thing about it, is that it needn’t be confined to rural areas.
Urban spaces have potential to become “urban orchards” or “community orchards”.
This blog post is part of the series of pre-launch posts which give a good hint at the kind of themes which Rewilding.ie will be focusing on. Of course, if this is your cup of tea, if it resonates with you, then please do sign up to stay in the loop on future developments - because our live projects will be coming soon.
You are welcome to join with us on this journey towards making Ireland the wildest, healthiest and - hopefully - the happiest island that it can possibly be - as we work to rekindle our connection with nature.
Sign up below for updates (and then read on below to see the answer to which county is the Orchard County!)
So… to the answer that you have been waiting for!
Which county in Ireland is the “Orchard County”?
Well that would be Co. Armagh in Northern Ireland.
And on Saturday we had the privilege of participating in the Apple Harvest Fayre in Richhill, Co. Armagh, a great event in the community there, which marks the end of the apple harvest season.
In honour of the Apple Harvest Fayre, we created an apple-shaped candle made of 100% pure beeswax which was a nice way to combine the apple and pollinator themes in a very material way!
In fact we will make some apple candles available to purchase on the website here later this week….
To conclude this post - a big shout-out and hearty thanks to all of the wonderful organisers and participants that we had the pleasure of meeting on the day in Richhill!
Even though it was quite a drizzly day - it still felt very bright on Saturday because of all the brilliant people, the excellent entertainment (great music!)….and the amazing Armagh apples!