Young farmers learn about planting and managing hedgerows
Members of the South Tipperary Macra young farmers discussion group recently took part in a farm walk focused on hedgerows.
The event, entitled 'Making hedges pay for themselves' was held on Michael Murphy's drystock farm at Carrigawillin near Clonmel.
The walk was led by Alan Moore from Hedgerows Ireland and highlighted the techniques around new hedge planting, along with management strategies.
Alan Moore from Hedgerows Ireland
Michael and his son Pat have been planting new hedges over the last 15 years to add shelter and definition to the farm.
The hedgerows include a mixture of whitethorn interspersed with hazel, holly, and other plants.
The farmers have also included some standard oak trees along the hedge lines to add character, shelter, and biodiversity.
(L-R) Michael Murphy (farm owner at Carrigawillin) showing his oak forestry plantation to Aaron Cooney and Michael O'Loughlin
The farm walk heard that the new hedges have been allowed to gain a little height each year since planting and as a result have achieved a good dense structure.
The farm is bounded by ancient hedgerows which are side cut up to about 3 metres to keep electric fences working but higher up are allowed to produce annual flowers, fruit, and nuts for the plentiful wildlife in evidence on the farm.
Alan Moore said that the the take home messages from the walk included that when planting, use a good mixture of native hedge plants and use plants grown in Ireland from Irish seeds to avoid imported disease and genetic unsuitability.
The farmers were advised to raise the cutting height each year a few centimetres and consider a rotation of every second or even third year cutting of some hedges to allow more flowers for pollinators and winter food for birds and other wildlife.
They were also urged to leave some bushes intermittently to grow into trees.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Post
11 hours ago
- Irish Post
Last orders for Irish pubs?
WHAT'S happening to the pub? Over the last twenty years more than 2,000 pubs have closed. Here in Ireland. A country so synonymous with pub culture that we exported the very idea of an 'Irish' pub across the globe. And these bare statistics are a very real thing. From where I'm writing this right now a two-minute drive in opposite directions would once have taken me to a choice of three rural pubs. There's now one. Pubs in Ireland are closing and that is a big change in the very nature of Irish life. Of course, health advisers might see this as a good thing but that seems to confuse the pub simply with alcohol. The pub is more than that. The pub is a mirror of society. Now it might seem ridiculous to say that but I've always been a fan of the pub and I've always seen it as more than the pint in your hand. To paraphrase Brendan Behan, I like the pub because I like people. Or in my case I particularly like listening to people talking and in the pub that talk is often of the most fantastical nature. Of course, the pints feature but if it was just about that we'd only have off licences, wouldn't we? And if the pub wasn't some kind of mirror of Irish society why do we try so hard to sell tourists the pub as an essential experience? As to why the pubs are closing, well, there must be, in all honesty, many reasons as these things tend to be complicated. Two seem to jump out to me though. One is just a personal experience. In the closest town to where I am, a small rural town, there was a pub that I loved to frequent. It had a long counter and a fireplace and was a great place for a pint. When I was last in there the television that was on for sporting events had now become two screens continually on with the noise turned down. There was a radio playing loudly and it had gone from being a great place for a pint to a place that was an assault on the senses. Now, perhaps, I'm suddenly an old man with old man's complaints but it seemed the pub had decided it needed modernising and so was introducing things like televisions just in case there was someone who didn't have one at home and thought a treat would be to watch two. While listening to the radio. This Americanisation of our shared spaces, our public houses, actually destroys what the pub is supposed to be. So why would you go there — to watch the telly? To watch the news or a soap opera or a ticker tape sports news channel? Would you not just stay at home in a much more comfortable seat to do that? And is that perhaps what people are doing? If the pub is not really the pub anymore then why go to it? But it's possible it's something much more socially profound. There has been a lot of talk that we are all much more socially isolated than we ever were. A report in 2022 claimed Ireland was the loneliest country in Europe. The European Commission's Joint Research Centre conducted the first EU-wide survey on loneliness, which found that over 20% of respondents in Ireland reported feeling lonely most or all of the time—significantly higher than the EU average of 13%. It seems unlikely those figures have changed much in the intervening years. This statistic is astonishing in a country that prides itself on its friendliness and the art of having the craic. We might appear on the surface more connected than ever, with many people constantly updating every aspect of their lives to people on social media, and we certainly seem to be one of the most photographed populations there has ever been. B ut are we lonely as well? Bertie Ahern was talking about this nearly twenty years ago. The idea that with all our advancements and all our communications that we were, in fact, getting more distant from each other. Many people have talked about this in relation to the pub. How the pub is a meeting place, a gathering centre in a community, how it is about much more than the drink. That it is one of the few places that is a refuge for isolated people. So, if the pubs are closing is it because we are no longer meeting up, no longer gathering together. Have we given up? Surrendered to our loneliness. Are we at home now, in Cork or Kerry or Donegal, in front of our outsized televisions, sipping a glass of wine, looking at photographs of other people's nights out. Is it that the pub we would have gone to is closed or that the pub isn't really the pub anymore? Does anyone know? I think I'll go for a pint. See More: Ireland, Irish Pub
RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Leaving Cert Irish: Exam tips with Múinteoir Séadhan
Study Hub 2025 guest Séadhan De Poire from the Dublin Academy of Education is here with tips and guidance for students sitting Higher Level Leaving Cert Irish. An accomplished author of Irish-language school textbooks and a regular contributor to RTÉ Study Hub, Séadhan is passionate about making Irish accessible and engaging. You can watch his contributions to the show in the videos above and below. For more tips, resources, and expert guidance on Irish exam preparation, follow him on TikTok here. Make Every Minute Count in Your Irish Study With the State Exams just around the corner, it's more important than ever to ensure that every minute of study is focused, efficient, and productive. A structured and strategic approach to preparation can make all the difference for students aiming to excel in Higher Level Irish. Here are three essential tips to help students maximise their marks: 1. Get to Know the Past Papers Familiarity with the structure and style of past exam questions is key. By regularly reviewing previous papers, students can gain insight into common question types and recurring themes. This not only helps narrow their focus to the most relevant parts of the studied texts but also builds confidence in understanding the language and phrasing used in the exams. Tip: Don't just read the questions - actively engage with them. Highlight patterns, practise answering under exam conditions, and review examiner marking schemes where possible. 2. Mimic Real Exam Conditions Effective preparation involves more than just passive revision—it requires simulation. Practice answering exam-style questions under timed conditions that replicate the real exam environment. Take Irish Paper 2 as an example. For the poetry question, you'll face three parts: a 15-mark question, a 9-mark question, and a 6-mark question. Allocate your time accordingly: 20 minutes for the 15-mark question 10 minutes combined for the 9-mark and 6-mark questions Stick rigidly to these time limits during practice sessions. Developing time management now will prevent stress and ensure stronger performance on the day. 3. Prioritise the High-Value Questions Many students fall into the trap of focusing on their favourite topics or lower-weighted sections. A smart strategy is to target the questions that carry the most marks. Now that the Irish oral is complete, all remaining attention should shift to the written papers, which hold a total of 360 marks. Two of the most valuable components are: The Essay on Paper 1 – worth 100 marks The Reading Comprehensions on Paper 2 – also worth 100 marks These sections should be the foundation of your revision. Allocate more time to mastering them as they offer the greatest return on investment when it comes to boosting your final grade. Stay focused in these final two weeks. At this stage, quality matters more than quantity. Stick to your plan, stay consistent, and revise with purpose. If you come across a word you don't recognise in a question, don't panic. Trust in your preparation and your ability to work through it. You know more than you think. Wishing you all the very best of luck. More about Séadhan Séadhan De Poire is a fluent Irish speaker with over a decade of experience in education and language instruction. He has held several leadership positions, including serving as Deputy Principal in The Dublin Academy for four years, where he played a key role in academic and administrative development. Séadhan brings invaluable insight to students preparing for State Exams, having worked closely with the State Examinations Commission as a corrector for the Leaving Certificate Higher Level Irish exam. His deep understanding of exam standards and expectations makes him a trusted guide for both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate students.
Agriland
a day ago
- Agriland
Study aims to improve gender balance in agri and rural reporting
A research project is aiming to promote better gender balance when it comes to coverage of agricultural and rural issues in the media. Over the coming 12 months, the 'Time to be Seen' project will work to identify how both women and men are represented in the media when it comes to these topics. It will raise awareness in cases where women are omitted from this coverage or misrepresented and how this can be addressed. The project is also aiming to develop resources to promote women's participation and representation in Irish mainstream media coverage of farming and rural matters. Dr Muireann Prendergast (third from left) with farmers and journalists who took part in the Agri Rural Media Forum in Limerick Dr Muireann Prendergast, a postdoctoral researcher based at the South East Technological University (SETU) in Waterford is the principal investigator of the study. She previously worked as a journalist in Latin America and has recently been working on the Grass Ceiling project in Waterford which is focused on women innovators in farm and rural areas. Funded through Research Ireland, the Time to be Seen study is being carried out in conjunction with Macra and the University of Limerick. As part of the project an Agri Rural Media Forum took place in Limerick yesterday (Thursday, June 5) which brought together journalists and women working in agriculture and living in rural areas. The in-person forum, which was attended by Agriland, will be supplemented by interviews with journalists and rural women. There will also be a focus group held with farm and rural men to hear their views on the topic. Media analysis will be carried out to examine specific issues such as how female leaders in farm organisations are represented in the media. Gender balance Dr Muireann Prendergast told Agriland the project is hoping to develop guidelines and recommendations for journalists to promote gender balance when it comes to reporting on farm and rural issues. Training materials will also be made available through Macra Skillnet to help women develop their media skills and encourage their participation in stories. 'There a lot of social and cultural norms that are present in media in terms of how farming and entrepreneurship in rural areas is more associated with men than women, which is inaccurate. 'Women also make a huge, fantastic contribution to these areas as well. We just want to promote that their voices are seen and heard,' Prendergast said. During yesterday's forum, the rural women present suggested that a gender balanced media directory be developed to allow more women to feature in farming and rural stories on media outlets. Prendergast described this as a fantastic recommendation, adding 'we do find that more men than women tend to be quoted as expert sources'.
