Avid gardeners, herbalists and Nature lovers from countries as diverse as South Africa, England and Ukraine as well as many parts of Donegal gathered this week in Killybegs to share their knowledge about health-giving herbs and plants.

The well-attended event at the Niall Mór Community and Enterprise Centre was part of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme supported by the Donegal Local Development Company, with more than 30 participants learning to integrate everyday garden flora into tasty dishes supporting digestion, blood circulation, cardiac issues and to help balance blood-sugar levels. 

“It’s very important we bring back the knowledge about harnessing the goodness of Nature as food and medicine,” said west-Donegal based Joanne Butler, Climate Action Officer with DLDC, and founder of OURganic Gardens who organised the event. “The benefits include nutrition, mental and physical health and community resilience and care for the environment. The DLDC programme started two years ago and my role is to coordinate community garden network events and help such initiatives with good governance, funding, awareness-raising and other supports they need.” 

Guest presenter at the Killybegs event was Columbia Hillen, a member of the Irish Register of Herbalists and the Association of Master Herbalists, who will also host various workshops at Anamcara Healing Herbs Garden in Gweedore. 

Susanna Friel, from London, who bought an 8-acre smallholding in Donegal, said “The workshop helped transform the way we look at ‘weeds’ as ‘enemies’ and turn them into friends. Columbia showed how easily-recognisable plants such as dandelions and cleavers can be turned into – not just medicines – but delicious ingredients in our everyday diets to maintain robust, glowing health.“

Tish Yelland, a retired kinesiologist who arrived in Donegal from South Africa over two years ago and ‘bushwhacked’ farmland that was fallow for a decade, said, “Plants such as lawn daisies and bramble have healing superpowers used for centuries by our elders. How absolutely refreshing to know there is a herbalist right here in Donegal who educates and empowers people to re-discover a love of weeds. Columbia communicated her knowledge in a relaxed and fun manner but also invited us to share our experiences about foraging and best use of plants for nutrition. Mixing gorse in butter makes it taste even better. As for pesto made from nettles, it’s simply scrumptious. Who’d have thought such an irritating plant could be so good.”

Ronan McNern from Shy By Nature Farm, a community-based project in Inver that sells homegrown vegetable boxes in south Donegal, said, “Since attending the workshop, my volunteers have been busy making healing recipes from dandelions, gorse flowers and nettles. No better way to stay healthy.”