Nature Inspires

01/06/2026

Last week was all about engaging children with nature ...in so many different ways.
On the hottest day of the year I spent most of the school day in Belleek Woods in Ballina. Oh god, did we all appreciate trees. There was so much to discover from different types of trees, undergrowth, bugs, birds, monuments...and even invasive species.
The following day I went with a group of homeschool children for a lovely hike in the Ox mountains.Once more we learned so much about the environment around us, some geology, heritage and history....we even met some ecologists who checked on the water quality of the Masshill river through 'kick sampling.

31/05/2026

Good morning 🌸🌷🌹🌻💐🍀🦋
Thanks so much to everyone who engaged in the little competition to celebrate 10 years of Nature Inspires.
Here is the winner of the loghouse weekend stay:.... Denise Durcan 🎉
The winners of the Nature Inspires T-shirts are:
Mary O Meara
Sara Mason
Sue Basler
Lana Moore
Erin O'Dowd
Thanks also to the name suggestions....they are all so beautiful and we will decide on them collectively as a family in the very near future.

All the winners can get in contact with me please.

26/05/2026

It's competition time 🌻🌸🍀🪻💚🐸🐌🦋 and there is a little giveaway for all my loyal customers and anyone who simply enjoys this page and my new website https://natureinspires.ie/
The prices are a weekend stay in the little log house at the river along with a guided adventurous nature stroll. Some Nature Inspires T-shirts are also up for the raffle.
Like and/or tag, share, make a name suggestion for the loghouse or let me know why you or someone else would like to stay there....
Thank you so much for your support throughout the last 10 years.🌳💚🦊🌸🌻

23/05/2026

As it is National Biodiversity Week we had a lovely foraging workshop for children here today. We explored our meadows and along hedgerows and discovered an abundance of wild herbs....some edible and others we need not to use. We learned that through smell and touch we can identify some herbs like nettles, wild mint and meadowsweet....but other herbs look just interesting, i.e. silverweed or mares tail. For lunch we made crepes from scratch with ground elder and nettles and tea with small daisies, red clover, wild mint and hawthorn....we even tried 'bread and butter' with hawthorn leaves and flowers.
After lunch we went to the forest and fairy fort and also had our podcast session in the loghouse before finishing off.
Thanks to Creative Ireland and Sligo County Council for sponsoring the workshop.
The Climate Ambassador Programme

17/05/2026

An intense and extremely enjoyable certified Leave No Trace Ireland awareness course was held yesterday here at the Nature Inspires base in South Sligo. This was also part of highlighting and celebrating National Biodiversity Week.
The group engaged very well and our surroundings are ideal for delivery of the 7 principles of Leave No Trace.
Well done also to the 2 trainers shadowing the event.
An Taisce The National Trust for Ireland The Climate Ambassador Programme Sligo County Council Sligo Heritage Office

13/05/2026

Our May Nature Retreat went ahead this morning despite the blustery and changing weather. We had a very relaxing time in the loghouse, starting off with tea and scones from Eileen's Kitchen Table. Then everyone made a little booklet for taking notes during our hedgerow walk....where we managed to stay dry.
Lunch was a wholesome nettle - ground elder - lovage soup and before a demonstration how to make wild garlic pesto and a versatile hummus.
The desert afterwards held the 'famous' dandelion and nettle cake, rhubarb meringue and a protein rich, low calorie Quark souffle.
Another walk, this time up the bog road and a brief meet up with Archie, Babsi, goats and the cross gander 😃.
Thanks to everyone who joined in (record number, to the Tubbercurry Frc for organising it and to the sponsors 'Connecting to life Sligo and Leitrim'.
There is one retreat left in early June.....get in touch if you want to join.

09/05/2026

An early start today for the darkness into light event in Banada this morning.
There are three workshops on in May, all of these promoting Climate Action and Biodiversity.
The Leave No Trace Ireland Awareness Course on the 16.th of May and a Foraging workshop for children on the 23th of May. Another interesting Art Nature workshop for children will be on the 30th of May, more details will be announced in the coming days.
Watch this space, as there will be a competition with a few nice prices.....
National Biodiversity Week The Climate Ambassador Programme
Creative Ireland

08/05/2026

Such a great outline for this year's biodiversity week....and Nature Inspires is hosting one event on Saturday the 16.5. There are limited spaces available. For more information and to enroll, please send me a message.

🌿 It is almost time for National Biodiversity Week, an annual celebration of all things nature, running from Friday 15th - Sun 24th May. 🌿

We are looking forward to an action packed week in Co. Sligo, with events all over the county including fascinating talks on Ireland’s eagles, squirrels and pine martens🐾, as well as a dawn chorus🐦, bat walk🦇, nature walks , cycles🚴‍♀️ , aquatic safari, whale watching 🐬 and much more!

🎉We launch on 15th May with a very special event in the National Surf Centre, Strandhill, where Dr. Monica Sullivan will share the wonders of the world’s longest known living vertebrate – the Greenland shark🦈, a recent visitor to Sligo!

🌳🍂🐚 We look forward to our annual Biodiversity Bioblitz with Woodrow Sustainable Solutions! We invite all ecologists, wildlife enthusiasts and members of the public to help record as many species as possible in a set time in beautiful Kilglass House & Gardens and Enniscrone beach on Saturday 23rd May. Full schedule to follow. 🍂🐚🌳

Keep an eye on this page for further information and links to booking where necessary. See https://biodiversityweek.ie/ for details of in-person and online events taking place all over the country.

🌷A sincere thank you to all the wildlife groups and individuals who help to make Biodiversity Week such a significant part of the wildlife calendar in Sligo.

National Biodiversity Week is organised by the Irish Environmental Network and the Local Authority Biodiversity Officer Network, and is supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Sligo County Council Sligo IWDG Sligo Weekender The Sligo Champion Sligo Tidy Towns Drumcliffe Rathcormac TidyTowns Enniscrone Tidy Towns Leave No Trace Ireland Nature Inspires Nature Learn Local Authority Waters Programme Tubbercurry Forest Trail Ballymote Tidy Towns and Tourism Ltd. Ballymote Community Library Sligo County Library BirdWatch Sligo Sligo Walks Wild Sligo Longford Demesne Wood TalamhBeo Sligo IWDG Bat Conservation Ireland Dark Sky Ireland Cliffoney Community Forum - CCF Dromore West Tidy Towns Easkey Kilglass House & Woodland

06/05/2026

It was a glorious morning for climbing Knocknashee, the hill of the fairies. The all round view was breathtaking and we could see 6 counties.surrounding us. Croagh Patrick was clearly visible so most took the chance to sit on the famous wishing chair to make their wishes.
Thanks to Elaine Conroy who gathered valuable information about the various artefacts up on the hill, some of them older than the pyramids or Stonehenge.
Thanks to the Tubbercurry Frc for organising the walks and connecting for life Sligo and Leitrim' for sponsoring these uplifting walks.
If interested, there will be two Nature Inspires Nature retreats over the next 4 weeks and a Leave No Trace Ireland awareness course. Give me a shout if you are interested in either of these.