By Reg Richards, Whitechurch Parish
Since 2010, we at Whitechurch Parish (Church of Ireland) in Rathfarnham, Dublin, have been transforming the church grounds and graveyard into a bee-friendly area with very helpful literature from the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
We have been following the advice contained in the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and 80% of our planting in the Church grounds is pollinator-friendly. We attended the Phoenix Park Biodiversity Festival in September 2019 hosted by the Office of Public Works, and also the Inter-Church seminar held in the Augustinian Order’s Orlagh House entitled ‘Lets talk Biodiversity’.
Our Cotoneaster hedges and Lavender bushes receive much attention from the beehives situated in the golf club grounds next door to our church. Our wildlife visitors include Deer, Squirrel, Fox, Badgers and many species of birds and we provide habitats for many others.
We produce our own compost by layering grass, twigs, leaves, hedge cuttings, waste vegetable matter and dead flowers which we incorporate into our flowerbeds. We have created an Irish wildflower area of 26 square metres with native Irish wildflower seeds of Irish provenance, and our Montessori children have planted wildflowers in their garden.
Our work is ongoing and grass cutting is less frequent in order to encourage Cowslips, Primrose and Lady’s Smock growing in our grounds.
Visitors to our Church and graveyard are most welcome. We are situated on the Whitechurch Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.
Find out more:
All-Ireland Pollinator Plan guideline: Faith Communities – Actions to Help Pollinators