A Wexford graveyard has made the list of Ireland’s Greenest places…
Ambrosetown cemetery in Duncormick has made the longlist of Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 and as a result is a contender to win the title Ireland’s Greenest Community 2025 and potentially the overall title.
The project has seen maintenance of the graveyard change from extensive use of pesticides to control vegetation to a much more environmentally friendly method.
The initiative was among over 120 projects or places put forward by members of the public and one of only three entries from County Wexford.
Thirteen communities made the long list in total making it the most challenging category in the competition. (See full list below).
The longlist also includes 3 suburbs, 5 villages and 5 towns. Mayo and Dublin lead the way with a total of six nominations across the four different categories, with Kerry next on 3. Clare has two with nine other counties, like Wexford on one.
Beth Healy (12), Laura Gargiuto Keenan (12)
‘Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025’, an initiative, which is being run by The Irish Times in association with Electric Ireland, began in late May when members of the public were invited to nominate a special place or project which they believe contributes to a genuinely greener environment.
The Chair of the Judging Panel, Irish Times Features Editor Mary Minihan said they had been hugely impressed by the quality and diversity of the environmental projects being undertaken around the country.
“It was extremely difficult for us to come up with the long list and we spent many hours reviewing and debating the entries. But that is a real compliment to the excellent quality of the work being done in the projects and the places which were nominated. So congratulations to the 26 projects who made it on the long list but also to everyone who entered and is doing such valuable work.”
“Each place was judged on specific criteria including its beneficial environmental impact, level of ongoing collective engagement by the community and evidence of behavioural change by people. What was really pleasing to see is that the greening of so many places across Ireland has flipped from the cosmetic to delivering substantial environmental dividends.”
Almost every townland in Ireland has a graveyard; special places, side by side with nature; sometimes completely overgrown, often over manicured with herbicides.
In maintaining Ambrosetown Cemetery in Duncormick, Co Wexford, Donal Keane struck a better balance; it’s an example of how minimal intervention can be best; “keeping it on the wild side”.
The idea stemmed from visiting a beautiful “minimum maintenance” graveyard in St Hellier on the Channel Island of Jersey.
“Over the past few years, the management of this graveyard has changed from extensive use of pesticides to control vegetation, to a much more environmentally friendly method. It is now cut by strimmer midsummer once flowering plants and grasses have matured and gone to seed,” he says. With a light strim after that, it has allowed the graveyard to develop into a rich habitat site.
The graveyard features in Zoe Devlin’s book, Blooming Marvellous: A Wildflower Hunter’s Year – the author being “Duncormick’s most famous resident”. Their team has worked with Wexford Co Council in planting Irish yew and whitebeam trees. Donal Keane believes their approach should be deployed far beyond graveyards.
The panel of five judges includes Eamon Ryan, former leader of the Green Party, who said that Ireland’s Greenest Places shows how much community-led- environmentalism has deepened and spread in recent years.
“At a time when people are anxious about climate change and biodiversity loss, it helps to think global but act local. The long-listed entries show the variety of what is taking place around Ireland. People in every community seem to be looking to see what they can do by promoting pollinators, planting trees or establishing sustainable energy or transport solutions”.
“Gone are the arguments that local people shouldn’t be doing these things because it is the State’s responsibility. Everyone can now see the returns that can come when you work from the bottom up as well as the top down.”
The shortlist for Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 will be announced at the end of the month with the category winners and overall winner announced a fortnight later.
Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 – The Long List
Ireland’s Greenest Suburb (3)
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin
Cabra, Dublin
Harper’s Island, Cork Harbour
Ireland’s Greenest Village (5)
Louisburgh, Co Mayo
Castlegregory/Maharees, Co Kerry
Inagh, Co Clare
Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Co Tipperary
Quin, Co Clare
Ireland’s Greenest Town (5)
Skerries, Co Dublin
Killarney, Co Kerry
Ballina, Co Mayo
Abbeyleix, Co Laois
Kiltimagh, Co Mayo
Ireland’s Greenest Community (13)
Rathcroghan, Co Roscommon
Derrybeg Farm, Celbridge, Co Kildare
Gaelscoil Raifteirí, Co Mayo
Charlemont Deck Culture Garden, Dublin
Dysart River Project, Co Westmeath
Waterford Trees for Life, Co Waterford
The Three Sisters Gardening Community Group, Belfast, County Antrim
Taplin’s Fields (Bridgefoot Street Park Community Garden), Dublin
Coolmine Lodge, Dublin
The Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry
Inishturk Island, Co Mayo
Fahburren Forest, Co Mayo
Ambrosetown Cemetery, Co Wexford
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.
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