During March 2020, we had planned to extend our opening times and facilities to the local community, we had planned a series of articles in the newspaper encouraging people to visit and explore the concept of community woodlands with us. So much of this plan relied on physical human interaction, but this element of course had to be postponed.
But then a Sleeping Giant woke up and gave us a gift!
But then a Sleeping Giant woke up and gave us a gift!
Some of you might be aware of a project in Leitrim initiated by a lady called Lyn Brookes, she set up a go fund me called Sleeping Giant with the aim of buying land in Leitrim and planting a community woodland. The project couldn't go ahead and in January Lyn let everyone know that she was closing the go fund me and that donators could have a refund or their donations would be passed on to our Candlefield Community Woodland. Last week The Sleeping Giant project transferred €2,958 to Celtic Druid Temple. Thank you Sleeping Giant! Previous to this one of our wonderful members took up the call (pre lockdown) and collected over 2000 trees from a cancelled planting project and delivered them to the woodland here, he would have stayed to plant them as well only the lock down measures were announced. Thank you Dave!
We decided to share a large portion of the 2000 trees with our neighbours and realised that the community woodland truly has spread its roots. This month we have also received a number of new membership subscriptions and some very welcome donations from long standing members and contributors. Thank you all so much!
These gestures have raised our spirits and given us renewed energy. At a time when big industry supported by the State is treating trees as another resource to extract profit from, the actions of Sleeping Giant and our members are essential to restoring our relationship with the trees and the woodlands. Its very difficult to do this without financial inputs and since 2005 we have given all our own personal financial resources into this project. It can be very difficult to ask other people for donations but when we do we are met with such heart warming support and enthusiasm. To receive such unexpected support at this time is wonderful!
Our Temple now sits within a changed landscape with increased birdsong and animal visitors. The young trees we planted in 2005 are now firmly established and the hedgerows we preserved are buzzing with life. We are now focusing on establishing and maintaining paths for our human visitors, creating safe places to stop, rest and breath in the knowledge and realisation that we are part of this growing woodland. This is Meitheal in action, together we can create community resilience and sufficiency. The Woodlands of Ireland are the fertility, health and wealth of this Land and the Spirit of the Celtic Gael is reawakening. We are co creating abundance together as people. Living with this abundance teaches us that we are part of the solution, the solution that brings fertility to the Land and its People.
I, Niamh, am personally celebrating by putting as much of my physical energy into co creation with our gardens and woodland as I can. Con is celebrating by re engineering and designing a complete set of Gaelic shoes and boots that have been found in archaeological contexts throughout Ireland. We have of course put 10 litres of mead on and it will be ready in time for our Lughnasa celebrations......Meitheal and Mead – community effort and community celebration of fertility and abundance. If you can we encourage you to put on some mead and plan a celebratory visit to us in the future!
You can read about our community woodland on our website at this link
Our Go fund me page is here at this link
And membership subscription options can be found at this link.
Grá
Niamh agus Con
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