KIlkenny County Council is running a demonstration hedge laying day in association with the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland in the Castlecomer Discovery Park on Saturday, February 28.
Hedge laying is a method of rejuvenating a hedge to improve its stock proofing capabilities and improving the habitat for wildlife. The event is funded through the Local Agenda 21 Environment Partnership Fund.
Hedge laying is the craft of cutting hedgerow stems partly through near ground level so that they will bend without breaking and will continue to grow. The laid stems are arranged to form a stock proof barrier. New growth comes from the cut stump rejuvenating the hedge and thickening up the base providing a great habitat for many wild birds, plants and insects.
“Hedge laying was widespread in Ireland in the middle of the t20th century but the practice has largely died out. The revival of interest in hedgerows through the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS ) is resulting in a come back to this valuable traditional country craft” commented Dearbhala Ledwidge, Heritage Officer for Kilkenny County Council.
Funding is available for hedge laying to farmers who are participating in REPs 4 (option 5b ). For more information on this funding contact your local Teagasc office.
The hedge laying demonstration is free and open to the public between 12-4pm on February 28. An exhibition on hedgerows and trees will also be on display in the visitors centre at the Discovery Park. For further information contact Bernadette Moloney, environmental awareness officer on 056-7794487 or Dearbhala Ledwidge, Heritage Officer on 056-7794925.
