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The Bayside Community Orchard in north County Dublin has been shortlisted for Ireland's Greenest Suburb as part of a wider competition recognizing places, projects, and people making climate-focused contributions. The article highlights the judging process led by former Irish Times environment editor Kevin O'Sullivan, who explains the challenges of comparing large-scale community efforts with individual initiatives like the newly introduced Net Zero Heroes category. O'Sullivan emphasizes the importance of sustained commitment over years and notes a growing trend of climate adaptation efforts aimed at preparing for extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, wildfires, and food insecurity. The piece also mentions other unrelated items including a restaurant review and an immigration story.
Bayside Community Orchard in north Co Dublin, shortlisted in Ireland’s Greenest Suburb. Some of those involved Maureen O’Reilly, Eileen Meaney and Margaret Briscoe .
Photograph: Bryan O’Brien Places, projects and people received nominations across four categories, and judges were initially tasked with paring back the catalogue of entries to a longlist, which is published today. Former Irish Times environment editor Kevin O’Sullivan is one of the competition’s six judges for 2026.
“Drawing up a longlist is always challenging,” he says. “How do you compare an endeavour involving hundreds of people with that of just a few or even an individual, such as the many ‘Net Zero Heroes’ who were nominated in big numbers in our new category? “It is inevitably subjective, but those doing impactful things, with an acute sense of how a warming world threatens their surroundings and quality of life, stand out.
A larger group of judges made this process more thorough. ”Ómós review: Faultless cooking already at two-star Michelin level. Get in before prices riseA long road to Ireland: ‘The Irish are very secretive. They don’t tell you stuff’demonstrate commitment that is sustained over a number of years.
Secondly, an increasing number of people and organisations are “engaged in what would be classified as climate adaptation, preparing for inevitable climate disruptions, and minimising local risk”.action. O’Sullivan describes a “period of unprecedented turbulence” throughout the northern hemisphere, and says an “uneasy feeling lingers”, that being “the realisation that extreme heat will soon inflict a whiplash of drought/water scarcity, floods, wildfires and food insecurity, if it hasn’t already”. Action, even at a hyperlocal level, is of vital importance.
Some of the fruit and vegetables grown at Bayside Community Orchard in north Co Dublin, shortlisted in Ireland’s Greenest Suburb. Photograph: Bryan O’BrienCloughjordan Community Development Association , Co Tipperary Few places in Ireland boast an environmental legacy on par with Cloughjordan, the Tipperary town that holds the country’s first ecovillage.
This submission from Gearóid Ó Foighil was not for the ecovillage itself, but for the Cloughjordan Community Development Association , which he describes as “the social and community development vehicle for Cloughjordan”. , the National Parks & Wildlife Service , and the raised bog restoration programme at Scohaboy which is a Special Area of Conservation . Near the west coast of Mayo, in the town of Louisburgh, a not-for-profit voluntary group is driving sustainable climate action.
Climate Action Louisburgh Locality originated in 2021, driven by an anxiety around the climate crisis, environmental breakdown and the loss of wild species due to human impact. It has supported efforts to purify local rivers and restore a bog in nearby Killeen, and across 50 acres of woodland, it is responsible for the planting of over 35,000 trees.
In her submission on the group’s behalf, Kathryn Slater says that CALL is “driving a green movement” across the parish of Kilgeever, folding in locals through health and wellbeing initiatives, expert-led workshops on climate action, and WhatsApp groups for carpooling and the free exchange of unwanted goods. Staying in Mayo, in the words of Finian Bourke, Clogher is a “small rural village where sustainability, biodiversity and community participation are at the heart of community life”.
In his submission, Bourke lists one of the area’s standout projects in recent times – the construction of a dedicated nesting wall for sand martins, constituting a safe breeding habitat for a declining species in Ireland. The restoration of Clogher Bog is another strong community initiative. At the centre of Donal Chambers’ submission is Transition Town Kinsale , a community that says it was the first of its kind when it began operating in 2005.
Transition towns are now stationed in 67 countries, incorporating climate action projects in each of their chapters. TTK is responsible for the Kinsale Community Energy Project, which has facilitated homeowners carrying out energy upgrades and retrofits since 2018. It runs a seed library to complement its community garden, and a repair cafe for clothes, bikes, furniture and electronics. Chambers says the town has been “a leader in the green transition for over 25 years”.
A small coastal village, Ardmore’s list of environmental collaborators includes St Declan’s GAA Club, Ardmore Tidy Towns, Ardmore and Grange National Schools, the community hall, local businesses and volunteers. It is a Sustainable Energy Community and recently completed a community energy audit funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland , according to Henry Murphy, who nominated the place. Ardmore boasts pollinator-friendly spaces, environmental education programmes in its schools, and a conservation grazing plan on its cliff walk.
“Together, these initiatives demonstrate that sustainability is not a single project but a shared commitment,” Murphy says. Richard Manton, the Director of Sustainability at UG, labels his place of work “Ireland’s greenest university community”. His submission credits the campus with housing 628 different species on the banks of the river Corrib. Data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland shows UG has halved its emissions in the last eight years, Manton says.
It is an achievement owed to retrofitting buildings, energy management, solar PV and an electrified fleet. Sustainability and circular economy initiatives like Spéir and Glassary serve to integrate students in the university’s climate endeavours. Established in 2021, the Enniscorthy Community Allotments are used by approximately 250 people every day, according to Michael Devereux.
The 1.5 acre site is attended by around 15 community organisations, he adds, and it welcomes 20 international families in the area, showcasing the diverse and inclusive nature of the area.
“It provides a shared green space where people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can grow vegetables, connect with nature, learn sustainable gardening skills, and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of the outdoors,” Devereux says. A sustainability project titled the ‘Greening of Somerton’ has been in effect at Castleknock GAA Club in recent years, vastly improving the energy usage and waste systems in its facilities and on its home pitch, Somerton Park.
Last year, the club used a climate action grant to install 70 solar panels on its clubhouse roof. Trees and flower bulbs have been planted, and grass verges around the site boundary have been repurposed to incorporate wildflowers. Over the last eight years, a community volunteer group has dedicated itself to restoring and protecting biodiversity along the river Tolka. The project revolves around organised rubbish-removal meitheals, attracting 10-20 participants aged 18-70 at any given time.
“Treasure the Tolka brings people together to care for the river and its biodiversity,” Toby O’Mahony-Adams, who founded Treasure the Tolka, says in his submission. “Every bag of rubbish removed, balsam stand cleared, sapling planted, and pollution source reported contributes to a healthier river. ”The Little Tern is one of Ireland’s rarest breeding seabirds, and on a 1.5km stretch of a Louth beach, it has been afforded a safe place to nest.
Baltray is a small village on the northern shore of the river Boyne estuary, and for 20 years its residents have been contributing to this conservation project.
“Beyond the ecological benefits, the conservancy has inspired generations of volunteers, educated thousands of visitors about biodiversity and created a strong culture of environmental stewardship in County Louth,” Helen Hanratty says in her submission. For the last 14 years, a thrift shop has been at the heart of the environmental community in Ballon, a village in Carlow with a population of around 800.
A reusing and recycling ethos is central to Siopa Glás, as are its regular events – workshops and plant swaps among them. Managed by volunteers, all proceeds from the shop go towards ‘village enhancement’, supporting projects like a village biodiversity study, a new community house and the provision of a polytunnel for a local school. In his submission, James Morrissey describes St Mark’s Youth & Family Centre as an “oasis within the urban sprawl”.
The youth club was established in 1973, 10 years before its site was acquired from Dublin City Council. It has been restored incrementally in the years since, informed by a sustainable ethos. Fruit trees, compost lanes, a solar roof system and a biomass boiler are among the green features of St Mark’s today.
“We aim to nudge our young people into understanding the need to protect the environment, to slow down, to eat well,” Morrissey says. According to Louise Lalor’s submission, the Circular Square is “Clonmel’s repair and reuse community hub”. She is one of a handful of volunteers at the centre of the not-for-profit community space, which houses a toy library, a clothes swap, a repair cafe and a couple of repair services.
The idea is to bring a number of activities together under one roof. The Circular Square has been running for about 12 years, facilitating sustainable practices of borrowing, fixing and swapping used items, and teaching its attendees new skills. Bayside Community Orchard in north Co Dublin, shortlisted in Ireland’s Greenest Suburb. Some of those involved Catherine Whelan, Noeleen McAdden and Eileen O’Connor.
Photograph: Bryan O’BrienOperating for just over a decade, this urban community garden features green seats and raised beds made from trees that have fallen in a nearby woodland. It acts as an educational space for local schools and houses sustainable events organised by the Ard Gardening group.
In her submission, Caroline Stanley says the garden is a “true reflection of community engagement”, involving over 100 locals and permeating the surrounding area as part of a network of community gardens around Galway city. One of the oldest housing developments in Ballincollig, Rosewood Estate consists of 230 homes and a large open space that, in recent years, has been developed into a meadow by the local residents’ association.
Alongside the meadow, the association has begun a community solar energy scheme, so far attracting 30 households interested in taking part. A joint submission from Mabel Hernandez, Maria Young and Eithne Lynch says Rosewood Estate is “leading the way and forging a trail for other urban communities to follow”. Bayside Community Orchard in north Co Dublin, shortlisted in Ireland’s Greenest Suburb. Some of those involved digging up potatoes, Donncha O’Cathasaigh and Tom Glynn.
Photograph: Bryan O’BrienSix years ago, work began on transforming a little-used green area in the middle of Bayside, a housing estate in Dublin 13. It was driven by Brendan Cairney, a local landscape gardener with a vision, and has since developed into a vital local amenity. Today, around 30 volunteers maintain the garden on Saturday mornings, according to a submission by Eileen O’Connor.
A local graphic artist, Carole Fannon, was called upon to paint a mural for the space, which boasts a “giant Jerusalem artichoke, a banana tree, perfumed roses, a plethora of herbs and stands of giant sunflowers,” O’Connor says. A working farm and gardens in Dundrum, Airfield Estate is 38 acres in size and functions as a heritage site for Dublin 14. In her submission, Airfield’s CEO Claire MacEvilly describes the “holistic approach” taken by stewards of the site.
Regenerative farming practices, biodiversity-friendly gardening, living workshops and classrooms all contribute to its green ethos. A host of partnerships with academic institutions, charities, businesses and community groups extend the organisation’s work beyond the boundaries of the estate. Noreen Lucey, Dunlavin, Co Wicklow, using recycled tents to make bunting flags, lanyards and other items. She is shortlisted for the Net Zero Hero category in the Greenest Places competition.
Photograph: Dara Mac DónaillThrough her 60+ Climate Drive Programme, Jacinta Barrins has inspired a generation of mature climate activists in Ireland. Orlaith Breathnach, who nominated Barrins, attended one such course herself and says she was blown away. Travelling in for weekly sessions from the Aran Islands, Breathnach felt empowered in a conversational space that had previously been overwhelming.
“Now I say to myself, what would Jacinta do or say? ” she says.
“We have made changes at home and I feel more educated to discuss the topic of the environment. ”As the coordinator of education and training programme West Wicklow Youthreach, Caroline McCabe has championed environmental action at the Blessington Further Education and Training Centre . In her submission, Debbi Metcalfe says McCabe “carries the weight of a demanding role with a constant smile, high energy and steady enthusiasm”.
Her work includes facilitating gardening, vegetable growing, upcycling, biodiversity talks and seasonal pollinator campaigns. Thanks to Caroline and Huw O’Toole, a disused family sawmill in north county Wicklow has become a thriving community space. Offices, art studios, allotments and forest gardens now coexist at Jacksmill Hub 13. The couple were nominated by Rosemary Daynes Kearney, who has worked at Jacksmill for nearly four years and values the community there for its impact on her physical and mental health.
“They have created something truly special, unique and important to highlight,” Daynes Kearney says. According to Kathleen James-Chakraborty, a professor of art history and an architectural historian at UCD, J. Owen Lewis deserves credit for “much of the progress regarding sustainable architecture made in Europe over the last decades”. Lewis is an architect, engineer and UCD academic.
In 1976, he helped to establish the Solar Energy Society of Ireland, and over the years, he taught students and policymakers the ways in which architecture can foster the use of renewable energy. There is no shortage of green projects that involve Noreen Lucey across west Wicklow. As secretary of Dunlavin and District Forum, and sustainability manager of Dunlavin Arts Festival, she is a pillar of her community, donating much of her time to voluntary climate action.
One example of Lucey’s work is a project to repurpose abandoned tents from a music festival, for which she worked with women in local IPAS centres. Finally, Kevin Sharpe’s work in Wexford revolves around solar energy. In the village of Kiltealy, he has installed solar systems in 25 homes and businesses to date, with another 50 projects currently in progress according to a submission by Deirdre Banville. Sharpe makes solar energy “more accessible, affordable, and easier to understand”, Banville says.
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