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‘There’s something really ancestral about staying in touch with the land, staying in touch with the old ways’
Under the heat of a late September sun, traditional hand saws, axes, beadles and billhooks are put to skilled use at the All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships 2026 in Monasterevin, Co Kildare .
Hedge laying is an ancient craft that increases growth and cover on agricultural land through specialist cutting and laying of hedgerow stems and appeals to many who hanker for the old ways.
“There’s something really ancestral about staying in touch with the land, staying in touch with the old ways, and remembering that knowledge and bringing it back to modern, modern times, where it’s as applicable today as it was 200, 300, 400 years ago. It’s a great day out – when it’s not raining,” says hedge layer Lucy Cowles.
Clean cuts close to the ground with strong hinges are a big consideration for judges, as that ensures a healthy flow of sap, which encourages growth, leading to cover that takes away the need for fencing, and creating a complete barrier to livestock that can be as effective as expensive fencing. Competitors work their hedge section in the novice, contractor, ladies and pairs classes with grit and dedication.
“The bogs died out for a while, and they came back again,” says novice hedge layer Pat Boylan, who is 78. “We cut turf until we were banned. But then we went back to this, the hedge laying, and started this Hedgerow Association in 2004. The thing is, now the tractors and machinery create a disconnect.
” Dedicated participants argue that hedge laying keeps a tradition alive while also performing an important ecology service.
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