Eco-Gardener Polly Rowley-Sams joined presenter Shane Harte on the radio show ‘Harte & Minds’ on Together FM recently.
Shane was interested in hearing about the various activities that take place in the garden in Richmond Barracks. There are gardening workshops for both adults and children taking place year-round as part of our Culture Connects programme, and no previous experience of gardening is necessary to take part.
You can listen to the full interview here:
Polly spoke to Shane about the different activities that people can take part in, including biodiversity and eco-gardening workshops. Participants can learn how to garden in an environmentally conscious way, how to create nature habitats, or discover more about native Irish trees, including how to plant them.
There is also a variety of creative and crafting activities to get involved in, sometimes working with materials from the garden at Richmond Barracks. People are also welcome to bring along materials from their own gardens.
In the interview, Polly explained a bit about the different aspects of her role:
“Part of my job is to encourage more species into the garden, and to protect the species that already visit there. Another part of my job is engagement with the public, creating relationships with neighbours... We have the HSE, we have Hollybrook Nursing Home, we have Mercy Secondary School, we have lots of neighbours and visitors.
“My job is being a bridge between the garden and what’s contained in it, the importance of that, and the people that come into the garden”.
A gardening workshop with Polly in Richmond Barracks
There are lots of ways to experience the garden at Richmond Barracks. Some of the things we do are:
You can read more about our garden here.
In the radio interview, Polly talked about the community garden at Richmond Barracks. The community garden is an area with both raised and low beds where people can try growing their own vegetables and herbs. No experience in gardening is necessary and Polly is on hand to help with advice.
If you would like to find out more about getting involved in community gardening, you can contact us on 01 524 2532 or email Polly at ecogardener@richmondbarracks.ie
Helen Tobin, participant in gardening workshops and community gardening at Richmond Barracks
Here’s what Helen, one of our regular visitors, has said about community gardening at Richmond Barracks:
“For me it’s being out in the fresh air, being out in nature. I think it's very important to have that connection to nature. I think that's often missing in modern life.
“I also think Community gardening is quite a different experience. It really makes it a lot more enjoyable to be around other people within a shared activity like that. I think there's a great way of learning organically from other people as we're doing an activity. That was one of the best parts of it for me, getting to know the other attendees”.
Below are some of our upcoming garden activities you can try. You can book to come to one workshop or as many as you like. If any workshops are fully booked you can join the waiting list.
See our What’s On page for our full programme of activities.
We want to open up ways for people to experiment with all kinds of culture. Culture Connects is our year-round programme that invites people in Dublin to try out new things. We offer ways for people to make and create together, to share ideas and connect through culture and conversation.
Posted 17 February 2026
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