The Hometree HQ site is 16.5 acres of land between Ennistymon and Lahinch, Co. Clare. It is already quite a diverse site, with thick mature hedgerows, a wildflower meadow, a rocky crag and a small wetland area. Parts of the site are elevated giving views over the mouth of the Inagh River and over Lahinch and Ennistymon. In Spring, 2021, Hometree opened the site as its headquarters.

Size: 16.5 acres
Purchase price: €140,000
Location: Deerpark, Ardnacullia South, Ennistymon  Co. Clare
Access: The HQ is just 5 minutes’ walk from Ennistymon and a 10-minute cycle or 5-minute drive from Lahinch. Public transport to Ennistymon is available through Bus Eireann routes 350 and 333.

Description:
While the surrounding land is mostly agricultural, the local townlands are Deerpark and Ardnacullia (or ‘Ard na Coille’ in Irish, which means ‘Height of the Woods’). These names give the indication that, as much of the Irish landscape, this area was once wooded. Before this land came under the stewardship of Hometree, it was used for the grazing of horses and donkeys. This low-intensity use allowed some natural regeneration to already take place. The soils are shallow peat and mineral soils, laying over shale bedrock. This shale is exposed onsite, in an old quarry. 

Access to the site is through a small green road or bothairín which is lined on both sides by stone walls and bramble. Within the site, there are several hawthorn and willow hedgerows. Individual ash and wild cherry trees are also present. Many of the hedgerows follow old dry stone walls. These walls and hedgerows were used to serve the purpose of marking out individual fields. Now, they provide us with the starting points, both for planting and natural regeneration.

In the northern half of the site rises a sharp hillock or mound. The exposed ground on top is covered by a wildflower meadow. Here, there are already many species of flower associated with low-intensity agriculture. Depending on the season one might spot the yellows of buttercup, dandelions and birdsfoot trefoil the whites and creams of yarrow and ripwort plantain, the pinks of red clover and foxgloves or the beautiful blues of devils bit scabious and the occasional bluebell in spring. With the correct management, the species diversity here will expand and slower growing and perennial wildflowers will be welcomed to the area. Beneath this mound is a section of exposed rock. This is an old quarry that would have been used by local people as a source of shale for building. Now it provides excellent shelter for a host of plants and animals including some naturally regenerating ash and hawthorn.

This site has an old history of being a meeting point for people. There is a mass rock, that once served as a discreet marker of where local people could gather during the penal times of the 17th and 18th centuries to celebrate Catholic mass.

Vision:
In the years to come, we hope to create a centre of excellence built around the best land regeneration practices, agroforestry techniques, and the most vibrant and healthy organic tree nursery.