Celebrating Ireland’s Hedgerows: National Hedgerow Week 2025 Announced

Teagasc and the Heritage Council are today, Friday, 22 August, launching National Hedgerow Week 2025 – an initiative to raise awareness of the value of hedgerows in our landscapes – with a series of free events highlighting the benefits hedgerows provide to our rural landscape.

Events run from Friday, 29 August to Sunday, 7 September, and include demonstrations on how to plant and manage hedgerows, how to maximise their benefits for biodiversity, and how to provide them with seasonal care.

The celebration launches with a webinar on Friday, 29 August as part of the Teagasc Signpost Series where speakers from Teagasc and the Heritage Council will outline a whole-farm hedge cutting strategy for farmers. A number of events are being led by Local Authority Biodiversity Officers and include hedgerow and foraging walks in Meath, Kilkenny, Offaly and Laois, as well as a hedge laying demonstration in Offaly.

National Hedgerow Week brings together farmers, ecologists and the public to discuss hedgerows from a variety of perspectives. This year, there will also be a specific event on Thursday, 4 September in Teagasc Kildalton College, County Kilkenny for contractors, where industry experts will talk through hedge cutting machinery and safety considerations.

A full list of events is available on the Heritage Council’s website here

Speaking in advance of National Hedgerow Week, Teagasc Countryside Management Specialist, Dr Catherine Keena said:
“With the hedge cutting season opening in September, it is an appropriate time to celebrate hedges as the shopfront to farms. As we drive through the countryside, farmers should take pride in this most valuable network for nature. Hedges come in all shapes and sizes but for management they fall into two categories – topped and treeline hedges, and both are valuable providing different habitat spaces for our native biodiversity. A best practice management demonstration for these two hedge types will be fully discussed at the event at Teagasc Kildalton College on Thursday, 4 September.”

Head of Climate Change with the Heritage Council, Catherine Casey added:
‘We are delighted to partner once again with Teagasc to highlight the value of hedges. They are nature corridors through the countryside and how we manage them can greatly enhance their environmental value. The week provides a great opportunity for conversations on hedge management with farmers, landowners, agricultural contractors and the general public. It is a pleasure every year to see how these groups learn from each other through formal events and informal conversation.”