Growing the Liberties

Located in the heart of the Liberties, the National College of Art and Design’s (NCAD) community garden has proved to be an excellent space for the students and locals gatherings.

The garden has been running for a number of years and still successfully continues to connect members from the local area.

“It is truly an amazing garden, a wonderful asset to the college and community,” said Roisin Nic Giolla Ruaidh, an NCAD student and contributor to the garden.

According to Roisin, there are a number of students who have an interest in the upkeep of the garden and tend to it on a regular basis and the students who will pop in from time-to-time.

“We are growing lots of vegetables at the moment, and that is even without proper management and with students who are gardening for the first time,” Roisin added.

Even though the garden is doing well, there have been issues with NCAD staff and management.

“The college staff and management are slow to support and re-open the garden full-time which is disappointing. We have been trying to get the director to re-open the garden, to get a compost licence, employ a garden manager and to create an entrance directly from the college so that the garden would be a part of the campus,” Roisin said.

Regardless, Roisin remains positive about the outlook for the garden.

“Seeing how much food can be produced on such a small amount of land in the NCAD Garden[…] really makes you think about how inefficiently we use our land and resources here in Ireland,” she said.

“It is inevitable with climate change, that we will have to move towards more sustainable food production and urban garden spaces like the NCAD garden are an invaluable resource, not to mention the ecological value of providing a habitat for all kinds of insects, birds and animals, in the most unlikely of places – the middle of Dublin!” Roisin added.