Autumn has a way of pulling forest school people back together. As the leaves turn and the woods change pace, so does our community and this year the Irish Forest School Association is bringing that community back together in person, region by region, right across the country.
From Donegal to Kerry, Dublin to Clare, IFSA’s Autumn Regional Gatherings are a chance to step out of your own patch of woodland for a morning or afternoon and meet the practitioners, leaders and forest school enthusiasts working alongside you in your part of Ireland.
Why Regional Gatherings?
Forest school work can be wonderfully immersive and, at the same time, quietly isolating. Most of us are out in our own woods, with our own groups, making our own decisions about weather, risk and what today’s session needs. A regional gathering is a chance to swap that solitary rhythm for a shared one. To talk shop with people who understand the particular joys and challenges of running sessions outdoors in Ireland, to share ideas and to remember you’re part of something bigger than your own site.
Where and When
IFSA has organised gatherings across nine regions this autumn, each hosted at a different forest school site or woodland location. Here’s the full autumn line-up:
- Donegal/Sligo/Leitrim — Saturday 3 October, 10:00–13:00, Sligo Woodland School
- Cork & Kerry — Saturday 3 October, 10:30–13:00, Island Wooks, Newmarket
- Galway/Mayo/Roscommon — Saturday 3 October, 11:00–14:00, Barna Woods
- Dublin — Sunday 4 October, 11:00–15:00, Kennedys Field, Dodder Valley
- Ulster — Sunday 11 October, 11:00–16:00, Ballybay Wetlands Forest
- Offaly, Westmeath, Laois & Longford — Saturday 17 October, 10:30–14:30, Running Wild Forest School, Mullingar
- Clare, Limerick & Tipperary — Saturday 17 October, 11:00–15:00, Seedlings, Mungret
- Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford & Waterford — Sunday 18 October, 11:00–15:00, Shankill Castle, Paulstown
- Wicklow & Kildare — Saturday 7 November, 11:00–15:00, Littlewood, Donadea
Each gathering runs on its own local schedule and setting, so check the details for your region before you head out.
What to Expect
While each region will bring its own local flavour, gatherings like these are typically an easy, low-pressure mix of:
- Time outdoors in a real forest school setting
- Conversation with other leaders and practitioners in your area
- A chance to share what’s working (and what isn’t) in your own practice
- Community-building for a network that often works in isolation
Booking Your Spot
Spaces at regional gatherings are limited by the sites hosting them, so it’s worth booking early, particularly for popular regions where waiting lists have already opened. You can find your region, check the exact time and location, and book your ticket on IFSA’s Ticket Tailor page.
If your region isn’t running a gathering this autumn or you’d simply like to get involved in organising one for next season, get in touch with IFSA directly. The association is always keen to hear from members willing to help bring their local community together.
We hope to see you out in the woods this autumn.