Ecovillage marks 20th anniversary

The ecovillage in Cloughjordan last weekend marked 20 years since the idea of creating such a community was formally launched at a meeting in the Central Hotel in Dublin.

Over 150 people from Cloughjordan and further afield enjoyed an evening of music, dinner and dancing in St Kieran's Hall on Saturday night. The founder members searched for land in many counties before deciding to come to “the very welcoming” Cloughjordan, said ecovillager Iva Pocock. As pioneers of attempting to live more lightly on the earth, the 20-year journey hadn’t been all plain sailing, but much had been achieved, with thousands of people now visiting the ecovillage each year, she said.

People from all around the world also come to live in and “enrich” the community. On Sunday some 40 people joined a gathering of gratitude and blessing around the ecovillage, led by resident Mary Meighan. They stopped at the ruined Fever hospital to remember those who have passed before us, at the ecovillage’s labyrinth and amphitheatre before refreshments and craft in the community farm’s educational polytunnel.