The 2024 All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships are set to take place on Saturday, October 5, at Milland House Stud, W34 RF89, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare.
This year, the championships will take place on a stud farm with local exhibitors, demonstrations of hedge laying, and talks about hedgerow benefits and management.
The 2024 All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships will run from 9:00a.m to 4:00p.m, but spectators can drop in and out throughout the day, Hedgerows Ireland said.
This year’s championships are marked by the organisation’s 20th anniversary. The championships will be opened with a hedgerow conference on Friday, October 4, at the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.
The conference will hear from expert speakers who will share insights into hedgerow wildlife, carbon sequestration, surveying, translocation, and management. Attendees and competitors are asked to register on hedgerows.ie.
Hedge laying
Hedge laying is a traditional country craft that is experiencing a “resurgence” as the value of healthy hedgerows for the climate, wildlife and our landscape become more well-known, Hedgerows Ireland said.
“It is also a supporting action in many agri-environmental schemes, such as the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES),” according to the organisation.
“Hedgerows are an integral part of the Irish landscape mosaic. Unfortunately, they have struggled with mismanagement and removal.
“Hedge laying rejuvenates the hedgerow by taking advantage of broadleaf trees’ ability to re-grow after being cut back. The stems are cut partly through near ground level, allowing them to bend without breaking and remain connected to the roots.
“New growth renews and thickens the hedgerow from the base, providing better predator protection and nesting nooks for wildlife,” according to Hedgerows Ireland.
Healthy hedgerows shelter livestock and intercept run-off or sediment loss to watercourses, while hedge laying enables these benefits to continue and creates a stock-proof barrier that can reduce fencing costs on the farm, the organisation said.
