Feargal O'Neill - Chairman
Feargal has been interested in back garden self sufficency for many years but he took up the shovel seriously in the past nine years when he moved to Waterford. Apart from using the GIY community and website Feargal gets most of his best gardening ideas from his father, Hugh. Hugh developed his wide range of gardening lore working with his father, Billy, in their back garden in Donegal. A garden of medium proportions which supported a very large family at the time. That’s a trail of soil soaked wisdom that goes back to the start of the 20th century.
Feargal is an enthusiastic supporter of the GIY community with its emphasis on sharing knowledge, seeds, plants, time and effort. He is particulatry fond of the meitheal concept which he sees as a wonderful way to get jobs done and help fellow GIYers out in their endeavours to do the projects that we often put off for various reasons. He links this key GIY community concept to an American Indian idea of the Circle whereby people helped each other out (and passed possessions around) and got helped out in return. Needless to say many Europeans who came across this idea were very keen on being helped out and gaining possessions but not so keen on returnng the compliment.
A psychologist by profession Feargal recommends the therapeutic joys of hoeing after a hard day in the office.
Suzie Cahn
Suzie Cahn is co-founder of Carraig Dúlra, Living Skills Bank and the OutOfOurOwnBackYard (OOOOby) store in Gleneally, County Wicklow. Carraig Dúlra focuses on connecting people to nature through a variety of programs and courses and is The Organic Centre’s east coast venue.
She established the Wicklow Community Gardening group and is involved in the establishment of a National Network of Community Gardens.
Gary Graham
Gary Graham, AKA ‘Simon trowel’ from RTE’s Super Garden series, is the creator and manager of Bloom. He is employed by Bord Bia to increase the production and exports of plants, Christmas trees, cut foliage and bulbs.
As a teenager, his grandfather Joe taught him how to grow vegetables in their long back garden in Bluebell Inchicore and after a summer in Caulfields gardening shop on Dame Street he was hooked on hort!
He trained in the Bots in Glasnevin and after an internship in Chicago Botanic Gardens he came home and worked in both interior and exterior landscaping, before realising that it was “too much like hard work”.
Gary recognises the pivotal role that GIY can play in reconnecting the old and introducing the young to the joys and benefits of growing. He believes that time spent working in the garden benefits the mind, the body and the soul. “I garden therefore I am”
Davie Philip
Davie was a founding member of both FEASTA: the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability and Sustainable Projects Ireland the company behind the ecovillage project in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary where he now lives. In 2000 he set up the Sustainable Ireland Cooperative with Ben Whelan which trades as Cultivate.
With Cultivate he organises networking and learning events including the annual Convergence sustainable living festival. Davie conceived and directed the 'Powerdown Show' a 10 part TV series on how communities can do more for themselves and recently wrote and directed a short film introducing community resilience.
Fran Power
Frances Power is the local champion of the Rathgar/Terenure GIY group. She works as a journalist and nutritional therapist and is a contributing editor of Image Magazine.
Fran has an allotment in Crumlin and is involved in a community garden in Rathgar. Last year, she was especially proud of her Jerusalem artichokes.
