Entries open for All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships
Around 40 people from across the island of Ireland are expected to compete in this year's All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships, with entries now being accepted.
The championships, organised by Hedgerows Ireland, will take place on Saturday, September 26 in Oghil Stud, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare, W34 RF89.
The free event will run from 10:00a.m to 4:00p.m, with spectators welcome to attend throughout the day.
Hedge laying
Hedge laying is the traditional method of managing hedgerows and dates over many centuries in this country
"It's a very skilled method of chopping and laying the branches," Samantha Rhodes, executive officer of Hedgerows Ireland, told Agriland.
"It creates stock-proof, healthy green hedges, which are good for wildlife and good for biodiversity.
"A properly laid hedge will last for generations. So this is very much a traditional rural skill, a very ancient skill, and this is an event which celebrates it," she said.
Hedgerows Ireland runs courses during the winter months in hedge laying where people can learn the skills needed before potentially progressing to competition.
"There's certainly an uptick in interest at the moment, partly of all people due to Jeremy Clarkson, who featured hedge laying on his Clarkson's Farm programme.
"It's always been kept alive in certain parts of the country, but there's certainly renewed interest in it.
"We've had a lot of interest due to the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
"People who planted their hedges under the ACRES scheme are now getting to a point where the hedges are old enough to lay," Rhodes said.
Championships
The are four main categories in the All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships.
The novice category is open to beginners who have only completed a small amount of hedge laying.
The contractor category is aimed at professional or semi-professional hedge layers who practice it for a living or have been involved for a number of years as a hobby.
There are also categories for women and those who want to work in pairs.
Competitors are marked on their skill and ability, the way they bind the hedge and how the hedge looks.
"They're judged on a huge array of criteria, such as the neatness of the cut, how the branches are laid, how they're bound, how they're staked. It's all very, very technical," Rhodes explained.
The novices are given 5m and contractors 7m to lay over the course of the day.
"It's really intense, physical, tough work. Most of the time, they don't even take a break," Rhodes said.
Entries are now being accepted for the championships with places limited to around 40.
Aside from the championships, there will be plenty of other attractions on the day for spectators.
The site will have a range of craft stalls, exhibits, demonstrations and food trucks.
Among those in attendance will be TikTok woodturner and content creator from Co. Cork, Eoin Reardon and Micheál Potterton from Fiach Rua Timbercraft.
Kildare Wildlife and the biodiversity section of Kildare County Council are also due to attend.
"It's all about working in harmony with nature. It's about traditional crafts, slow working methods, a celebration of rural craft and traditional skills," Rhodes said.
The All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships are run in the north and south in alternate years, with the 2025 editing taking place in Co. Down.
“Last year, we had about 1,600 people at it in terms of spectators, and we're hoping for similar numbers or maybe more this year," Rhodes said.
