Get your hands dirty doing some gardening or just enjoy our space… Find us through the arch beside Cloud Café, 43 North Strand Road
All Welcome !
Saturday 10th of October + Tuesday 13th + Thursday 15th + Friday 16th + Saturday 17th of October from 2:30 to 4:30 pm
Pride of Place 2026
TESTIMONIALS FROM SOME USERS OF MUD ISLAND
Find out more about all these amazing projects by clicking on their names.
🌼Dee Doherty, Chair of North Strand Residents Association
“North Strand Residents Association was founded at Mud Island in February 2026, and the garden has been our home ever since. We hold our meetings here, and every one of our monthly community clean-ups starts and ends at the garden, where we store our bags, gloves and pickers. Residents have enjoyed a tea/coffee and chat after clean-ups at the Hacienda. We also held a street party from the garden, which was especially important for people new to the area and for those living in apartments or flats, bringing a real sense of community and belonging. Mud Island is the centre, the heartbeat, of our community. We represent a wonderfully diverse community area stretching from 5 Lamps to Annesley Bridge to East Wall, and just like the garden itself, we want everyone in that community to feel they belong here. Our aim is to make North Strand Village within the city a safe and clean place for young and old. We fill our Instagram with positivity and community pride”.
“Tolka Irish Trad brings together musicians from across the wider Tolka area who meet at the garden on Thursday through the summer to practice tunes ahead of community performances. The group grew out of ceoltóirí classes at Joey’s in Fairview, and has since gathered more local trad musicians through festivals and community events. We also play at events in the garden itself, including the ceili and Celtic festivals, and have become something of an in-house band at Mud Island. Playing outdoors, rather than always in a pub, has been a real joy, especially in this fine weather, and we like to think the music does the plants some good too. Mud Island has been a great social space for the group to grow and enjoy music. We have also been invited to other community events, and practising has benefited our confidence. A Highlight was being invited to play in the garden for the visit of the now President Catheine Connolly”.
🌼Mud Island Ukuleles
“Mud Island Ukuleles brings together local North Strand ukulele players and musicians from the city, all connected through the garden. Over winter, we used the cottage to practice, which mattered a great deal to many of our older members, most of whom are retirees who’d rather not drive on dark winter evenings to their club practice. Some don’t feel safe in the dark and cold evenings. Some of us also play with Marino Ukulele and Clontarf Boat Club, but Mud Island gives us a reason to get out of the house in daylight through the darker months, and for members who live alone, that’s made a real difference. We also played at the Christmas market and the Street Feast!”
🌼Dale Uren, Doodle Den Early Learning Initiative – National College of Ireland
“Mud Island Community Garden has provided a welcoming space for the children in our Early Learning Initiative Doodle Den literacy programme where they can enjoy nature, learn through exploration and develop a deeper appreciation for the world around them. Our after-school programme supports educational needs of children in NEIC schools, and Mud Island has had an impact on tying in their literacy journey with the world around them and that they too can play a part in caring for their community. The children especially love planting their own seeds, taking them home to nurture them, and learning about various plants and herbs. We are so grateful to everyone at Mud Island for helping our children learn, grow and flourish”.
🌼Tara Doherty, All Together in Dignity (ATD)
“We at ATD Ireland, as an organisation working in partnership with those living in persistent poverty, are very pleased to support Mud Island’s nomination in Ireland’s Pride of Place Competition this year.
We are based in Mountjoy Square and, alongside our members, have utilised the garden on numerous occasions. The team and members there have always been welcoming and professional in supporting our initiatives. In 2023, it hosted our ‘Leave No One Behind’ launch event and art exhibition featuring purposeful art and groups experiencing some form of exclusion from around Ireland. More recently, the cottage and garden hosted Spring art workshops facilitated by a local artist. This was a really positive experience for all members. It enabled a calming, and inspiring environment. Further, it provided access to a green space for many of our members may not otherwise have access to in their daily lives. It also provided the opportunity to get involved in the garden/ become a member or learn about the process of growing, sustainability, etc. In this way the garden offers a much-needed community space, especially as it is wheelchair accessible. Further, the garden has provided a wonderful opportunity to bring different community members together. In our experience it allowed our members to meet others who were members from the garden, and others from the local community. The garden deserves this nomination as a welcoming, inclusive space which provides a much needed sustainable and green space right in the city centre”.
🌼Marian Casey, founder of Parent and Baby group that meets weekly in Mud Island
“The garden and cottage have been an invaluable resource for our parent and baby group, providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive space where parents can come together over tea and coffee, have a breather, and chat in a relaxed and informal environment. The babies have the opportunity to play and interact with each other, while friendships naturally flourish between parents. It has been a wonderful way to build a sense of community and help combat the loneliness and isolation that can sometimes come with being a parent of little ones. Having such a warm and accessible space on our doorstep has been truly priceless”.
🌼Charlotte Byrne, Operations Manager, Irish Refugee Council
“For several years now, Mud Island Community Garden has been our little space of peace and connection. Not only have we held an annual gathering where we invite current and past volunteers, staff and board members of the Irish Refugee Council but we have all been able to use the space for music and wellbeing sessions. It is a little oasis of calm in a busy city. Sending our love and thanks to Maeve, Nathalie and all who tend and care for this beautiful garden”.
🌼Lucy Reid founder of Library of Things in Mud Island
“ALLoT — A Library of Things for All — is a community lending library based at Mud Island Community Garden. Garden members can borrow tools, camping, sports & DIY equipment and more. Why buy something you only need occasionally when you can borrow it? By sharing resources, ALLoT helps people save money and reduce clutter, whilst providing a practical way to take climate action, share skills and build social connections. It reflects the Garden’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, biodiversity and community.
Mud Island is a beacon of possibility and opportunity in Dublin’s north east inner city, bringing people together, building friendships and creating positive environmental and community impact. We found a home at Mud Island thanks to the welcoming and empowering spirit of the Garden, its volunteers and community. ALLoT is very proud and grateful to be part of and supported by Mud Island Community Garden”. mudisland.ie/allot
🌼Roisin Lonergan Artistic Director & Marcella Parducci, project manager, Five Lamps Arts Festival
“Mud Island Community Garden is essential to our neighbourhood and a valuable asset for the Five Lamps Arts Festival. We hold family events, workshops and performances at the garden, bringing the community together in a beautiful and sustainable space.”
🌼Sal Roche, Creative Mindfulness Teacher, Playful Steps, Mindful Play.
“I was lucky enough to run a mindfulness through art camp for children from the local area in conjunction with the NEIC and City Connects in Mud Island. The camp ran for 5 days over the summer and provided 10 children from the inner city with the chance to come to the garden, paint, create and learn meditation and relaxation techniques. Some of the children were neuro diverse and some came from homes with no outside space and they all really enjoyed the freedom and tranquility of the garden. Thanks to Mud Island agreeing to host the camp and funding from the NEIC, places on the camp were available at no cost to children from the City Connects schools and very low cost to children from the Mud Island community which enabled families to enroll their children in a camp that otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to afford. It also introduced the garden to families from the City Connects schools who live in the area but hadn’t known about the garden before.”
🌼Jack O’Brien, Bohemian Football Club
“Mud Island has been very helpful and supportive of our pilot Bohs MOVE programme, a part of which involves a day of outdoor games and learning in the garden. This programme will now be expanded to all the primary schools in the north east inner city and Mud Island have been cooperative and facilitative of these large groups coming to the garden throughout. They have also supported us with the Bohs GROWs programme, where we were given a plot of land in the garden for young people living in emergency accommodation on Gardiner Street”.
“Mud Island was extremely helpful and welcoming in letting our youth project use the space for young people, families and staff events. Vulnerable young people from the area had opportunities to grow their own food and access a quality, peaceful natural environment which is seriously lacking in the north-east inner city.”
🌼Alison Donoghue, Coordinator, School Completion Programme NEIC
“We were delighted to bring a group of children from primary schools across the NEIC to Mud Island as part of our School Completion Programme (SCP) Summer Programme. The visit gave the children a wonderful opportunity to get outdoors, connect with nature and experience the benefits of being part of a community garden. They really enjoyed exploring the garden, tasting some of the fresh produce grown there and getting involved in watering the plants and flowers. It was lovely to see them working so well together, helping one another and taking responsibility for caring for the space. Mud Island provides a welcoming and valuable community resource where children and families can learn, connect, build confidence and enjoy the outdoors. The enthusiasm and dedication of those involved in Mud Island is clear to see, and it is fantastic to see the positive impact the garden has on the local community. We are delighted to support their Pride of Place nomination and feel Mud Island is very deserving of this recognition”.
🌼99th Dublin 2nd Port North Strand Sea Scouts
“Mud Island Community Garden serves as a base for North Strand Sea Scouts, as we don’t yet have a permanent Scout Den of our own. Our Scout and Venture sections meet there weekly, and the wider group gathers on-site from time to time for activities like practising pitching tents and building campfires — skills that are at the core of what we do, but hard to find space for in the city. Beyond our regular meetings we’ve taken part in Mud Island’s Hallowe’en event, Christmas Fair, and summer open days. The Hallowe’en event has become a real highlight, giving our adult volunteers and youth members the chance to get creative and work together on ambitious art installations — from a giant kraken to spooky reimaginings of traditional fairy tales. The Christmas Fair is an important fundraising opportunity for our group: our youth members make their own Scout and Christmas-themed crafts to sell on the day, alongside running stalls with fair games, selling second-hand outdoor gear, and giving local families the chance to try their hand at making s’mores on an open campfire. These events let us give something back to the garden that gives us so much, while also introducing Scouting to people who might never otherwise cross paths with us. What strikes us most is how Mud Island brings together people of every age and background — through the garden, we’ve built real connections with our neighbours, and become part of a community that’s much bigger than our group alone”.
🌼Ylonah Roelofs, Events Co-Ordinator, Hometree
“Mud Island has enabled us to reach a wider urban population, plant native hedgerows and install bat boxes to increase local biodiversity in the area. The garden provides a great opportunity for hands-on work and nature connection, while raising awareness and educating people about the benefits of native trees and urban gardens. Being able to work with people in an urban setting is really valuable to us. It gives people the opportunity to get involved in practical conservation, learn more about their local environment and see firsthand the wildlife and biodiversity that can be supported through relatively simple changes. For Hometree, Mud Island has been a valuable connection and we have done numerous workshops with them. It has allowed us to bring our work into a new setting, meet and work alongside a different community, and share our knowledge and passion for native trees. The garden has shown how restoration can be about much more than planting, it can also be about people, learning and creating a stronger connection with the natural environment”.
🌼Laragh Pittman, Cross Cultural Conversations
“A Place of Welcome and a Garden Paradise
We at Cross-Cultural Conversations in Dublin 3 are delighted to hear about the well deserved nomination of Mud Island Community Garden as a Dublin City ‘Pride of Place’. The garden community has been a constant support and a place of sanctuary for the CCC group since our establishment early in 2023. We are a voluntary group set up to promote English learning and integration and to celebrate our diverse local community and its new neighbours. The Garden has been the venue for many get togethers, parties, song rehearsals and discussions for our group as well as a place for participation in larger local festivals and events. On a quieter but no less important basis, our members have been able to volunteer in the garden, nurturing nature, planting trees and tending crops and have been made to feel very welcome. Our members originally from many parts of the world have been made to feel at home sharing elements of their culinary, horticultural and linguistic skills in this little urban Irish Paradise.”
And check also Intercultural Language Service
and their Dubylon project
🌼🌼🌼🌼
This year’s FSAS Summer School focused on reanimating the bonds of community by exploring histories of resistance, looking at how to sustain urban commons and learning from people who are actively trying to do these things in their communities. It provided a space to come together and learn, with the hope that participants will bring these insights back into their own communities and practice.
On Thursday 23rd of July FFAS visited us at lunch time as they really loved our previous workshops together, and felt the work we are doing aligned perfectly with their summer schools theme this year.
Thanks to their Programme and Outreach Manager Clara McSweeney (she/her) for organising this & Maria McSweeney for the photos.
We surveyed 16 m2 in total around the margins and found 21 plant species (maybe a couple more if we can identify the different grasses) – of these at least 2/3 are native species which is great!
The Biodiversity Action Group meets on the 1st Sunday of the month in the garden from 10 am to 1 pm.
Here are some shots of the day…
Collecting native Irish wildflower seeds » All-Ireland Pollinator Plan
Recording System :: Flower-Insect Timed Count
Last Saturday, the biodiversity group met and our FIT Counts in the garden was added to the Biodiversity Data Centre Ireland database (). 87 pollinating insects on buttercups, wild mustard (we think), poppies and nettles 🤓😍. Be interesting to track how the numbers change…
Mud Island Community Garden Biodiversity Action Group (BAG) met for the 1st time on Sat April 18th. We shared a sense of collective hope from taking positive action to promote biodiversity, a strong interest to learn more about what we can do, and some initial ideas:
“I am doing a biodiversity course right now; situation seems quite depressing, we need some positive actions to balance it.”
“I removed my lawn and planted shrubs, at first it was for convenience and ease of maintenance, but now it’s become a mini forest.”
“Just letting stuff grow wild is not biodiversity; we should keep a look at what we have and encourage more diverse stuff.”
“We do need hope for the next generations.”
“It’s great to be around people who understand the importance of biodiversity and care about similar things; we need to stop the environment degradation, and when needed push back against bad decisions made by authorities.”
“I hope we can create a pocket of biodiversity inside inner city that can we later spread out from; we could also collect seeds of wild, native plants to seedbomb around.”
We had a group walk around the garden margins assessing what we have there, and what could be improved upon. We had many ideas (see “More ideas” below) and agreed some initial actions:
Agreed actions 1. Put up the bird boxes and install bee hotel for wild and solitary bee species nesting
2. Cut back/remove Buddleia (except the one beside the Cottage)
3. Smother the Japanese Knotweed by wrapping in plastic bag while wait for more action/advice
4. Contact new DCC Biodiversity officer, let them know about the group and see if they have any plans and/or supports in place that we could work with
5. Keep a calendar of biodiversity events for the group
6. Place signs on native plants & biodiversity features around Garden (could use QR codes) ahead of the Open Day
7. Have a stall at MICG Open Day on June 16th and share native seed packets & info/flyers on how to sow for gardens, planters & window boxes
8. Group flora survey of margins after MICG Open Day.
We also noted for the Calendar:
Sat 16 May 1pm – Aaron Foley biodiversity talk at the Garden for the Dublin Community Garden Cycle Sat 23 May 10-12 pm.
Some of the ideas we discussed during walk round the garden:
Reach out to the groups and companies who offer seeds from local native wildflower plants, maybe they will be interested in collab and/or sponsorship of some kind • Lobby DCC and public services to stop spraying ‘weeds’, and to do more for biodiversity • Start a little local campaign promoting growing native herbs and wildflowers in people’s window boxes • We should do informal (at first) surveys of plants, bats and birds in the area • Learn more and share knowledge about how to identify native plants and invasives, how to collect and share native seeds, know which natives are edible
It is important to increase impact of our actions by sharing knowledge with other MICG members and wider community members via posts like this one • Survey of ‘weeds’ growing in Jim’s vegetable garden (after grasses cleared) • Talk on edible natives in the garden • Host an event on native seed collection & sharing • Reduce grasses in the raised bed beside the garden on walk up to the cottage in Autumn • Plant potatoes to break up the soil in grassy margins • After flowering, remove non-native (alien) plants which are “over spreaders” in margins – e.g. red valerian, three-cornered leek – aim is to encourage more diversity in seeds emerging next Spring • Bird and Bat survey – Swift and bat boxes • Surveys of pollinating insects (FIT counts) • Identifying invasive wildlife (e.g. Asian Hornet) • Learn more about supporting ecological travel corridors in the area • Collaborate with local group that is developing SUDS solutions for planters in the neighbourhood – rainwater goes into planters which are planted with natives • Take cuttings from the Elder near the entrance and propagate to increase food and habitat for wildlife (early Spring 2027).
Image taken by Claire – Happy caterpillars feeding on nettle at the garden perimeter.
Small tortoiseshell ? Lots of caterpillar eggs on other nettle plants nearby too!
December may feel quiet in the garden, but it’s an important month for preparation and care. While growth slows, there are plenty of tasks to keep a community garden healthy and ready for spring. Here’s a short list of jobs for volunteers:
1. Tidy Up Beds and Paths
Remove fallen leaves, dead plants, and debris from vegetable beds and pathways. This helps prevent pests and diseases from overwintering and keeps the garden looking neat.
2. Protect Tender Plants
Use fleece or cloches to shield vulnerable plants from frost. Mulching around perennials and shrubs will help insulate roots during cold snaps.
3. Prune and Cut Back
Prune dormant fruit trees and bushes, such as apple and currant plants, to encourage healthy growth next season. Cut back dead stems on herbaceous plants, leaving some seed heads for birds.
4. Compost and Soil Care
Turn the compost heap to keep it aerated and add winter greens like vegetable peelings. If beds are empty, consider adding well-rotted manure or compost to enrich the soil for spring planting.
5. Plan for Next Year
December is perfect for planning crop rotations, ordering seeds, and scheduling planting dates.
6. Wildlife Support
Hang bird feeders and keep them topped up. Birds need extra food in winter, and their presence adds life to the garden.
Even in the colder months, these small tasks make a big difference. They protect plants, improve soil health, and keep the garden welcoming for both people and wildlife. So wrap up warm, grab your gloves, and enjoy the crisp winter air while caring for your community space!
Mud Island’s monthly Repair Cafe, which is entirely volunteer run, has been in existence since May 2023, thanks to the inspiration, leadership and coordination of Mud Island committee’s chairperson Nathalie Cazaux Crowley. We think she’s a perfect candidate for the Rediscovery Centre’s Full Circle Award. They’ve a few different awards but the Community Circular Champion (which honours people who lead or support community initiatives like sharing libraries, swap events, food waste solutions, or local repair cafés) seems a good fit. If you’d like to do the same, here’s the link! https://www.circular.ie/full-circle-awards – closing date is Friday 25th July
The garden is always full of activities and we are grateful of all we have achieved throughout the years (see all the events posters and help we got in 2024!)
This week we are calling an Emergency Meitheal on Saturday!
We need lots of help to prepare for our annual Open Day and to catch up with lots of planting. If you could commit to an hour or so tomorrow it would really help us. Activities will include:
– Preparing beds for planting.
– Planting out our abundance of seedlings. Painting (but not the artistic kind!).
– Labelling plants & making labels.
– A bit of DIY.
– Weeding pathways.
– Watering thirsty plants and trees.
– Enjoying our fecund garden ; )
Thanks from Mud Island!
As part of the Dublin City Inclusion & Integration Week, Mudisland and the Repair Café team is delighted to invite you to a free workshop on Sunday 25 th at 2pm. Mary, one of the sewing magician volunteer will show us how to create a bespoke bag upcycling material!
There will be tea, coffee and treats kindly sponsored by DCC.
This autumn and ahead of very difficult times, the garden has decided to take part in the ‘Cooking for Gaza’ campaign organised by Concern to raise necessary funds to help displaced families who continue to face extremely difficult challenges day after day. Share food with us on Saturday 24th at 5pm in the garden, all welcome – a little gathering for humanity. If you cannot join us on the day, please donate whatever you can to the funding page.
Go raibh maith agat!
Bring some food/pizza to share and we’ll have the oven on!
The Halloween Haunt search begins. This year we’re looking for things to help us bring the PIRATES back to Mud Island. We’ll need old wooden fence panels, stair spindles, large sheets of corriboard. Pirate clothes, toy jewellery. Anything you might see on a pirate ship- old lanterns, chests, nets, ropes, chains, you get the idea. We always have a very limited budget so whatever we can borrow or recycle from members/ Freecycle pages and the local bring centre is a great help (and better for the environment)
And as always we’re in need of more VOLUNTEERS to help with the build and and on the night.
Any time at all is appreciated, there’s jobs for all!
Get your hands dirty doing some gardening or just enjoy our space… Find us through the arch beside Cloud Café, 43 North Strand Road All Welcome ! Saturday 10th of […]
Committee members were celebrating as Mud Island won the Community Impact Award for the Central Area in the Dublin City Council City Neighbourhood Awards. This year we promoted the trojan […]
