Updated / Saturday, 20 Jun 2026 08:42 https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2026/0620/1579444-graveyards-biodiversity/
Biodiveristy measure embraced by parishioners of St Mary’s Church in Quin
By Petula Martyn, RTE Mid West Correspondent
Church grounds and graveyards across Ireland are becoming havens for birds, bees and bats as part of a biodiversity project inspired by Pope Francis.
The initiative, which began in Clare in 2023, has now spread to over 22 Catholic and two Church of Ireland churches in the county.
It is also growing in parishes in Louth, Wexford, Limerick, Cork, Leitrim as well as Knock Shrine in Mayo.
The original pilot project, led by Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer, Barry O’Loughlin, came about after the Irish Bishops Conference agreed that parishes would return 30% of church grounds to nature by 2030.
The council organised rewilding presentations and trained church groundkeepers, and it has helped change the appearance of church grounds, which were historically managed as manicured land.
The biodiveristy measure has been embraced by parishioners of St Mary’s Church in Quin.
Liz Condron from Quin Tidy Towns said, “I think there is a gradual realisation that we have to do our best for nature and for pollinators so there is definitely a change in mindset in regards to that.”
Six other local authority Biodiversity Officers have followed Clare’s lead, extending the initiative to a further 20 churches.
“Church grounds are the focal point of every town and village in the country and a great way to provide a refuge for wildlife and give biodiversity visibility in the community,” said Mr O’Loughlin.
While the most striking visible difference is the abundance of wildflowers attracting pollinators, pollinator friendly trees have been planted and swift and owl nest boxes installed on church buildings.
Rare orchids have emerged, bat roosts were erected on trees and bird tables and feeders were also installed, giving nature a chance to thrive.
The project can also take credit for the arrival in Clare of a barn owl chick (owlet), born in one of the nest boxes installed by the Council on a farm.
The initiative is being showcased as part of Your Council Day on June 26, the national campaign to generate awareness of services and work carried out by county and city councils.
Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan who gave his blessing to the project by establishing a wild flower meadow on the grounds of his residence at Westbourne in Ennis, said it was wonderful to see the changes.
“I remember seeing a video of how a tightly cut lawn was the equivalent of a desert for creatures and that changed my mindset about what we regard as neat and tidy,” he said.
“There are bees and an increase in bird life; I’ve seen swallows and squirrels around the trees.”
Bishop Monahan said he was surprised by the success of the initiative, which was sparked by an encyclical from Pope Francis in 2015.
In Laudato Si’, the first in the history of the Catholic Church to be devoted to the environment, Pope Francis called on individuals, communities and nations to work together to preserve the rich diversity of life on earth.
Biodiversity Officer with Mayo County Council Sheila Murphy said that with visitor numbers close to one million annually, Knock Shrine was an ideal site to showcase actions for biodiversity.
Since the shrine joined the project at the end of last year, she said pollinator-friendly zones had been created, native orchards planted and bird and bat boxes installed. Mowing has also been reduced to allow wildflowers and grasses to flourish.