Return to Nature — Clare Church Biodiversity Project

In 2025, Quin Village Tidy Towns took part in the Return to Nature – Clare Church Biodiversity Project, a County Clare initiative led by Clare County Council Biodiversity Officer Barry O'Loughlin in partnership with Bishop Fintan Monahan and the Diocese of Killaloe. St Mary's Church in Quin was one of six parishes selected to take part. The project was funded through the National Parks and Wildlife Service Local Biodiversity Action Fund, with all materials, signage and supports provided at no cost to the parish.

The project began with an online briefing in January 2025, followed by a pollinator talk with ecologist Karina Dingerkus and a site visit to St Mary's Church in March. This resulted in a pollinator plan for the church grounds, guiding how grass would be managed, what would be planted, and how the site would be cared for going forward.

Signs were installed early in the season to explain the project to parishioners and visitors. Grass was initially managed as a short-flowering meadow with neat edges. Within weeks, native wildflowers appeared — oxeye daisy, common spotted orchid, yarrow, knapweed, cat's-ear, self-heal and bird's-foot trefoil. As these established, management transitioned to a long-flowering meadow approach. In October the meadow was cut and the cuttings removed to allow seed to drop and reduce soil fertility. Early-flowering organic bulbs were planted to provide food for pollinators from February to April.

A wildflower and grass identification workshop led by botanist Phoebe O'Brien in July helped volunteers identify what was growing and understand how best to manage it. A traditional apple orchard workshop with Irish Seed Savers included a practical tree-planting demonstration, and six native apple trees were planted locally as part of a dispersed orchard approach across the village.

Additional actions included the installation of three triple Swift nest boxes on the church, a Barn Owl box on nearby farmland, and Flower-Insect Timed Counts with Scoil na Mainistreach, with records submitted to the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The St Francis of Assisi statue in the grounds was repainted as part of the project. No pesticides or herbicides are used at St Mary's Church, and the team worked closely with the church maintenance team to support reduced mowing and pesticide-free management throughout.

Keeping parishioners informed through the parish newsletter brought more volunteers on board over the course of the year, including a qualified horticulturalist who joined the team as pollinator advisor.