About Us
Read more about us and our objectives.
Hedgerows Ireland is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, which does not have a share capital and was founded in 2004 by a group of hedge layers and other interested individuals. The organisation was previously called the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland. We are an All-Ireland organisation with Directors based both in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We are a member of the Irish Environmental Network and the Environmental Pillar and also receive funding from the Heritage Council.
Samantha Rhodes
Executive Officer
Daniel Monaghan
Policy & Advocacy Officer
Mark McDowell
Hedgerow Expert, Hedge Laying Trainer & PRO
Mark is an accredited hedge layer, native hedgerow consultant and journalist. He has been involved with the organisation since it started in 2004 and with traditional hedgerow management since 1998. Mark is also a ferry survey coordinator for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. He has a keen interest in all of Ireland’s wildlife and holds a Diploma in Field Ecology from University College Cork.
Anne Brown
Chairperson, Board of Directors
Anne is a primary school teacher and runs an Equine Facilitated Learning programme with her family of donkeys. Her farm also includes sheep and goats and is a registered Social Farm with Rural Support to help young people and adults with mental health and learning disabilities. Anne focuses on a variety of traditional agricultural and farming methods that includes hedgerow management and horticulture techniques to enhance the biodiversity of the farm.
Adrian Fitzpatrick
Director
Adrian is the Sustainability Manager at National Museums Northern Ireland. He became interested in hedgerows and hedge laying in the mid-1990s through the Conservation Volunteers from Ulster University. Adrian lives in south Belfast with his wife and son and shoal of White Cloud Mountain Minnow. When not reducing carbon dioxide or hedge laying, he likes to relax with a paddle in a kayak.
Chris McCarney
Director
Chris and his brother keep a few cattle on the family farm in Eskra, Co. Tyrone. He studied agriculture at Queen’s University Belfast and currently works in education services at Oxford Island for ABC Council. Chris hopes to establish a facility at Lurgan for hedgerow management and foraging events. He is also developing cross-border projects about the role of hedgerows in tackling biodiversity loss in the Irish countryside.
Lise-Ann Sheahan
Director
Robert Hogg
Director
Robert Hogg is a hedge layer based in Co. Westmeath. He won our 2023 All-Ireland Hedge Laying Championships and has been pivotal to the planning and delivery of this event in years since.
Katie Smirnova
Director
Katie is passionate about nature conservation and empowering local communities and landowners through climate and biodiversity action. She was a Campaigns Officer with Hedgerows Ireland from 2023-24. Now, she works on peatland and Nature-based Solutions projects with The Rivers Trust and volunteers with community groups in Kildare. Katie holds an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation & Management.