The Woods- Na Coillte-

What will we do without the timber now the last of the woods are laid low?” The famous opening lines from Cill Cháis, the Irish lament rooted in the landscape of Kilcash, County Tipperary, still echo with remarkable relevance today. Believed to date from the early 1800s, this line mourns the felling of the great native woods that once surrounded the area and asks us to reflect on our relationship with the land. Inspired by this history, local artist and writer Sheenagh Geoghegan presents The Woods – Na Coillte, an immersive installation centred around Irish Oak trees, sound, language, and belonging. From August 26th to 30th, Kilcash Community Hall will become a temporary woodland space shaped by young native oak saplings, spoken word, song, and silence. At its heart, this project is about returning trees to the land and thinking about our connection to the natural world around us. The oak saplings are intended to eventually find homes within the wider landscape, planted thoughtfully and responsibly in places where they can take root and endure for generations. The Woods – Na Coillte invites reflection on what trees give us environmentally, culturally, and spiritually. Above all, it is a project born from awe, reverence, and gratitude for the woods themselves.