News and Events

A Taste of Cloughjordan Ecovillage

APPLE PRESSING ∗ FOOD CAFE & STALLS ∗ GAMES TALKS & WORKSHOPS ∗ TOURS & APPLE BAKE CONTEST

Féile na nÚll, the annual community apple festival will take place in Cloughjordan Ecovillage on Saturday, 21st September, starting at 1:00 pm. This festival promises a vibrant and engaging day filled with activities centered around the wonderful world of apples.

At the heart of the festival is the apple pressing activities. Attendees are invited to gather their own apples, to be transformed into freshly pressed apple juice (be sure to bring your own juice containers).

A food cafe and stalls will showcase a diverse array of culinary delights, local produce, and handmade crafts. Whether you’re a food enthusiast or a curious shopper, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

An event within the event is the Apple Bake contest, where participants display their culinary creativity by entering their best apple-based recipes. From pies to chutneys, this contest adds a competitive and delicious edge to the festivities.

For those eager to expand their knowledge, a series of talks and tours will run throughout the day, providing an opportunity to engage with the local community and gain insights into sustainable living.

Whether you’re a food lover, a nature enthusiast, or simply looking for a fun and educational day out, this festival offers a little something for everyone. So mark your calendar, gather your apples, and join in the festivities.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Saturday 21 September 1:00pm – 6:00pm 

Enterprise Centre – Cloughjordan Ecovillage E53VP86

Food Cafe with The Night Orchard

Apple Pressing

The Night Orchard will be operating an apple press to make freshly pressed apple juice on the day.  The press is fully participatory and family friendly! Bring your own apples for pressing or gather them on the day from around the Ecovillage. Remember if you want to bring your juice home to bring containers to store your fresh juice (note the 2:1 ratio, with 10 kilos of apples producing 5 litres of juice – depending on variety). We will also have a bicycle powered juicer in operation for the more energetic to try!

Pressing is free between 3:00pm and 5:00pm, but donation are welcome.

1:00pm Opening Apple Bake Contest

Submissions can be sweet or savoury, and apple must be the primary filling and taste!

Bring your bake from 1:00pm – 3:00pm. Two categories –  a. Under 18s b. Home Bakers.

The announcement of the winners takes place at 5:00pm.

1:00pm – 3:00pm Dancing The Orchard

Witness apple juice being made in this interactive and tantalising performance. Four Instant Dissidence dancers collaborate with Tipperary-based food social enterprise The Night Orchard to create a spectacular dance rendition of the traditional process of apple pressing.

Dancing The Orchard is a collaboration with social enterprise The Night Orchard and a Clonmel Applefest commission. Funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Supported by Féile na nÚll – the Community Apple Festival . An Instant Dissidence production.

2:00pm Apple Drying Workshop

Explore apple drying techniques with Ollie Moore. Learn how to turn fresh apples into tasty dried snacks. (Food Hub)

2:00pm RED Gardens Tour

Enjoy a tour with Bruce Darrell of his food growing spaces, located in the Ecovillage. Bruce manages the gardens and produces videos for his RED Gardens YouTube Channel based on the explorations and discoveries of the gardens. (Depart from Enterprise Centre)

2:00pm Plant Medicine Walk

Learn basic tips on how to harvest, dry and process plants into medicines with Su Huschke. Come and remember our connection to the living world around us! (Depart from Enterprise Centre)

2:00 – 5:00pm Accepting Change & Changing Acceptance

Art piece that weaves together the voices of local activists and contemplatives in Cloughjordan and the surrounding region through thoughtful, heartfelt, audio experiences. Led by Aaron Bailey. (Upstairs Food Hub)

2:30pm Active Hope & Community Wellbeing

Explore how we can live sustainably, without damaging or disrupting local ecosystems. The Ecovillage provides a unique vision for how the human community and natural biodiversity can flourish in harmony together. (Depart from Enterprise Centre)

3:00pm Cookery Demonstration with Riot Rye Bakehouse and Breadschool

Join Joe Fitzmaurice of Riot Rye Bakehouse and Breadschool for a cookery demonstration on understanding Irish organic grains and how to make a great wholemeal apple tart. (Food Hub)

3:30pm A Short History of the Cloughjordan Apple Collection

With over 60 regional varieties of apple trees growing in the Ecovillage nursery, thousands of trees were grafted in the nursery and planted throughout the estate in 2012. This talk with Kevin Dudley will explore the history of these apple trees.  (Depart from Enterprise Centre)

3:30pm Apples & Watermelons: Learn the Art of Lino-Cut Printing

Carve your own Apple or Palestine inspired piece of art that can be printed over and over! Clothing printing options available (BYO clothing). Donation of €10 to cover materials supplied. Over 16s only, places limited.  With Leontien Friel Darrell (@LFDdesigns). (Cuan Beo Cabin).

4.00pm Cider Making Workshop

Find out about traditional cider making practices. (Food Hub)

4.00pm  ‘From Fruit to Commodity – How Capitalism is Transforming the Apple’

In this talk, Peadar Kirby shows how the humble apple has become one of the global economy’s principal commodities and what we are losing as a result. (Upstairs Enterprise Centre)

4:00pm Cloughjordan Community Farm Tour

Join Torben Marl for a tour of Cloughjordan Community Farm, our member-owned farm that uses agroecological farming methods. (Depart from Enterprise Centre)

4:30pm Tiny House Talk (20 mins)

Hear how and why Paul Lawford built his own off-grid tiny eco house on wheels with no previous construction experience, and how you could learn to do the same! (Outside of Bay 3, Enterprise Centre)

5:00pm Results of the Apple Bake Contest

Announcement of the winners of the two categories. (Food Hub) 

6:00pm – Close

This is one of hundreds of events being held across Europe celebrating the European Sustainable Development Week.