CELT Community Gardening initiative at Slieve Aughty Centre

Below is a beautiful Blog written by Aisling De Kruijf, a community garden member.

What is slow travel? What kind of experiences are we really looking for when we want to explore a destination?

Traveling is so much more than just ticking off tourist attractions from a list. To me, the most authentic experiences happen when you can combine a genuine connection with the land, learning about where our food comes from, and connecting with a local community. 

A perfect example of this idea in action is the community garden group Solas Gheal.

Meaning “Bright Light” in Irish, Solas Gheal is a community garden group based at Slieve Aughty Centre. The purpose of this place is about connecting back to nature through mindful gardening, community, and food.

Sowing Seeds and Learning Together

At the garden, we practice regenerative gardening. We learn how to care for the soil while it cares for us. Every Saturday, we open the gates to work together on the land. It’s a place that truly welcomes everyone.

If you visit, you get to spend your time working and learning alongside locals, sharing skills, and enjoying delicious food together.

But it’s not just about the Saturdays. During the week, the garden stays open for anyone to visit, explore, enjoy, and learn at their own pace.

The Purest Form of Slow Travel

This is exactly what slow tourism is all about. Instead of just passing through a place and consuming a view, you get to slow down and contribute to it. Connecting with the land and people.

You stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people who live here, pulling weeds, planting seeds, and breaking down the usual barrier between tourists and locals. It’s a space for mutual learning. A visitor might share stories from across the world while learning about Irish soil over a cup of tea.

And finally, there is the ritual of the food. Gathering to share a lunch made from nutrient-dense ingredients grown right there in the garden is the ultimate way to connect to a place. It’s standard, simple, and deeply grounding.

The next time you are traveling through the west of Ireland, look for the spaces that invite you to slow down, spend a Saturday in the dirt, and see how a community garden can connect you back to what really matters.

You can find us located at the Slieve Aughty Centre, an initiative supported by CELT (Centre for Environmental Living and Training) and the Galway County Council Climate Action Fund

If you would like to be involved with the Garden please reach out to : galwaysangha@gmail.com

Or to see more of Aislings work check out her website here: https://projectrooted.ie/community-gardening-slow-travel-in-east-galway-ireland/