Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson

Community Gardens Ireland Virtual Spring Gathering 2026

Community Gardens Ireland today announced the 2026 all-island virtual Annual Spring Gathering for Community Growing in Ireland will take place online on Saturday 25th April from 11am to 1pm. The Community Gardens Ireland AGM then continues at 1pm to 1:30pm.

The 2026 theme is Let’s Keep Growing: A Garden in Every Community.

It is 100 years since the first national allotment law and we have roughly the same amount of community gardens and allotments now as in 1926.

We are honoured to announce our Keynote Speaker will be former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. Mary Robinson is a co-founder of Project Dandelion, which is a women-led global campaign for climate justice. Mrs. Robinson is Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice at Trinity College Dublin, and a member of The Elders. She served as President of Ireland from 1990-1997 and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002.

We will continue the tradition of hearing reports from people on the ground, including community growing network leaders from Limerick, Cork City, and Belfast

• Michael Gleeson, Social Enterprise Officer, Limerick City Partnership and Limerick Growing Communities
• Sandrine Bertin, Food Policy and Development Officer, Cork Food Policy Council
• Brenda Gough, Chair of Three Sisters Community Garden, West Belfast

A highlight of the Gathering is the chance to learn from community growers from all over the country. There will be breakout rooms dedicated to the top challenges and opportunities such as Land Access, Governance, Horticulture, Biodiversity, Engaging Community, and Fundraising.

This event has become one of the most popular events in Ireland for community growers with over 150 registered in 2025. Previous speakers include former Minister Malcolm Noonan, Hans Zomer of Global Action Plan, and Jennifer McConnell, former General Manager of Irish Seed Savers, and many more.

Tickets are free for all attendees and donations are welcome.

Molly Garvey, Co-Chairperson of Community Gardens Ireland, confirmed the date for this year’s Spring Gathering of Community Growers.

She said: “2026 is an important year for community growing as it is 100 years since the first allotment law in Ireland. Communities have a new opportunity to access community growing spaces through the Sustainable Places and Communities Strategy Local Authorities must complete as part of their next Local Development Plan.

Community growers are part of a long heritage of community growing in Ireland. Community gardens are important sites of neighbourliness. Yet, their existence is often temporary and uncertain. Now is the time to ask: how can we support each other to grow food and wildlife in our communities? That is the focus of our Spring Gathering 2026 and we look forward to a rich discussion.”

She adds: “Community Gardens Ireland is a unique voluntary organisation that supports community growing across Ireland. Now is the chance to join our committee and be part of the mission. To propose your candidacy, send a short paragraph to info@cgireland.org before April 25th.”

Dónal McCormack, Co-Chairperson of Community Gardens Ireland, said: “Each Online Spring Gathering has proven immensely popular in previous years. We are delighted to continue to keep the tickets free for community growers and wish to encourage as many community growers to sign up soon to ensure that they have a ticket.“

He concluded: “Together we can work to ensure that there is a bright future for community growers locally, across regions, and throughout Ireland.”

This event is supported by generously supported by Community Foundation Ireland, the EU’s Cohesion Policy Funds and the Government of Ireland.