Éanna regales Laois audience with sharp wit on nature walk at Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery
Éanna Ní Lamhna leads the walk at the Wild Laois guided nature walk with renowned wildlife expert Éanna Ní Lamhna at Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery during Laois Climate Action Festival 2026 Photo: Alf Harvey
BALLYKILCAVAN Farm & Brewery near Stradbally provided the setting for a special Wild Laois event on Saturday 17 October, where well-known nature expert Éanna Ni Lamhna, with passionate delivery and sharp wit, led visitors on a two-hour nature walk exploring the flora, trees, insects and wildlife found across the farm.
Hosted as part of the Laois Climate Action Festival 2026, the event offered visitors an opportunity to experience nature at close quarters while learning more about the importance of biodiversity and the role that working farms can play in protecting and enhancing the natural environment.
The location was particularly fitting, with biodiversity forming an important part of Ballykilcavan Farm & Brewery’s wider sustainability programme. The farm demonstrated many native trees, a striking black fig tree, wild grass areas, a wild bee colony and the final stop was to visit the location of a barn owl box, which successfully supported chicks in recent years.
Adding another local dimension to the afternoon, refreshments were provided by Sobar, by young entrepreneur Rossa Bracken. Rossa is an enthusiastic photographer of wildlife and, in 2025, earned himself the title of young wildlife photographer of the year.
Owner of Ballykilcavan Farm and Brewery David Walsh-Kemmis commented: “Events like today highlight how biodiversity and climate action can be made accessible and engaging at community level. Through Éanna Ní Lamhna’s exploration of the wildlife found on our farm, everyone that came along had the opportunity to look more closely at the habitats and species that can sometimes be overlooked in the everyday landscape.”
