The non-profit enterprise Common Knowledge, Co Clare offers interesting courses on building, making, mending and growing, as well as a range of accommodation options …
So many of our valuable traditional skills, practices and methods have fallen into decline due to the rise of mass production and global trade. And yet, for a sustainable future, there are lessons for us all in the ways things were done in the past – especially in the areas of building, food, culture and land.
Enter the School of Lost Skills, part of the non-profit social enterprise Common Knowledge, located in the Burren, Co Clare. Co-founders Harrison Gardner and Fionn Kidney have devised courses that are tailored to a range of skill levels, from beginners to those with more hands-on experience. Whether you’re interested in learning how to build a solid hardwood stool, put up that shelf, grow your own organic food, or mend a dry stone wall they have a range of courses that will meet your needs.
Their ultimate goal is a truly sustainable home life. “Over just a few generations, a significant decrease in our basic skills has led to a wider loss of agency, affecting our ability to meet our own basic needs, to solve our own problems and to support each other. We’ve set up a new type of space where people can come and learn with us to upskill and regain a sense of connection with themselves and others,” explains Harrison. They organised over 25 courses last year for almost 400 people. This year, due to the positive response, they have added more courses and moved location to a new 50-acre centre in The Burren.
Harrison is launching The School of Lost Skills during Heritage Week 2023 with a free open day on August 12. Guest speakers, including Darina Allen, Manchán Magan, Mary Reynolds and Harrison Gardner, will discuss the danger of losing our ancestral skills and knowledge, prior to some workshops on cob making, weaving, fermentation and more. Tickets are limited to this intimate event so do book early on the website below (for those who can’t attend it will be live-streamed).
There is also a four-day course running from August 12-16, €680, during which participants will gain an introduction and training in stone carving and stone wall making with Dominic Keogh; soap making with Clem Horan; the art of fermentation with Llewyn Máire; cob construction with Alexander O’Brien; vernacular architecture with Hugh Kavanagh; willow basket making with Kate Burrows. There’s also a storytelling workshop with Aindrias De Stack, seed saving and foraging with Ciara Parsons and Scything and grassland management with Chris Hayes. Breakfast and lunch is provided during this course.
The reason the team at Common Knowledge are focused on sharing practical and traditional skills is that they have seen the transformative mindset shift that learning them can have, inspiring people to take on bigger challenges themselves or as a community. Fionn says, “Our research shows that the greatest takeaway from our courses is confidence in our abilities, which on average, doubles for people after a week with us at Common Knowledge. Participants report taking away the skills and knowledge to create more sustainable home lives, as well as a greater sense of community.”
Common Knowledge has also launched of a range of Lodge and Courtyard accommodation options too. Fionn explains, “As part of our wider mission of building a sustainable social enterprise, we are excited to have launched our Courtyard and Lodge accommodation alongside two event spaces that can cater for groups of up to 100 people. Whether just staying a night, taking a course, running an event or even enjoying a private group workshop, we’re inviting guests to take the opportunity to connect with nature, themselves, and others in a place anchored in a truly sustainable ethos.” These lodges provide the perfect opportunity to take in the nearby sights of the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher and explore the Wild Atlantic Way; www.ourcommonknowledge.org.