In a letter to her brother, Sam, written exactly 212 years ago, on 10th September 1808, Ellen wrote “the honey season has commenced and you are to get some for your breakfasts.” Sam was at Trinity College Dublin studying law. Ellen was in Ballylickey, on the shores of Bantry Bay, West Cork, Ireland. She also…
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The winning pieces of botanical art, photography and writing in the Natural Heritage on your Doorstep competition have been selected and can be viewed and read here. The photo above is Nettle Flowers by Oonagh O’Dwyer, winner of the photography (adult) category. The photographs, pictures and poems are a lovely collection of pieces, by adults and children,…
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Today, Sunday 23rd August at 5pm is the deadline for entries to be sent by email for our competition. With the focus on natural heritage on your doorstep, we challenge you to paint or photograph a wildflower, moss, lichen or seaweed, and/or write a poem or a piece of prose (1000 words max) inspired by the nature…
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Saturday’s treat is a free webinar by the lovely, lively historical re-enactor, Carrie O’Flynn, on Costumes and Customs: women’s lives in the early 1800s. Carrie will be in the quiet seclusion of her sewing shed in Cork City, in a period costume of her own making, sharing images and a video of getting all the…
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The virtual Ellen Hutchins Festival got underway yesterday, and today features the Heritage Trail, taking you to some beautiful bits of the Bantry Bay area and telling the story of the determined young woman who became Ireland’s first female botanist. You can experience the Trail for real, with the leaflet and the audio guide, driving…
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This year’s Festival programme is out and bookings are open for the online events. We hope to inspire you to explore the natural heritage at your doorstep, and provide resources for you to do just that. The online and DIY Festival means that you can be part of the action wherever you are. See the…
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Saturday 16th May is National Drawing Day, promoted by many Irish galleries including The National Gallery of Ireland. Why not take the opportunity, with lockdown still in place, to try your hand at botanical art. Shevaun Doherty, the ‘resident’ botanical artist at the Ellen Hutchins Festival says “Botanical art takes time and practice but it…
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Part of one of the display windows in the exhibition, Celebrating Ellen Hutchins, in the Library at Kew Gardens. The first ever Ellen Hutchins exhibition in Britain has opened, at Kew Gardens, and has had its run extended again to 1pm on 29th November. Ellen’s story is told through her beautiful drawings of seaweeds, her…
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The book brings together research by Ellen’s great great grandniece, Madeline Hutchins, and the artistic skills of Bantry-based graphic designer, Jenny Dempsey, to tell the story of the remarkable young woman, Ellen Hutchins of Ballylickey. In just eight years of botanising, Ellen found many new species, became Ireland’s first female botanist and put Bantry Bay…
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Discover a remarkable young woman’s story through a stylish small exhibition, described by visitors as “stunnng! Very, very interesting” and “excellent exhibtion, really good information and beautifully presented”. Experience it for yourself ; it is free, open to all, and on until Thursday 20th December. Whether Ellen’s story is new to you, or you already…
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