29/10/2026
Book review: 'Nature's Acre' by Ciarán De Buitléar.
This charming, life affirming garden memoir charts the gentle revolution of an ordinary plot of land as it transforms into a productive wildlife sanctuary, inspiring friends, neighbours and the local community to join in and take action.
This is not an instructional book, instead, it reveals how pleasantly life can be altered when one individual chooses positive change.
Interested in healthy food, wildlife and building a sense of community? This easy read - also available as an audio book - shows how little wins at home can ultimately improve how a local authority manages weeds.
Nature’s Acre: “We began growing vegetables, but before long the project took on a life of its own. Volunteers joined us, local schoolchildren began visiting, and we started extending what we’d learned into other neglected spaces around the village."
Acknowledgement: The author, Ciaran De Buitlear, contacted me saying: “I recognised something familiar in the way you’ve made Bellis a living demonstration rather than simply telling people what they ought to do. That’s what we’ve been trying to do, on a different scale, and in a very different climate”.
I particularly loved the inclusion of the Old Country phraseology, it enriches the work's authenticity.
Jerry Coleby-Williams
Director, Seed Savers Network
Patron HOPE Inc. Australia
The Seed Savers' Network, est.1985
Irish Seed Savers Association
Northey Street City Farm
The Diggers Club
fans
Ciaran De Buitlear
