Over 120 trees planted at St. Vincent’s GAA as community and private group come together on climate action.

St. Vincent’s GAA has planted over 120 trees at their northside facility as part of their ongoing climate action plans. Funded by Cork City Council’s Community Climate Action Fund, the GAA club has also upgraded internal lighting in their club building.

While researching the best species to plant, Treasurer of St. Vincent’s and Cork City Councillor Kenneth Collins contacted Maria Young, from Green Spaces for Health, another recipient of the Community Climate Action Fund.

Cllr. Collins said: “I knew our club would be a great site for trees, but I didn’t know what to plant. I met Maria through the Community Climate Leadership meetups and found out from her that there are schools and communities across the city growing saplings. The saplings needed homes, and we had land to plant them in, so it was a win for everyone, including nature and climate!”

Maria Young said: “There is a wonderful interconnectedness in our process this year. The acorns were collected from two Cork City trees by local school children. They were planted in the specialised boxes by school communities across the city, then potted on and minded by them for two years. Now more hands are planting them out. The amount of people involved is wonderful”.

Helping hands on the day were provided by a team from Wilton-based web and digital marketing company, Revolution. The group were up first thing in the morning, picking up the saplings from the tree nurseries and bringing them to the St. Vincent’s site. This is the second year that Revolution has worked with Green Spaces for Health. Owner and founder of the company Matt Sroka said: “It was so enjoyable to get involved in tree planting again this year. We, as a company, embed initiatives like this that are good for people and the planet in the way we do business. It comes from our strong to urge to “give back”. We can make a greener future one tree at a time, but it takes a city working together to grow a community that can act for climate.”

With next week being National Tree Week 2025, further community planting will be continuing with over 20 community groups taking part.