Pictures: Song of the Scythe - Kilkenny hosts National Championship

ABOVE: Conor O’Brien and Friederike Grace Scroll down to read more and click NEXT to see lots more photographs from the day, taken by photographer Vicky Comerford.

A beautiful, rural setting in North Kilkenny hosted a feast of traditional skills, at the weekend.
The Song of the Scythe - the National Scything Championships and a celebration of Semi Natural Grasslands, took place in the county as part of National Heritage Week.

Rathbeagh ring fort, on the banks of the River Nore near Ballyraggett, was the bucolic setting for many of Ireland’s scything enthusiasts to gather for the event.
Hosted by the Acorn Project, expert scything practitioner Chris Hayes was also in attendance.

As a traditional skill, scything is an ideal way to manage heritage sites and sensitive habitats.
On the day participants had the opportunity to scythe areas of the ring fort and improve their skills, as well as learning about the value of semi natural grasslands as a habitat and their value for improving water quality.

Other activities on the day included mini talks and workshops with ecologist Dr. Fiona MacGowna, tool demo for peening and tool maintenance, poetry performance, rope making with natural grasses and the value of hedgerows with Hedgerow Ireland.
For more information, see www.theacornproject.ie/event/song-of-the-scythe-national-scything-championships