What started as a small, hands‑on community weekend became an example of regenerative tourismwhen visitors get involved in doing something while they visit a place that leaves the place better than when they arrived: visitors learn a traditional craft, rebuild a section of wall, and leave a visible legacy on the Great Western Greenway. Read the full case study here.
Where?
Mulranny Co. Mayo
Who started this action?
Led by Mulranny Environmental Group & Local Farmers
Some quick facts about the project
- Talks, and demonstations and guided wall‑building with the Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland;
- A children’s stone‑art workshop happens at the same time.
- “gentle construction” using people, not machinery.
- In 2025, 15 meters by 2.25 meters of wall were rebuilt (This is about 67.5 m² two faces). See the before/after timeline on the festival poster (p.1 of the case study).
- People from Ireland, UK, Europe, and the US come
- Many people come back year after year
What makes this stand out?
- Tourism can be a tool, not just a goal.
- Each workshop leaves a repair that can be clearly seen by everyone
- At the work rate, it will take about 28 years to fully mend this stretch of wall.
- The groups are deliberately kept small. A strict cap of 30 people makes sure that everyone is safe. There is plenty of time for everyone to learn and talk to the teacher.
- The work shops follow a sucessful example which was started by experts in regenerative tourism
- The project makes sure that the Community, the local place, local nature Nature as well as the visitors get the best out of it
Highlights
- 2015 — festival starts. It is community‑led and supported by The Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland
- 2023 — featured in an Ireland–Scotland project with the Royal Irish Academy.
- 2025 — 30 people took part repairing 15 meters of dry stone wall.
Why this matters
Dry‑stone walls are living spaces (lichens, insects and worms, frogs, and birds). The festival uses tourism to improve the environment and keep old but important craft skills alive.
SDG Alignment & Keywords
-
SDG 11, 12, 15 (+ SDG 4 via education).
Keywords: dry‑stone walls, heritage craft, meitheal, habitat micro‑niches, gentle construction, regenerative tourism.
Find Out More about the project
Listen to this podcast to learn how the people of Mulranny use the best communications practice to make sure they build alliances within their community
Community Group Best Communications Practice Builds Success
Resources from Climate Connected that you can use to do follow this example in your area
Visit our library of community stories
Search Community Stories By Map
