Airfield reopens after two-year overhaul

IRELAND’S largest urban farm has reopened after an

?¬11 million redevelopment.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, recently cut the red tape on the refurbished Airfield Estate two years after it closed for renovation.

The 38-acre working farm, gardens, interactive heritage centre and educational facilities are all designed to inspire people to reconnect with food and the land it comes from.

The recent redevelopment of the estate set out to ensure that the vision of the Overend sisters, who left Airfield to the people of Ireland for educational and recreational purposes, is realised through cre­ating the country’s most com­prehensive urban farm.

Airfield, which employees 50 staff, is projected to attract 200,000 visitors this year with a busy calendar of public events and educational programmes coming up throughout the year.

Speaking at the launch, Minster Coveney said:

“I’d like to congratulate the development team here at Airfield for their work in transforming the estate through significant development and investment whilst adhering to the vision of the Overend sisters.

“I am delighted to be here to officially reopen this great resource for adults, children, teachers and pupils alike.

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The minister added:

“Airfield, through the public events that are planned and the schools education programmes it will provide, is a valuable and unique service, representing a real opportunity for city and suburban families to experience nature and to learn and explore in a fun way about the links between the natural world and our daily diets.

“The impressive heritage centre has captured a moment in time in the lives of the Overend sisters, providing a fascinating insight into their world and into Irish society at that time.

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Airfield is a charitable trust that was set up by the Overend sisters in 1974 for educational and recreational purposes.

It first opened to the public in 1998 and now includes a working farm, milking parlour and dairy, ornamental gardens, three-acre food display gardens redesigned by award winning landscape designers and food production tunnels that supply the kitchens of the brand new Overends café.

Visitors can learn what life was like for the adventurous Overend sisters throughout the 1900s in the extraordinary interactive heritage experience in the Overend family home and see, through the original archives how they travelled the world, won rally driving competitions around Ireland and nurtured the farm and estate developing it into what it has become today.

On any trip to the estate visitors can meet the gardeners, the farmers, see the cows being milked, watch daily egg collection and feeding of the chickens, donkeys, pigs, sheep and cows.

Visitors can also view the original vintage cars owned by the Overends, including the 1927 Rolls Royce that still runs.

Other attractions include a dedicated indoor/outdoor play area and garden for toddlers in the Grey Barn.

A new Woodland Walk play area for older children will be completed later this year.

Airfield is now home to state-of-the-art educational and learning facilities with a wide range of programmes based on food, farming and the natural world designed for everyone from preschoolers through to senior school students and the general visitor.

Airfield CEO, Grainne Kelliher said:

“We have arrived here today by building on the legacy of the Overend family and through this evolution we will ensure the sustainability of the estate as a place of recreation and education for future generations.

“It is the largest of its kind and provides a great opportunity for people of all ages to discover more about the food they eat and the land that it comes from.

“On our 38 acres we use our farm, gardens, café and heritage centre to provide a range of enjoyable and distinctive experiences and opportunities for active learning in order to deliver on our ambition.

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