The Loophead Summer Hedge School is owned and directed by internationally exhibited artist, author, native and naturalist Carmel T Madigan.

Carmel is part of a family with a long ancestral linkage to Loophead spanning over 300 years and she has been immersed in the beauty and nature of the region for almost 50 years. Having spent five years specifically researching the wild flora habitats of the region with her young son James, Carmel wrote and published the book 'The Wild Flowers of Loophead'. The book has been extremely well received by both local and visitor to the region.

To follow up on the book, guided botanical walks and rocky shore explorations were conducted by Carmel and, in response to the extremely positive feedback from these guided activities, Carmel decided to open a Summer Hedge School at Loophead.

The offering of activities has expanded to include artistic and poetic workshops, rocky shore and botanical slide shows for anyone unable to complete the physical activity. For those who wish to take part, there are rugged walks that will really challenge the body but lead to hidden places of beauty rarely seen where men pushed out their currachs to fish and women and children bathed.

The activity offering also includes 'Tasting the Hedgerows' a foraging, collecting, combing of fresh leaves and berries to make smooth, full bodied and refreshing herbal teas, whilst 'Saving the Hedgerows' offers to collect and store hedgerow produce as tinctures and ointments, etc.

The school will be the headquarters of her summer studio gallery, a modern well equipped space set in two acres of manicured gardens and open meadow, with pleasant outdoor vistas and quirky inhouse accents.

All indoor events will be accompanied by fresh brewed herbal or regular teas and home baking, a truly relax and sociable learning atmosphere. There are events hosted daily throughout this period.

To truly get away from it all and immerse oneself in nature, fresh breezes, beautiful geological formations, wonderful summer hedgerows, grassy roadways or poetry on the shore workshops, the Loophead Summer Hedge School is pleased to offer all this and more in a remote, forgotten headland landmarked by a lighthouse.