On our land near Ballybunion, Co. Kerry we run a project called The Barna Way which has grown into an arts, food and biodiversity hub with woodlands and wild meadows. We host a creative climate action project call Brilliant Ballybunion with local community collaborators and are currently Farming For Nature Ambassadors for 2025.
The house and lands are steeped in history, song and tradition and my mother and grandmother were born here.
The Barna Way has been featured on many programmes including RTE Nationwide, Homegrown and Food Matters for its creative climate action, food and biodiversity initiatives.
From here we engage with the diverse community groups through social farming and live food and cultural events, while protecting habitats for wildlife. This seventeen year project is propelled by an accelerated sense of urgency around food insecurity, climate crisis, biodiversity loss and forced migration.
The Barna Way is currently the hub for the new Brilliant Ballybunion project funded under the IGNITE, Creative Climate Action Fund, which is managed by Creative Ireland. The project engage the local community to creatively explore the future for Ballybunion in terms of protecting biodiversity and local food systems.
The Barna Way welcomes artists/writers in residence, volunteers and interns from all other the world who are passionate about creating a sustainable and inclusive world. Lisa and Rena have travelled extensively and have lived in many countries. They value intercultural exchange and the sharing of knowledge through ‘thinking global and acting local’. They strive to ‘BE the change they wish to see in the world’ though their work in ‘The Barna Way’ and welcome others to join them in their journey
NEW AND RECENT PROJECTS AT ‘THE BARNA WAY’ 2025
- Brilliant Ballybunion 2024-25
- Studio Lisa Fingleton
- Studio Rena Blake
- Creative Climate Action Project: A Creative Imagining
- The Local Food Project
- Kerry Social Farming
- 30 Day Local Food Challenge
- Ballybunion Community Market
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