Four Kildare schools help create hedgehog-friendly habitats

Thursday, 16 July 2026 16:47

By Tara Flanagan

Young students in St. Colmcille’s National School add mulch to the new hedgerow

Schools in Moone, Rathangan, Kilcock and Celbridge recognised for supporting local biodiversity

Four schools in Kildare have completed a two-year environmental project aimed at creating safer habitats for hedgehogs and other local wildlife.

The schools – St. Colmcille's National School in Moone, Bunscoil Bhríde in Rathangan, Scoil Choca Naofa in Kilcock and St. Raphael's Special School in Celbridge – took part in An Taisce's Green-Schools "Project Hedgehog", supported by Kildare County Council.

As part of the initiative, students monitored local wildlife, raised awareness about biodiversity and made improvements to their school grounds to encourage native species. Trail cameras installed during the project captured footage of hedgehogs, foxes and a range of garden birds.

Students identify and add signage to the young trees that will form a hedgerow.

The programme concluded with a workshop at St. Colmcille's National School in Moone, where students checked the progress of 100 native trees planted earlier this year. The trees will form a new hedgerow designed to provide shelter and safe passage for hedgehogs and other wildlife.

Pupils also installed a hedgehog house in a quiet area of the school grounds and will continue monitoring it over the coming months.

Kildare County Council has congratulated the four schools on their commitment to biodiversity, saying the project has created valuable wildlife habitats while encouraging young people to engage with nature.

The project was funded through the Local Property Tax allocation in the relevant municipal districts.

Green-Schools is an international environmental education programme, coordinated by An Taisce in Ireland, which encourages schools to take long-term action to improve sustainability and biodiversity.