In many ways, the fact that the Grove was so easy to miss is what worked most in its favour. Hidden in plain sight – a verdant half hectare nestled behind stone walls at the corner of Morehampton Road and Wellington Place in Donnybrook – the site existed in obscurity, thriving without constant human intervention: a small but mighty stronghold for nature, unmanaged, untouched, and allowed, for nearly half a century, to just be. That is, until recently.
The site may be small, barely larger than eight tennis courts, but relative to the surrounding urban landscape, it’s a place apart – a kind of Amazonian island of life, a self-contained micro-ecosystem that recycles itself through nature’s endless rotations of life, death and renewal. It offers us a glimpse of what can happen when we stop managing, cutting, spraying, tidying and designing outdoor spaces, and shows that size isn’t always the key determinant of ecological value in cities; patience, staying out of the way, and trusting nature to do its own thing matters more.
The Grove was owned by Kathleen Goodfellow, a poet, French translator and writer who was, later in life, involved in Cumann na mBan. Born in 1891 to a Quaker family of builders along Morehampton Road, Goodfellow was educated at Alexandra College and Trinity College, and used her inherited wealth to fund charitable work. In 1979, a year before her death, and concerned that the Grove would be developed, she bequeathed it to An Taisce, but it came with one explicit condition: that it be preserved as a “green area to be a nesting place and sanctuary for birds”.
In October 1982 and April 1983, two renowned botanists, Sylvia Reynolds and the late Dr Helen O’Reilly, surveyed the Grove and concluded that “for such a small area, the variation of both native and introduced tree species is very great” – they recorded elm, hawthorn, cherry, elder, common lime and beech, among others – with the ground covered with naturalised spring bulbs of anemones, bluebells, daffodils and native garlic.
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Now, nearly 40 years later, in research published in the Irish Naturalists’ Journal, 29 new plant species have been added to Reynolds and O’Reilly’s list, including many which are spread naturally by wildlife. More than half the plants in this small half-hectare are food for the birds, making the Grove Donnybrook’s top, Michelin-starred dining spot for wildlife.
The paper, authored by UCD researchers, reports that this small space is home to 24 bird species – a richness the authors say is “impressive” – including bullfinches, which are otherwise locally scarce in this part of Dublin 4, goldcrest, wren, long-tailed tit and sparrowhawk.
The Grove also contains an unusually high number of mature trees, 29 with trunk girths exceeding one metre. Even a handful of large trees can dramatically increase the number of bird species in urban areas, offering nesting cavities, insect habitat, shelter and food in ways younger trees simply cannot. For a site smaller than a football pitch, the findings are striking. What the researchers document is something exceptionally rare in an Irish city: an ecosystem left alone to mature at its own pace.
But the real story here isn’t just about biodiversity. It’s about how easily and quickly ecological value can be lost – even when everyone involved believes they are doing the right thing. Goodfellow intended the site to be kept as a sanctuary, not a facility. For decades, that was largely what it remained. But then, according to the authors of the paper, in spring 2024, a forest school facility began using the site, and a “significant portion” of the understorey scrub was removed through cutting, including ivy, trees, and shrubs.
“Some of these plants removed were established prior to the last plant survey,” the authors write, striking a careful but unmistakably concerned tone. “Plant clearance and cutting, along with installation of built facilities on site, are of concern in maintaining the site as a ‘sanctuary’ for urban birds and wildlife into the future”.
Forest schools, outdoor learning, and reconnecting children with nature are laudable goals, but like all human activities, they’re not neutral acts. They reshape landscapes and can themselves become an ecological pressure. Green space is often equated with use: paths, benches, programmes, and access. “Improvement” usually means clearance, visibility and activity. Wildness, by contrast, is treated as neglect. But ecologically, the opposite is often true.
It’s the uncomfortable truth at the heart of this study: not all green spaces should be multipurpose. Some places need to exist primarily for non-human life.
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It’s a line that can be almost impossible to hold. Across Ireland, “underutilised” green spaces, waterways and bogs are being activated and opened up for whatever nature can offer us. A recent example is the well-intentioned but deeply misguided and alarming proposal for a “Callows Plaza” in Shannonbridge, which would include building a wooden pathway in one of the most ecologically sensitive and nature-rich places in Europe.
It’s easy to forget the importance of restraint. The Grove is a reminder that nature doesn’t always do well for our attention. Sometimes the most radical act is simply to leave things alone.
