The Wind in the Willows was written by Kenneth Grahame and is adapted for the stage by Laura Turner

Join Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad for a perfect summer of adventure. What starts as a search for the best picnic spot rapidly turns into the most hilarious of escapades. With the bumptious Toad’s heart set on a shiny new motorcar and his very liberty soon at stake, will his faithful friends come to his rescue – and will he let them? Alive with music, song and dance, this magical family show is presented in beautiful traditional costume and features a woodland parade during the interval for everyone to join in with! Fun and frolics aplenty with this glorious new adaptation of the classic novel loved by children and adults alike, performed in the grounds of some of the UK and Ireland’s most beautiful open-air venues.

Tickets are on sale in advance from The Book Centre, High Street, Kilkenny and from Stonehouse Books, Kieran Street, Kilkenny.  Tickets can also be purchased from the Parks Office of Kilkenny County Council.  Contact 056 7794373

Ticket prices are as follows: -

Adult €12.50

Students or Child €7.50

Under 3′s free.

Free car parking to those attending the production.  Refreshments available in the tea room.  Please bring low backed seating.

A great family project! Rain or shine!  We will guide you through the steps to create your own unique scarecrow.  Scarecrow-building materials are included in the workshop fee.

Choose from a variety of shirts, pants, decorations and plenty of straw to construct your very own life-sized scarecrow. Make-it-and-take-it home. Have fun!

Children €10, Adults €15. Families €40

For more information or to book your place, please call Monica on 086 1287277 or email monica.fleming08@gmail.com

Local writer Carmel Cummins will host two creative writing workshops in Woodstock gardens on the 15th and 29th of May.  The workshops will be on the theme of home and place.

The workshops will take place in the Conservatory in Woodstock Gardens,  Inistioge

Dates: Wed 15^th and 29^th May

Time: 10-00 – 12.30 both days

Outline: Two workshops with the same group, held two weeks apart on the theme of Place/Home Place.

Wednesday 15^th May – Workshop 1 will be used to introduce the theme of writing on Place/Home Place, to explore what participants understand by effective work on this theme,  provide examples of ‘best practice’,  and participants will use the gardens as a ‘laboratory’ to explore writing on the theme.

Wednesday 29^th May – Workshop 2 will provide an opportunity for more in-depth exploration of the skills involved.  Each participant will be invited to present a prose piece or poem on a place that has particular significance for them. These pieces will be workshopped in the group.

Number in group, not more than ten, places given on a first-come-first-served basis.

Fee  €10 per workshop payable on the day

Carmel Cummins is from Co Kilkenny and lives in Inistioge.  Her poetry has been most recently published in Woodstock Promenade ,2009, Kilkenny Broadsheet, 2009, 2010 and 2012,  I live in Michael Hartnett, 2013. Prose pieces on her home place have been published in Townlands: a habitation, 2012.

All queries to Carmel Cummins           Email: rathfrask@gmail.com

For further information phone 086 8712173.

Easter Eggs

Join us for a fun and creative workshop where we will learn the technique of Decoupage – decorating a surface with designs cut from paper and then coated with layers of varnish. Use real eggs and hollow them out by blowing out the contents.  The eggs can be used as decorations year after year.
Suitable for children aged 7 +, family groups and adults. All materials provided. Please book with Monica Fleming in advance on 086 1287277 (minimum numbers will apply)
Price per person is €10. Includes all materials.

Date and time: Woodstock Gardens Conservatory, Sunday the 24th of March at 2pm (runs for approx 2 hours)

Meeting point is the Car Park of Woodstock Gardens

See the attached link for further details: – http://orienteering.ie/builder.php3?MoreFixtures-1265

Sunday the 17th of February 2013.

Create your own shelter in the wood with living willow and watch it grow. Come and join us for a workshop with artist Monica Fleming who will help you create a hut or shelter in the woods in Woodstock. Monica will use live willow to help you build and weave your own hideout.

Suitable for children aged 7 and up
Time 1.30 to 4.30 on Sunday the 17th of February.
Price is €10 per participant. All materials will be provided.
Family groups welcome.

Please book your place with Monica in advance on

086 128 7277

(Minimum numbers will apply)

On Saturday 19th January 2012, the Operation Transformation National Walks will take place at venues all over Ireland. In Kilkenny, the walks are taking place in Castlecomer Discovery Park at 11am, The Parade in Kilkenny City at 11am and also for the first time, there is an Operation Transformation walk in Woodstock Gardens in Inistioge at 2pm! There will be a walk leader at each venue to guide the walk so no prior experience is necessary.

The walk in Kilkenny City will be led by Mayor Seán Ó HArgáin, as one of the Mayor’s weekly walks, and will follow a route around the city. The walks in Castlecomer and Woodstock will follow woodland trails and may be muddy underfoot. Comfortable shoes are advisable for these walks and of course don’t forget the raingear!

For anyone who’s using Operation Transformation as a kickstart to increasing activity levels for the New Year, why not set a goal to help you keep your resolution. There are lots of events planned in Kilkenny in the coming weeks that you could work towards.

Kilkenny City Harriers organise a 5k dash for local charities every St. Patricks Weekend, a very achievable goal for beginners. Tyndall Mountain Club and Kilkenny Walking Club have regular guided hillwalks varying from easy to more challenging walks with details on the local papers and their websites. Nore Valley Athletics Club is planning a 10k in April with a local training programme for anyone who would like to participate in their first 10k.

Take your first steps towards a healthy lifestyle by joining us on one of the Operation Transformation Walks with your family, friends and community on the Kilkenny Trails. For further information, visit www.krsp.ie or www.rte/ot