2023 is our 10 year anniversay of the fully accredited* Permaculture Design Course at Carraig Dulra.
The course is taught using a ‘blended’ learning model:
- A total of 10 days onsite at Carraig Dulra focussing practical hands on & design skills.
- A wealth of specially curated pre-course, learning resources which will remain available to you after the course.
- 2 Online group sessions with tutors and co-participants guiding you through pre-course learning at home and in your own projects.
* UK Permaculture Association Accredited
Read what previous participants have said about this course
PDC Schedule 2023
| Online session 1 with tutors and other participants | 10 May 2023 |
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1 weekend (2 days) onsite at Carraig Dulra |
27-28 May 2023 |
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Online session 2 with tutors and other participants |
31 May 2023 |
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1 full week (8 days) onsite at Carraig Dulra |
10-17 June 2023 |
The Carraig Dulra Permaculture Design Course (PDC) embraces head, heart and hands-on learning, offering a transformative and immersive educational experience.
Over the past 10 years, together with participants’ feedback and ideas, we have consciously crafted a course that responds to the needs of the participants and the emerging current issues.
The 2023 blended model offers all of the outcomes of any PDC plus an integrated ‘learning pathway’ structure and a community of practice which together help bring the learning to action in your own projects and life.
The carefully designed education environment of Carraig Dúlra, the tutor team and course content will empower you to apply Permaculture design to your own garden, household, farm, business, community project and your own life path.
FAQ available here
Tutors
The interconnections of our carefully chosen tutor team provide a diversity of perspectives from living examples of “Permaculture in practice”.
Their years of experience and wisdom weaves together with all the Permaculture theory and design you would expect from the core curriculum of an accredited PDC.
We work with the tutors listed below and are always open to hearing from new and emerging tutors -we especially love to see past course participants coming back with contributions from their projects and experiences.
We understand the value of diversity in the teaching team and we value all of the skills needed in living in regenerative community, to this end we highlight and compensate equally the ‘technical’ and the ‘social’ skills needed for resilient and ethical communities and landscapes.
Course content
Onsite, we focus on practical and community skillls development as well as design skills & techniques.
So you can expect to be exploring design frameworks, communication, reflection & organising, as much as food growing, water works and soil!
We facilitate hands-on experience in:
Social Permaculture - Design Practice - Organic Growing & Seed saving - Compost systems - Forest Gardening - Natural Building & Crafts
Working with Water - Woodland Skills - Foraging and Making Natural Products - Upcycling and DIY skills - Local & Seasonal food - Community development skills - ….. & More depending on the group!
Local site visits
We also visit, case study and engage with other local projects at differing stages of their design and implementation. These experiences of applied Permaculture design in various contexts support your understanding of the core concepts from many angles. Exposure to these techniques, information, and styles of Permaculture will provide you with a rich toolkit for your own future projects.
Click here to find out what some of our previous course participants have to say and what they are up to now…
Experience Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in action!
Cost
The cost for the course is €1,200. This can be paid all at once or as a series of payments.
If you have the means to do so, we invite you to make a contribution beyond the course fee, which will be used to help fund participants who could not otherwise afford to attend (particularly those who are not eligible for the social welfare grant).
For those on Social Welfare in Ireland, there is a grant available directly from your social welfare office which covers up to €1000 towards the cost of accredited training. If you are not eligible for the grant and are unemployed/in a low income household, please get in touch, as we may have contributions which could reduce your costs.
The fee includes:
- All online and on-site in person tuition & materials
- All learning resources, course workbook etc
- Free camping onsite during the practical onsite dates
- Meals during the week long residential, and the weekend session
- PDC certificate (Accredited by the Permaculture Association UK)
Accessibility
Our intention is that this PDC is designed to be as accessible as possible to all in its learning style, affordability, and ability level, and to all ages. Please get in touch with hannah@earthcare.ie if you have accessibility queries and she will work with you to try to meet your needs.
FAQ available here
Tutors
We are very grateful to be working with:
- Suzie and Mike Cahn
- Hannah Mole
- John Dolan
- Wendy Nairn
- James Carroll
- Steve Golemboski-Byrne
- Steve Finnerty
- Denise Heeley
- Gareth Conlon
- Orlaith Murphy
- Dave Beecher
- Joanne Butler
Click here to find out what some of our previous course participants have to say and what they are up to now…
FAQ available here
Experience Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in action!
WHY CHOOSE A PDC AT CARRAIG DÚLRA?
Community!
You will be immersed in a supportive and nurturing environment centred around community (people care) and ‘earth-care’ living and we encourage a ‘participants not passengers’ approach where we can experience shared community living, learning, and laughing! We maintain a small PDC group to remain in sync with the natural capacity of the site and to facilitate and explore the human side of Permaculture.
Nature!
Carraig Dúlra’s beautiful location offers the opportunity to retreat into the wild Wicklow hills to connect with nature. It reflects and demonstrates what 10 years of applied Permaculture research and design can create on a ‘marginal’ parcel of land, supporting and supported by the local community and together regenerating a beautiful and productive landscape.
Applied Permaculture & practical skills!
Visible projects at Dúlra demonstrate working in synergy with nature and natural resources and these include:
Food forest - Organic ‘no-dig’ annual vegetable garden with examples of polycultures - Herb labyrinth, spiral and pollinator garden - Swales, pond and water management systems - A cob and straw bale barn with a reciprocal and green roof - Wood fired cob bath - Sauna, and off grid bath house - Wood fired cob pizza oven - Heritage Irish apple orchard - 1.5 acre native woodland, hedges and shelterbelts - Living willow structures - Top bar beehive and natural beekeeping - Greenhouse with annuals, hot beds and cob perennial beds growing apricots, kiwis, olives, figs, grapes, South American root crops and more. - Pallet built Tiny House in progress - Accessible technologies: water ram pump, composting toilet, rainwater harvesting….
Accreditation!
The Carraig Dúlra PDC is fully accredited by the UK Permaculture Association Britain (P.A.B). This means that our course content and schedule has been confimed to cover all of the essential core curriculum of any international PDC.
On successful completion of the course you will be awarded an internationally recognised Permaculture Design Certificate that enables you to begin to develop your practice as a Permaculture design consultant, or educator through both your own practice and with the option of continuing your professional development via a Diploma in Permaculture design, or an apprenticeship with another designer.
Social Welfare funding
Carraig Dúlra is an approved training provider with Irish social welfare. Irish residents in receipt of a social welfare payment may be eligible for a training grant for the PDC from their local social welfare office of up to €1000. Get in touch with us and your local office as early as possible as processing these grants can take time. Email mike@dulra.org to begin processing your application.
Please contact us for more information or if you have any questions about our fee scale.
For information about refunds, transferring your booking, etc. please see our Course Booking Details page. Note that no refunds can be made within 30 days of the first course session, but you can transfer your course place to another person if you notify us at least a 3 days before the first session of the course begins.
For some fundraising ideas for your course fee, see How to fund my PDC?
If you have the means to do so, we invite you to make a contribution beyond the course fee, which will be used to help fund participants who could not otherwise afford to attend (particularly those who are not eligible for the social welfare grant).
To do this, add your deposit or full course fee from the list below to your shopping cart, and then go back and also add a PDC Sponsorship to your shopping cart. Or contact us if you prefer.
