In a corner of the Burren, something quietly revolutionary is happening. Dressed in yellow jackets and armed with drills, a group of people are preparing to take something back.
Between Kilfenora and Lisdoonvarna, Common Knowledge has turned a 50-acre site into a living classroom where practical skills are revived and shared. On any given weekend, the sound of drills, laughter and shared meals fills the air as people of all ages come together to learn. It’s practical, communal and profound in its simplicity. And it’s changing how people think about sustainability.
Founded four years ago, Common Knowledge began with a conviction that the skills we need to live well, to grow, build, mend and make, should once again be common knowledge. The founders recognised that these everyday abilities have been eroded over generations, leaving many people disconnected from the know-how that underpins sustainable living.
As co-founder Harrison Gardner explains:“The things we teach here should be common knowledge. How to grow your own food, how to fix something if it breaks. Somewhere along the way, we lost that ability, and now there’s a generational change that needs to happen. We want to be part of that.”
By setting up as a social enterprise, the team chose to prioritise social and environmental impact over profit, embedding those values into how the organisation operates. At the end of each course, instead of encouraging learners to return, they’re urged to share their newfound skills. Social impact in action.
Common Knowledge’s work centres on three strands.
Courses: Hands-on learning that supports people to “build, make, mend or grow” for themselves. Participants often report leaving with double the self-confidence and self-belief they arrived with, not something you’d expect from a DIY course.
Community Initiatives: Through the Common Ground programme, the team has worked with over a dozen communities in North Clare, building local capacity for climate action and resilience. These projects have fostered a network of people committed to sustainable rural living.
The Site: In 2021, the team identified a former retreat centre and, without institutional backing, raised €600,000 in community loans to purchase it. This grassroots investment transformed the property into a hub for sustainability and rural regeneration.
In 2024, Common Knowledge secured LEADER funding to upgrade its facilities. As the grant was payable only on completion, the Western Development Commission (WDC) stepped in with a bridging loan, allowing renovations to proceed before the summer season. That support ensured the enterprise could meet demand during its busiest months and maintain momentum.
Participants travel from across Ireland, Europe and the United States to learn at Common Knowledge, not for career advancement but to create the life they want at home. The experience is often described as both grounding and life-affirming. As a result, Common Knowledge has become a reference point in community-based sustainability education. This reputation was reinforced when Condé Nast Traveller named County Clare among its “Best Places to Go in Europe 2025,” highlighting Common Knowledge as part of Ireland’s new wave of eco-tourism — “a 50-acre hub where guests can learn sustainable living skills from dry-stone walling to furniture making.”
For co-founder Fionn Kidney, sustainability must also make business sense: “As a social enterprise, we have a social heart but very much a business mind. We have to balance earned income with raised income, and we’d love to work more with companies here in the West of Ireland to partner for a more sustainable future.”
Common Knowledge operates much like any small business. Its courses and accommodation fund the community programmes that give back locally, while partnerships extend its reach. A new initiative, Regenerative Team Building, offers companies a different kind of corporate day, where staff learn tangible skills in a rural setting, reconnecting with hands-on creativity, wellbeing and environmental awareness.
The founders aim to grow Common Knowledge into a national hub for sustainability, a place where individuals, organisations and communities come together to build resilience, share skills and strengthen their connection to nature and each other. Their ambition is simple yet radical: to make the essential skills of sustainable living accessible to all, returning common knowledge to its rightful place in everyday life.
Common Knowledge shows what’s possible when community, creativity and purpose intersect. Its participatory funding model, grassroots leadership and evidence of personal transformation position it as a template for community-led climate action in rural Ireland. Aligned with the Climate Action Plan and Ireland’s Social Enterprise Policy, it offers a model that can be replicated elsewhere, combining sustainability with rural vitality. Standing in the Burren, surrounded by tools, timber and ideas, Common Knowledge feels less like a business and more like a movement, a place where Ireland’s future is being quietly built, one skill at a time.
Common Knowledge is an award-winning, non-profit social enterprise located at the gateway to the Burren, on Ireland’s beautiful Wild Atlantic Way. We share skills in building, making, mending and growing, because we believe that between us all, we have the knowledge needed to create a truly sustainable future. Based on 50 acres, our Centre is a haven for learning, exploring and connection with other people, offering serene accommodation for people and groups.
The Western Development Commission (WDC) was established in 1999 to promote social and economic development across the Western Region of Ireland, which encompasses counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway and Clare. Over its 25-year history, the WDC has delivered substantial impacts across key sectors, supporting businesses, communities and regional development initiatives.