Core College

Core College The Irish School of Herbal Medicine was founded in 2000.

We focus on cleansing the body and mind using organic, plant based and living food programmes, herbal medicines, and environmental and lifestyle awareness.

Our one-day Organic Medicinal Herb Growing Workshop on 4 September is full and is now closed. We have opened a second da...
22/08/2026

Our one-day Organic Medicinal Herb Growing Workshop on 4 September is full and is now closed. We have opened a second date, Tuesday 1 September, and it is filling up quickly. Book your place now!

The day runs from 9.30 am to 5 pm at Castlecomer. You will explore the medicinal herb gardens, learn to grow some well-known herbs and have a tour of the herbal dispensary of Core College. No gardening experience needed.

https://www.corecollege.com/workshops/organic-medicinal-herb-growing

€190, or €115 if you qualify for NOTS funding.

You can also telephone the college during office hours on +353 56 444 0254.

15/08/2026

Butterflies and bees on the beautiful Echinacea in the medicinal herb gardens at Core College, Castlecomer, County Kilkenny

06/08/2026

Last week at Kilgraney House, County Carlow, Helen Begadon gave her talk, Nature's Pharmacy, for the Carlow Garden Festival: Ten Irish medicinal herbs, how to grow them, and how they have supported health for generations. Thank you to everyone who came along.

Spot the herbal medicine students!!
31/07/2026

Spot the herbal medicine students!!

It was a pleasure welcoming Dean View SOS Castlecomer to Core College’s medicinal herb gardens today
29/07/2026

It was a pleasure welcoming Dean View SOS Castlecomer to Core College’s medicinal herb gardens today

14/07/2026

Raw garlic is one of nature’s superfoods. It is antifungal, antiviral and antimicrobial, and also very high in nutrients. It has well-documented use as a herb that supports healthy cholesterol levels in the body and can be used both internally and externally. It should be used externally only if it has been crushed into olive oil, as this will protect the skin from its slightly burning attributes.

Here Donna Weir, Master Herbalist and tutor at Core College, demonstrates some of the healthier ways that it can be used.

25/06/2026

Wild lettuce, cut fresh in the garden this morning.

Heiko, our head gardener, harvests it in full bloom, which is the window during which it can be dried. Leave it any longer, and the plant runs to seed, and the seed gets everywhere.

The milky sap is where the name comes from. Lactuca, from the Latin for milk. It runs freely at this stage, sticky and very bitter, which is why the trays are lined with paper before they go into the dryer.

Wild lettuce is traditionally used as a nervine and soporific, meaning it supports relaxation and sleep. Always consult a medical herbalist before using herbs if you are taking any medication.

Filmed today, on one of the warmest days Ireland has had in a long time. Around 30 degrees here in Castlecomer.

10/06/2026

Learn organic growing from Klaus Laitenberger, in the gardens, in person.

Klaus is the author of three gardening books and a regular voice in Irish Garden magazine, and he helped create the Core College gardens. On Thursday 18 June he is teaching a full day on growing your own fruit and vegetables the organic way.

It is hands-on and practical: preparing the ground, building living soil through compost and mulch, seasonal planning, and sowing and planting you can put to use the moment you get home. You will also learn alongside our head gardener, Heiko Klee, in the Core College organic gardens in Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny.

9:30 to 5:00. The fee is €190, or €115 if you qualify for NOTS funding (employed or self-employed and resident in the Republic of Ireland).

A few places are still open.

Book here: https://www.corecollege.com/organic-fruit-and-vegetable-growing-one-day-introductory-course

30/05/2026

Maca is one of the lost crops of the Incas, a vegetable that grows higher in the Andes than almost anything else on earth. This one is growing in our organic medicinal herb garden in Castlecomer.

Klaus Laitenberger and our head gardener, Heiko Klee, on what it is, and how the young leaves taste (cress-like, as it turns out).

Students study the plants they will work with by growing them, harvesting them, and preparing them in the dispensary on site. The garden is part of the training, not the backdrop to it.

Congratulations to Lauren McGrath on her last day at the herbal clinic at Core College. Laura will go on to be a great M...
29/05/2026

Congratulations to Lauren McGrath on her last day at the herbal clinic at Core College. Laura will go on to be a great Master Herbalist.

Address

Castlecomer

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+353564440254

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Core College posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Core College:

Shortcuts

Share

Category