Core College

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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.

Fresh Cayenne from our garden, grown in our polytunnel, picked yesterday by Heiko Klee, our head gardener
03/10/2026

Fresh Cayenne from our garden, grown in our polytunnel, picked yesterday by Heiko Klee, our head gardener

30/09/2026

🌿 A wonderful day of learning and connection at Core College!

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Castlecomer for the recent herbal medicine conference hosted by Core College. It was lovely to see such a fantastic turnout and to share the day with so many people interested in herbal medicine.

Master herbalists who work as tutors on the various herbal medicine courses offered by Core College and also as herbalists in the Core College Herbal Medicine Clinic shared their knowledge across a range of topics, including women’s health, with talks from:
🌱 Donna Weir on plant-based living and the role of a plant-based diet in healing
🌱 Nikita Purcell on bone health
🌱 Jackie Keane on women’s reproductive health
🌱 Rachel Kelly on thyroid health
🌱 Helen Begadon on herbs to support the nervous system

We thoroughly enjoyed the day and are grateful to the speakers and everyone who attended for making it so special. 💚

Find out more about Core College at www.corecollege.com

06/09/2026

Meet the speakers at The Power of Herbal Medicine Conference 🌿

Join us for a full day exploring how medicinal herbs can support:

🌿 Bone health with Nikita Purcell
🌿 Thyroid health with Rachel Kelly
🌿 Women’s reproductive health with Jackie Keane
🌿 The nervous system with Helen Begadon
🌿 Healing through plant-based food with Donna Weir

Each presentation will be followed by an opportunity for discussion and questions.

Saturday 12 September 2026
10.00am to 5.00pm
Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer, County Kilkenny
€110 per person

Places are limited. Learn more and reserve your place:
https://www.corecollege.com/the-power-of-herbal-medicine

03/09/2026

Explore training in herbal medicine in Ireland

The programme is designed to fit alongside students’ work and life commitments. Delivery is largely online, with 18 clinical training days each year.

Clinical training takes place at Maynooth University Conference Centre and in the College campus herbal clinic in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, where patients are treated and students are involved in consultations supervised by a herbalist.

In the dispensary, students also learn the practical art of compounding tinctures, infusions, decoctions, powders, fomentations and other external herbal applications.

The programme offers three exit points:

Certificate after Year One
Diploma after Year Two
Licentiate after Year Four

The next course begins on 21 September 2026. Follow the link below to learn more:

https://www.corecollege.com/study-herbal-medicine

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.

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

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