About Us

Tara is an Irish herbalist originally from the south east of Ireland. Growing up in a culture steeped in magic and folklore, she was always enchanted by the stories of the wee folk and nature spirits and has found refuge in the wild places. Her journey with medicine and plants began from a very young age. She is passionate about facilitating connection between people and the natural world to aid their healing.

She undertook her formal training in herbalism with Nikki Darrell at Coláiste Luibheanna. It was there she met her now close friend and fellow Wild Routes Ireland host, Chris.

She has a lifetime interest in Celtic spirituality and folklore and has completed training as a Priestess of the Sacred Land at Coire Sois ~ School of Irish Spirituality. She believes fervently in sharing this deep well of knowledge with the wider world. She has spent many years journeying through the land of Ireland, connecting with the sacred sites, ancient stones and trees and the magical wild places. Tara feels a deep calling to bring others to experience these unique places.

Chris is originally from Ohio but has now made his home on a rural homestead in the Mhúscraí Gaeltacht (Irish speaking region) deep in the wilds of West Cork along the shores of the River Lee. He left the states 30 years ago and has made his home in Ireland for the last 25 years by way of Spain, Finland, Greece, and Hungary. He began his obsession with plants while living in a treehouse for 6 months in an ancient oak woodland in Co. Wicklow 22 years past. He went on to study organic horticulture and spent several years running a market garden business based out of a Victorian era walled garden adjoining Gort na Tiobraid Castle in Co. Limerick. His herbal studies began there while growing every kind of medicinal plant he could find seeds for.

Over the past 13 years, he has undertaken formal herbalist training, first at the BSc Herbal Science programme in the Cork Institute of Technology, and then clinical training at the Irish School of Phytotherapy with Nikki Darrell. Chris has been practicing as a community herbalist for the past 5 years now. He is passionate about making all his own medicines and has developed some innovative processes incorporating some principles of Alchemy. Chris is also kept busy brewing, distilling, and concocting and has of late created many yummy, wild, herbal cocktail experiences, the latest of which featured at the Radical Herbalism Gathering in the Shrewsbury. Lastly, he’s been touring the island of Ireland relentlessly for last 2 decades in search of nature, beauty, and the mysteries of this unique land.