“Every plant holds the blueprint for the plant of tomorrow” – Deirdre Morrissey

 

Deirdre Morrissey is the Seed Bank Curator at Irish Seed Savers Association, Ireland’s only public seed bank, maintaining over 800 non-commercially available varieties of seed. 

 

In relation to seeds, the word ‘curate’ means ‘to care for and preserve’, this is the main focus at Irish Seed Savers Association whose primary objective is to protect Ireland’s food crop heritage for future generations while raising public awareness about the vulnerability of Irish agricultural biodiversity. 

 

Deirdre Morrissey first joined Irish Seed Savers in 2017 after living abroad and returning to Ireland to retrain in organic horticulture. Reflecting on the excitement of one of her initial ‘encounters with seeds’, Deirdre recalls the moment she first entered the seed fridges at Irish Seed Savers association; overwhelmed by the extraordinary diversity and potential for life nestled among the shelves,  a primordial passion was ignited. 

 

Every seed has a story to tell, stories that connect us to nature, inherently bound together with the histories of human cultures. The term ‘heirloom’, can be described as referencing a seeds unique heritage of being handed down from generation to generation within a family or community. In addition to the conservation of genetic material, Irish Seed Savers association also collects and archives the cultural information associated with the seeds in their collection, these are known as ‘Seed Stories’. 

 

Join Deirdre as she shares the seeds of her work and unrelenting passion, while encouraging us all to slow down, observe and reflect on the diverse life that surrounds us. 

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To learn more about Deirdre or Irish Seed Savers Association you can visit www.irishseedsavers.ie