Bean Feasa, meaning wise woman, celebrates women helping to restore, protect and reimagine nature across Ireland.
Thursday, 24 September 2026, Ireland: Westmeath flower farmer, biodiversity advocate and environmental educator Anna Browne is among the stories of thirteen women being featured in Bean Feasa, a national portrait series co-created by award-winning photographer Evanna Devine, Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration and Photo Museum Ireland. Her selection celebrates Anna’s unique approach to sustainable farming, habitat restoration, education and community engagement.
Based in Mullingar, Anna manages 17.5 hectares of continuous cover forestry planted in 1995 and at home, demonstrates how a suburban garden can be both productive and biodiverse Through Big Sky Flowers, she promotes low-carbon, pesticide-free flower production while restoring meadows, establishing native woodlands and hedgerows, and supporting pollinator populations.
Anna is a member of Flower Farmers of Ireland and Talamh Beo and was awarded a 2026 Creative Practitioners Residency with Westmeath County Council. Through this grant, she uses flowers to spark conversations on biodiversity, pollinators, the global flower industry, seed saving, composting, and soil health. Anna also contributes to national biodiversity monitoring through rare species surveys at Lough Ree and regularly delivers workshops focused on biodiversity, composting, seed saving and growing sustainably. She is widely recognised as an advocate for nature-friendly farming and was previously highlighted as an RTÉ Climate Hero for her environmental work.
Her selection recognises the innovative way she combines farming, conservation, education and community engagement.
Speaking about her nomination, Anna Browne said:
“I’d like to use the opportunity to draw attention to pollinators, to Irish grown flowers as an alternative to imported flowers, and the importance of growing food, fuel, and fibres locally and regeneratively.”
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, said:
“Bean Feasa is a powerful celebration of the women who are helping to restore, protect and reimagine nature in communities across Ireland. Each of the women featured in this series shows the vital role that local leadership, creativity and community action play in tackling biodiversity loss and building a deeper connection with the natural world.
“Through the partnership between Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration, Photo Museum Ireland and photographer Evanna Devine, this project will bring these important stories to a wider audience and shine a light on the people whose work is helping shape Ireland’s environmental future. I warmly congratulate all thirteen women selected for this inspiring national portrait series.”
Commenting on the announcement, Shirley Clerkin, Tóchar Project Manager said:
“Anna demonstrates how creating a sustainable, local business working with nature can benefit biodiversity and bring us beautiful bouquets of low-mile flowers, spreading joy and benefits to communities and future generations. Her commitment to restoration, education, and sustainable production makes her an inspiring voice for environmental action.”
Trish Lambe, CEO of Photo Museum Ireland, added:
“Bean Feasa recognises women whose work is shaping Ireland’s environmental future, while supporting a leading Irish photographic artist to create an important photographic record of that work. Evanna’s compelling portraits will connect these individual stories with the landscapes and communities around them, bringing this important work to wider audiences through this exhibition.”
Evanna Devine was awarded the €15,000 Bean Feasa Photography Commission following an international open call. As the national centre for contemporary photography, Photo Museum Ireland is supporting the development, production and curation of the work, including access to its specialist image-processing facilities. The completed series will be presented, along with a bespoke publication, at Photo Museum Ireland later this year before touring nationally.
The Bean Feasa exhibition forms part of the wider work of Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration, one of Ireland’s largest nature restoration initiatives. The project reflects Tóchar’s commitment to ensuring that nature restoration is recognised not only as an environmental challenge but also, as a social movement driven by people working within their communities.
Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration is one of the largest restoration projects currently underway. It is a three-year, €12 million wetlands restoration project co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme. The project is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The commissioned portraits will form part of a public exhibition and publication launching in November 2026 before touring nationally.