Is mise Leasha, I am a community folk herbalist and organiser living and working in Béal Feirste. I grew up on the banks of the river Mersey, overlooking the Liverpool skyline. Like so many others, my family migrated from Dublin to England in the mid-1900s in search of employment. Journeys back and forth across the Irish Sea to the family home in Inse Chór were a big part of my childhood and almost 15 years ago, the land of Éire called me home. I’ve lived in Belfast ever since.

It was this call from the land that also led me to begin studying traditional folk medicine and set me on the path to become a community herbalist. During an overnight vision fast one Samhain, voices from the otherworld drifted through and blessed my work with the name Grá Fiánta which means ‘fierce love’ in Irish. More than a name, grá fiánta is a battle cry, the fire in my belly, and the guiding force behind my work.

Grá Fiánta Herbal exists to build power in communities by reconnecting people with the ancient, traditional knowledges of folk medicine. Through Grá Fiánta, I am to mobilise plant medicine in support of people experienceing marginalisation and oppression, as part of the wider struggle for rights, community sovereignty, and justice. My herbalism practice is grounded in the city ecosystem in which I live, and is guided by principles of solidarity, mutual aid, and reciprocity.