The Barna Way
The Barna Way is an eco-social arts project, organic farm and woodland near Ballybunion Co Kerry. It is co-ordintated by photographer Rena Blake and artist Lisa Fingleton. The house and lands are steeped in history, song and tradition. Both Rena’s mother and grandmother were born here.
The Barna Way has been featured on many programmes including RTE Nationwide, Homegrown and Food Matters for its creative climate action, food and biodiversity initiatives. Lisa and Rena are the current Farming for Nature Ambassodors and are also members of Talamh Beo. A new woodland was established in 2020 with over over 10,000 trees (Oak, Birch, Scots pine, Rowan, Hawthorne and Holly), supported by Greenbelt, Supervalu and the Native Irish Woodland Scheme.
From here they engage with the diverse community groups through social farming and live food and cultural events, while protecting habitats for wildlife. This seventeen year project is propelled by an accelerated sense of urgency around food insecurity, climate crisis, biodiversity loss and forced migration.
The Barna Way is currently the hub for the new Brilliant Ballybunion project funded under the IGNITE, Creative Climate Action Fund, which is managed by Creative Ireland. The project wengage the local community to creatively explore the future for Ballybunion in terms of protecting biodiversity and local food systems.
The project works with diverse community collaborators to grow food, protect habitats and create a vision for the future in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss. The project is coordinated by Grainne Toomey from Ballybunion Community Forum in partnership with The Barna Way, Lisa Fingleton (Artist), Rena Blake (Photographer/Grower), Dr Joanne O Brien (Ecologist) and Dr Clare Watson (Evaluator).
Lisa and Rena host a number of creative experiences and workshops in conjunction with the MOYA festival including ‘Art in Nature’ ‘Songs for the Spirit’ and ‘Living Lens’. In their respective studios, they create work that reflects their passion for food and their commitment to biodiversity and climate action. Lisa is currently the Kerry Visual Artist in Residence with Kerry County Council Arts office. Lisa’s book ‘The Local Food Project’ is inspired by working on the land and is about the power of eating local food to increase health and well being; to reduce plastic and carbon; and to support local food producers.
The Barna Way welcomes artists/writers in residence, volunteers and interns from all other the world who are passionate about creating a sustainable and inclusive world. Lisa and Rena have travelled extensively and have lived in many countries. They value intercultural exchange and the sharing of knowledge through ‘thinking global and acting local’. They strive to ‘BE the change they wish to see in the world’ though their work in ‘The Barna Way’ and welcome others to join them in their journey.


NEW AND RECENT PROJECTS AT ‘THE BARNA WAY’ 2025
- Brilliant Ballybunion 2024-25
- Studio Lisa Fingleton
- Studio Rena Blake
- Creative Climate Action Project: A Creative Imagining
- The Local Food Project
- Kerry Social Farming
- 30 Day Local Food Challenge
- Ballybunion Community Market
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

- RTE Homegrown 2025 (starts at 12 mins)
- RTE Nationwide 2024
- Love on the Barna Way: Farmers Journal
- The Independent / Kerryman: We want to leave a woodland
- Greenbites Podcast: Bee the Change. Lisa Fingleton and Rena Blake with Elly O Byrne
- Foodture Interview: Could you eat local for 30 days or more?
- Laois Woman’s New Book Aims To Tackle Climate Change
- Irish Examiner: Food revolution – Filmmaker Lisa Fingleton’s BLT moment
- Irish Examiner: How cool would it be to serve Christmas dinner and say, ‘everything came from within 20 miles of here?
- The Irish Times: A month of eating only Irish Food (by Ellie O Byrne)
