"The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of Ireland’s most common plants; one that we’re all familiar with from an early age and one that isn’t easily forgotten, usually for the wrong reasons. But deride the native
nettle at your peril, as this is a plant whose uses range from the therapeutic and curative to the nutritional – for wildlife, livestock, humans and even other plants. It’s a plant celebrated in The Mettle of Nettles, a short book by retired Co Derry postmistress Marian Conway, which was first published in 2015 but is now enjoying a second print run due to popular demand. Pulling together folklore, herbalism, science and sheer common sense, the book is written in quirky, engaging prose often verging on the Joycean, with a sprinkling of Gaeilge. It features a range of recipes – for food, drinks and tonics – alongside homemade remedies to treat everything from aching joints to sciatica. For us gardeners, there’s a section on composting with nettles and creating your own liquid fertiliser, which in some cases is claimed to ward off blackfly and even potato blight."
