Our Team
We bring different perspectives to the table, but are united by a love for purposeful work, thoughtful design, and real nature connection.
Catherine Cleary
Catherine Cleary is a journalist and nature activist, and the author of five books on topics ranging from crime to food to homelessness and nature activism. She spent a decade writing about food for The Irish Times and has hosted several podcasts. Catherine began working with trees and urban communities in 2020 when she co-founded Pocket Forests with Ashe Conrad-Jones. In 2023 she helped plant more than 6,000 trees to establish a native woodland of over 24,000 trees in Co Roscommon.
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Co founder
Siobhán McNamara
Siobhán McNamara joined the Pocket Forests team in October 2024. Before that she worked in language education and school librarianship. She has a Masters in Education and a QQI Level 5 qualification in Applied Ecology. She is an active volunteer with Dublin Cycling Campaign and with Bloomin’ Crumlin, a community-led greening initiative in Dublin 12, and is a Board member of the Native Woodland Trust. She is an advocate for both urban greening and active mobility infrastructure as interlinked ways to improve human and planetary health.Operations manager
HorticulturalistAi Koketsu
Ai Koketsu is a gardener. She is originally from Japan, and has been living in Ireland for over two decades. She studied Horticulture in the National Botanic Garden in Glasnevin after working in global logistics. She knocked on Pocket Forests' door in 2024. She has QQI Level 6 in Horticulture, and has studied Anatomy & Physiologies and Holistic therapies. In her spare time she engages in environmental volunteer activities with ReWild Wickow, HomeTree, and the Bull Island Action Group to embrace sustainable biodiversity-building communities.
Social Media Co-ordinatorGeorge Paton
George Paton studied Product Design at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), focusing on climate action and sustainable design. He is currently studying Sustainability and Innovation at UCD’s School of Innovation, exploring how design thinking can support environmental resilience and community-led climate action.He supports Pocket Forests’ social media and communications, bringing a creative approach to urban greening and biodiversity storytelling.