This article is from page 34 of the 2009-09-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
THE Vandeleur Walled Garden has proved to be one of the success sto- ries of Kilrush Town Council and is a project its members are determined to keep alive.
So much so that its members have asked for a report outlining its suc- cess to be drawn up, amid fears funding for the tourist attraction will be cut in the next budget.
Kilrush Councillor Tom Prendev- ille (FF) said Clare County Council has always been benevolent when it came to the garden, but feared fund- ing for next year could suffer in the upcoming budget cuts.
CUlr Liam O’Looney (FF) added that every year there are fears among staff that jobs will be lost, but this year the fears are even stronger.
In a bid to make a strong case for the 2.158-acre garden, the members have now asked for the detailed re- port.
Kilrush Town Council first invested
in the development of the Vandeleur Walled Garden in 1997. The project was developed through the co-op- eration of the tourism industry and FAS.
Through hard work and dedication, a new strategic tourism product and community amenity for Kilrush was formed.
Restoration of the garden is now complete, with facilities in the cen- tre including a gift shop, coffee shop, conference suite and plant sales area.
The stunning garden is completely surrounded by stone walls and con- tains many unusual and tender plants that thrive in the area’s uniquely western latitude sheltered microcli- mate.
It is a valuable resource for the community, providing an ideal venue for exhibitions, book launches, Hal- loween, Christmas, Easter and other seasonal events.
The commencement of plant prop- agation and plant sales has proven to
be very successful. Plant propaga- tion is an ongoing yearly project in the garden.
Approximately 90 different species of plants – including shrubs, peren- nials, bedding plants, herbs and vegetables – have been successfully propagated.
A number of open days were held in 2008 and 2009, which gave the public free admission to the gardens
and reduced prices on plant sales.
A display of old farm machinery was also set up in the courtyard area and exotic plants were purchased for display in the glasshouse, which was fully reconstructed by the workers in the garden.