With  my Eily, Peggy and Michael –Maeve Smyth, Philippa O’ Hara and Terence Keeley

What excitement with the opening of ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree today in the Mac Theatre in Belfast!

So proud of all the cast and crew, and wish them all so much luck today as the show opens. All the hard work and weeks of rehearsals and now it’s finally on stage for audiences both young and old to come along and see. Hope you all enjoy it and that you find it as moving as I did when I first saw it.

Good luck to everyone in Belfast and have an amazing day!

The amazing cast are – Maggie Cronin, Julia Deardon, Adam Dougal, Terence Keeley, Colette Lennon Dougal, Frankie McCafferty, Philippa O’Hara and Maeve Smyth

Helen Dillon’s Beautiful New Garden

What a treat on a sunny August Saturday morning to go and visit renowned gardener Helen Dillon’s beautiful new garden in Monkstown in County Dublin.

It is hard to believe that Helen has created this stunning new garden in only a short two years.  From every angle, colour, shape and design fill this beautiful granite walled garden which is only a stone’s throw from the sea at the end of the road.

Helen Dillon and Marita in the New Garden

Lush flower beds filled with roses, cosmos and dahlias flourish in the sunshine as Helen enthuses about the challenge she undertook designing this very new garden. From clearing everything from the bungalow’s original old garden, re-designing the original house, to digging deep to find a well to supply water to the new garden ( which has given water all through this summer’s long drought), before filling it up with totally new topsoil which gave the garden a fresh new growing spurt. Nothing was overlooked as Helen began to plant and lay out borders and beds and levels which integrate a garden that combines old and new in a perfect harmony of design.

There are wonderful eye- catching flourishes, tropical plants and overseas favourites, two green houses and an aviary for her canaries. There is even a courtyard which is full of colour.

Every way you look there is something to catch the eye and delight the soul.

Helen was justifiably proud as she showed us around every section of this new garden and dealt with so many questions about planting and plants, dispensing good advice to us all.

Moving house and leaving her world famous show garden in Sandford Road in Ranelagh must have been a huge step, but it is clear that she and her husband Val have embraced the change  and now not only have  a truly wonderful garden but an amazing house, with wrap around views of her work.

It was a delight to meet this passionate gardener who encouraged us all to go home and dig out plants that we no longer wanted and take a chance on growing something new!

‘Children and the Great Hunger in Ireland’ Book Launch

I was very happy to help launch ‘Children and the Great Hunger in Ireland’ at the opening of this year’s Famine Summer School in Stokestown.

The book is edited by famine experts Christine Kinealy, Jason King and Gerard Moran and examines all aspects of children’s lives during and after the Great Irish Famine. I was honoured to be asked by Prof Christine Kinealy to write the foreword for the book which looks at a topic very close to my heart. It is great to see academics, historians and famine experts turn their attention and provide new insights and research into these forgotten children.  It is published by The Great Hunger Institute at Quinipiac University Press.

Roscommon TD Eugene Murphy warmly welcomed everyone to Roscommon and Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers officially opened this year’s Famine Summer School which is held in Strokestown Park House, the National Famine Museum in Roscommon. He spoke of the huge Irish emigrant population that are part of Canada and of our shared history.

The scale of this emigration was highlighted by Mark McGowan of Toronto University and in a powerful documentary film made by Kevin Moynihan The Famine Irish and Canada’s First Responders

The next day before leaving I strolled around the large walled gardens of Strokestown House, which are well worth a visit.  An outdoor sculpture exhibition by pupils of local schools is currently on display there.