John's Garden opens in Castledermot

Last Friday (June 6) the great and the green-fingered of Castledermot gathered in Scoil Diarmada in the village for the official opening of John’s Garden – appropriately on the anniversary of the death of the of John Dooley – the inspiration behind the whole project.

John had already won RTÉ’s ‘Super Garden’ a week previously, before collecting a Gold Medal for his creation at the Bloom Festival in the Phoenix Park last year, before his untimely passing, which prompted the community to honour his legacy like this.

“This was the official opening to the public, because it’s a community garden,” explained John’s widow Liz.

“I remember the judges from ‘Super Garden’ asked him what he would do with the garden, and he said he’d give it to the school,” said Liz.

“Some of the seeds planted by John last year, the cabbage and the broccoli, have grown to picking now.

“John always said ‘flowers and vegetables in the one garden, as our forefathers would have had it’.

“He’d have them any space, window box, growing up the wall, hanging from the ceiling, if you wanted to!” she laughed.

“Now we have medicinal flowers, edible flowers, herbs, along with all the rest.

“I cut the ribbon, Deputy Mark Wall was there all the teachers, anyone who was anyone was there.

“Ah, shure, I’m on Cloud Nine, I’m delighted it’s been put together and finished…they started digging the garden last November, and now put into the hands of the teachers and the kids.

“Myself and Jenny [Murphy, Principal] are doing an interview with John Phelan on Radio Castledermot, because we have to keep the funds coming in, because it cost €12,000 to set up.

“’Read and Raise’ will be the primary fund-raiser for the garden.