Boston Flora

Tag: Glenveagh Castle

  • Tuesday, May 20 – Friday, May 30, 2026 – Ireland in Bloom

    Embark on a breathtaking springtime voyage through Ireland and Northern Ireland with the American Horticultural Society and tour leader Keith Tomlinson on May 20 – 30, 2026. Cruise around the Emerald Isle aboard the intimate, 72-cabin Exploris One, and discover a rich tapestry of historic gardens, sweeping coastal landscapes, and native flora at their seasonal peak. Explore UNESCO World Heritage sites and charming seaside towns, while enjoying guided excursions that spotlight the region’s horticultural traditions and natural beauty. Throughout the journey, experience the warmth of Irish hospitality and the vibrant renewal that defines spring in this lush, storied land.

    Customize your journey with excursion options at select ports, including walking excursions exploring Ireland’s natural wonders.
    Delight in the natural beauty of Ireland’s celebrated gardens, from the wooded grounds of Glenveagh Castle and the grand Mount Stewart estate near Belfast to the charming Salthill Gardens in County Donegal. Conclude with a visit to Kylemore Abbey, where a stunning Victorian walled garden awaits amid the wild landscape of Connemara National Park.
    Experience the jewels of Ireland’s famed Atlantic Coast including the dramatic Cliffs of Moher and the bogs and grasslands of Connemara National Park.
    Dock overnight in Belfast and Galway for opportunities to dine ashore and to enjoy the cities’ lively atmospheres and famed music scenes.
    Discover Belfast’s intriguing history including a visit to Titanic Belfast, a state-of-the-art museum on the site of the yard where the ill-fated ship was built.
    Travel along the Northern Ireland’s Antrim coast to the world heritage-listed Giant’s Causeway, the site of some 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns.

    Visit www.ahsgardening.org for a complete program brochure and registration opportunity.

  • Wednesday, February 22, 1:30 pm Eastern – Unforgettable Gardens – Ireland: Glenveagh Castle, Online

    The Gardens Trust presents a series of 4 online talks on some of the well- and lesser known historic gardens of Ireland Wednesdays from 1 Feb £5 each or £16 for all. Register through Eventbrite HERE., or visit https://thegardenstrust.org for more details. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk (If you do not receive this link please contact us). A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. This February 22 talk is the last of the series, on Glenveagh Castle with Seán Ó Gaoithín.

    Glenveagh Castle Gardens are part of Glenveagh National Park in the northwest of County Donegal. The site occupied by the castle and gardens was formerly wild mountain moorland, with construction of the castle beginning in 1869 and the gardens in the mid-1880s. The two major elements of the garden, the Pleasure Gardens and the Walled Garden, were built in the late 1880s. The gardens, which were constructed for Cornelia Adair, still retain their original Victorian layout.

    From the late 1950s through to the early 1980s, the design and layout of the garden were developed to include the Gothic Orangery, the Italian Terrace, the Tuscan Garden and the development of the plant collection. Today, Glenveagh is well known for its rich collection of trees and shrubs specializing in southern hemisphere species and a diverse rhododendron collection.

    Seán Ó Gaoithín was born and raised in Dublin, educated at The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Chelsea Physic Garden (London), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (UK), and holds an MScArg from University College Dublin. He has been serving as Head Gardener at Glenveagh Castle Gardens, Glenveagh National Park since 1995. Aside from his training Sean has written for Horticultural Journals on Glenveagh and on his extensive travels to study the temperate flora of the Planet. He has represented Glenveagh at International Botanic Garden conferences speaking on subjects such as the Historic Development of the Castle Gardens at Glenveagh and the history and management of The Ancient Woodlands of Glenveagh National Park.