Carlow garden festival was another great success
Arriving for the Éanna Ní Lamnha's 'Biodiversity Walk and Talk' in Ballon
THE relaxed, convivial, warm and welcoming atmosphere at Carlow Garden Festival shone through again this year as thousands of people attended talks, explored historic grounds and enjoyed the warm weather.
The nine-day festival, which ran from Saturday 25 July to Sunday 2 August, drew a crowd of around 2,800 people. This matched the numbers at last year’s festival, which was the largest event since before the pandemic, explained Carlow Tourism CEO Eileen O’Rourke.
Attendees “were very happy with the venues and the quality of the speakers,” said Ms O’Rourke. “There’s such variety in the trail.”
A number of the events were completely sold out, with many attendees booking weeks in advance to hear from very well-known and respected gardening experts. This is in spite of the fact that the recent heatwave has caused many gardens to become “parched and dry”, Eileen said.
She credits these gardening celebs as the reason why “people continue to travel from all corners” of Ireland to the festival.
Over its 24 years of operation, the festival has built up a loyal following, making it a very social event. “People meet up with people they met last year at the festival,” explained Eileen.
The festival has a big economic impact on the county, she said, considering the number of people staying over, eating out and buying coffee. She expressed her thanks to Carlow Co Council, Bord Bia and Fáilte Ireland for their funding support for the festival.
Its silver anniversary will be held next year, with the festival running from 24 July to 1 August.
“I think we are very fortunate with the amount of estates, historic houses and gardens in Co Carlow. We are known for our gardens,” Eileen said.
