Restoration of the Grand Gardens will give a huge boost

The restoration of the Grand Gardens at Dún a Rí Forest Park will give a huge boost to the local economy of the town and the county as a whole, a public meeting in Kingscourt recently heard.
“The restoration of the gardens will rejuvenate Dún a Rí Forest Park by creating a focal point to attract visitors, both domestic and international,” Fred Leahy, the chairperson of the Grand Gardens Restoration Committee told the gathering.
The €300,000 plus restoration project is expected to take four years to complete in four phases. Work has begun on the removal of heavy vegetation and scrub from the three-acre site; while excavators are expected to move in later this month to clear the area.
The garden restoration project is being driven by a local committee chaired by Mr Leahy, who is a former manager of Dún a Rí Forest Park.
“By planting a variety of species, the garden will be in bloom from early spring right through to the autumn. This will create a garden environment that will offer visitors points of interest throughout the year, which will help to maintain visitor numbers.
“By taking advantage of the growing trend in garden tourism, we believe the restored gardens will generate income that will ensure the viability of the park in the future and benefit the local economy and the wider economy in Cavan,” said Mr Leahy.
“The garden has a wonderful underlying structure. It was once a beautiful garden and we feel it deserves to be restored. We want it to have pride of place in our community,” he said.
“I always had a dream to return the gardens to their former glory and now finally this is a reality. It has been a slow process but we are getting there. We have insurance and a permit from Coillte in place,” he said.

‘Win-win’
The meeting was also addressed by Bailieborough-based landscape designer Barry Kavanagh, who was very positive about the potential of the gardens.
“Making a success of this project can only be a win-win situation. I’ve always loved Dun A Ri and it’s music to my ears that someone is trying to restore the gardens,” he said.
Also referring to the tourism potential, Mr Kavanagh added: “You’ve got the park, the castle, even a ghost and now the gardens. There will be bus loads of American and UK visitors coming to visit.”

Phase two
Phase two will then commence in early 2016 with paths and herbaceous borders to be reinsated. Restoring the boundary wall and structures, including glasshouses on the site will be a major part of the project late next year.
Volunteers, including keen gardeners and stonemasons, will be needed on site from early next year.
“It will be a case of all hands on deck from after Christmas to progress this project and return the space to community use,” Mr Leahy said.
Fundraising is in the early stages and Mr Leahy thanked LINK Credit Union and Gypsum Industries for their support. He also thanked Coillte for their cooperation solicitor Eamon Carolan and architect Niall Smith. He also appealed for anyone with old photographs of the Walled Gardens at Dún a Rí from the 1940s or 1950s before it fell into disrepair to contact them.
If you would like to volunteer to help with the restoration project, contact Fred on 086 250 2572 or email grandgardens15@gmail.com. For updates on the project follow grandgardensdunari on Facebook.