Flying the Cornafean flag at Bloom 2026

The Cornafean flag will fly at the All-Ireland of gardening thanks to the dedication of the local community.

Thérèse Johnston, who runs a virtual gardening club with over 110 members, received the news on St Patrick’s Day; the Cornafean GAA Health and Wellbeing group has been selected to exhibit at Bloom.

“The Cornafean flag up in the middle of Phoenix Park is just very exciting, I can just see all of us on a bus heading up,” Thérese tells the Celt.

“It’s really exciting.”

“Definitely,” Stephanie Lord agrees.

“To put what Cornafean does on a national stage, anywhere we go in the county people always say we’re doing great stuff. To be able to bring that and show the country, this is what our small rural community in Cavan can do.”

Community members are already forthcoming asking ‘what do you need?’

“You wouldn’t put in a garden unless you knew there was a huge workforce behind you,” Thérèse says.

The group will have one day from 8am to 8pm to build the garden in Phoenix Park using a no-dig method, and all flowers used must be in bloom for the week. The gardening group have already had practice doing this in their own community garden, which they also built using a no-dig method within two hours.

“It will be no problem,” Thérèse says confidently.

The finished product will be a postcard garden which will be “inclusive to all”.

With several groups within the club such as a book club, over 55’s exercise group, a yarn club, the rolling pins baking club, photography, and loads more, they have come up with a unique idea to represent all.

“There’s so much more to Cornafean than just the football, yes it’s a huge part of the community, but there’s so many in the community that don’t play football and still want to feel that they are part and parcel of what we do here. It’s very inclusive, so many people come now,” Stephanie says.

“It doesn’t matter what the activity is, it’s the getting together and the cup of tea,” Stephanie describes.

Many who do come to the club will know the room the pair of women are sitting in now, it’s the first door on the right as you walk through the GAA Clubhouse door. The lights are on most evenings, and the kettle is constantly on the go. Chairs are brought around and you’ll often find biscuits in the centre of the table. No matter what group you are involved with, it always boils down to a cup of tea; even gardening.

“I’d nearly say this room is the most important room in the whole building, all the groups meet here,” Stephanie says.

Thérèse suggests that the gardening group name could even be changed to community tea, “because it’s based around the cup of tea and cake.”

How do you put all of that into one postcard garden?

It will include a planter created by the kids and adults with additional needs in the community, and also one of the chairs crafted by the DIY women’s group. They also plan to get a cup or mug from each community member which will be planted and displayed to represent each household that uses the space.

“That will go back to the household after, so their cup will be on display at Bloom and then it will go back,” Thérèse describes.

“Those mugs represent the tea and the craic.”

For Thérèse flying the red flag to Dublin means more than just exhibiting a garden, and the importance of tea has a long-standing history in the club.

“My granny [Bessie] made tea and sandwiches for forty years for the footballers. Every time they had a match, they went back to MacSeain’s and for forty years she sat in the back kitchen making tea and sandwiches.

“I feel the cup of tea is a little bit of a nod to her as well, because she just did that quietly.”

The club was founded by her ancestors, father and son duo John Patrick Johnston and Pól MacSeain, in 1908.

“I feel really proud to say that we’re going up to Dublin and representing it.”

The Bord Bia Bloom festival will take place in the Phoenix Park over the June bank holiday weekend, from Thursday, May 28 to Monday, June 1.