Lecture 2 - Green & Orange or Orange & Blue: Gardens & Politics in Ireland

Early 20th century gardening in Ireland often reflected the polarised nature of Irish society after World War I. Some ‘grandee’ gardens were on a massive scale, such as the iconic Mount Stewart in Co Down where Edith Londonderry’s garden elevated both personal and political references into high gardening art. Garnish Island in Bantry Bay was, it seems, a private refuge from the wild forces shaping the emergence of modern Ireland. Eventual economic stability transformed most aspects of Irish life, and horticulture has benefited hugely as old gardens have been restored and a wealth of new gardens created, none more so that in Helen Dillon’s two marvellous gardens in Dublin, her first now a fading, if glorious memory, her new garden proof that her inspiration is undimmed. While some recent influential gardens have been lost a new, younger generation of gardeners continue to work wonders – particularly the brother and sister pair of Jimi and June Blake, at Hunting Brook and Tinode in Co Wicklow.