Latest news with #BordBiaBloom
Irish Independent
15-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Wexford duo shine at Bord Bia Bloom 2025 launch
Today at 03:00 Gorey brother and sister George and Hannah Power-Nugent were the star attraction last week as the Marie Keating Foundation unveiled its garden at Bord Bia Bloom 2025. The Marie Keating Foundation unveiled its 'Early Bird Catches the Worm' Garden at Bord Bia Bloom 2025 and was awarded a silver-gilt. The garden was designed and built by award-winning Monaghan-based creative designer Benny Magennis. George (3) and Hannah (1), from Gorey, provided a star turn at the launch, playing the bird and the worm respectively. Designed by award-winning, Monaghan-based gardener Benny Magennis, this thoughtfully designed space serves as a reminder that through education and proactive measures, we can work towards a future with less fear surrounding cancer. This being his fourth time at Bord Bia Bloom, Benny explains why this garden is particularly meaningful: 'The Marie Keating Foundation provides such vital services to those going through a cancer journey, and this was top of my mind when I was designing and developing the garden. I wanted to make sure it reflected the key educational and awareness messages, while also offering a sense of community.' 'This can be seen throughout the garden – from the birdhouse reflecting the importance of early detection, to the flowers representing Ireland's five most common cancers, breast, skin, lung, bowl and prostate.' Every element of the garden was designed to highlight the importance of healthy lifestyle choices that reduce cancer risk. The sheltered area beneath the birdhouse promotes sun safety awareness, while the vegetable patch represents the significance of nutrition. The paths encourage people to engage in outdoor activities as part of a healthy lifestyle and the seating area symbolises the community support provided by the Marie Keating Foundation for those on a cancer journey. The garden represents a collaboration between the Marie Keating Foundation, AstraZeneca and Gilead Sciences, who are united in their mission to combat cancer through widespread awareness. Their joint aim is to encourage early intervention to significantly enhance treatment outcomes and ultimately save lives.
Irish Independent
07-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Bord Bia Bloom in photos: Looking back at Wicklow's award-winning gardens
Wicklow People Wicklow garden designers, exhibitors and floral artists all landed awards at Bord Bia Bloom 2025, taking home a total of six medals. Bord Bia Bloom attracted more than 100,000 visitors to Dublin's Phoenix Park over the June bank holiday weekend, and Wicklow exhibitors more than played their part. Calary-based designer Tünde Perry designed two gardens for this year's festival, including the Universal Pictures Ireland-sponsored 'How to Train Your Dragon Garden', inspired by the upcoming live-action remake. Tünde was awarded a silver in the show garden category for her 'Manor Farm – 250 Years Taste and Tradition' garden, which celebrated Manor Farm's 250-year anniversary. The train track-inspired path, crafted from recycled railway sleepers and gravel, symbolises the journey from Manor Farm's origins in rural Ireland to the heart of the capital. Dublin's Manor Street is referenced in a creative sculpture made from metal rods. An authentic wildflower meadow, native trees and shrubs, and a regenerative oat and wheat field is a nod to Manor Farm's farming roots and sustainable future. To honour Manor Farm's home in Cavan, the garden features a water element, reflecting the county's famous 365 lakes. The biodiverse, sensory-rich garden features native species like hazel, hawthorn, elder and birch, interwoven with herbs and fragrant plants. Robert Moore from Kilmacanogue, won a silver guild for 'The Grass Advantage' garden he designed for the National Dairy Council. The garden highlights the beauty of Ireland's natural pasture with its white clover grass mix forming a naturally enriching multi-species sward. At its centre, a large, five-metre-high milk churn sculpture symbolises the cultural heritage of Irish dairy production and celebrates the grass-based system that is the foundation of Ireland's world-renowned dairy produce. St Mary's and St Gerard's National School were highly commended for their postcard garden supported by Tirlán CountryLife, which was created by 4th class students and embodied the school ethos of caring, connection and the love of learning. Lynn Stringer of Kilcoole received bronze in the botanical and floral art section for her watercolour painting 'Golden Oats', while she was awarded a silver gild for watercolour and pencil inspired 'In the Stone Wall' . Patricia Morrison received a bronze award for her botanical based watercolour painting.
Extra.ie
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Extra.ie
Bloom a hive of activity as crowds soak up the sun
Yesterday was such a bloomin' good day that the bumblebees weren't the only ones drawn to the flowers. Budding gardeners Alannah Williams, five, and her three-year-old brother Tomás were snapped among the blossoms enjoying the sunshine at Bord Bia Bloom in the Phoenix Park yesterday. The pair from Wexford were among thousands who attended the annual garden festival, which ends today. Crowds of people enjoying Bord Bia Bloom. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos Also coming to an end today is the sunshine, with Met Éireann forecasting rain over the next few days. So the usual sunny start to the Leaving Cert exams will see a dry start today with some morning sun and isolated showers. It will turn cloudier during the day, with rain spreading across the country into the evening and turning heavy in some areas. Highest temperatures will range between 13C and 17C. Tonight will start off wet but the rain will ease, leaving clear spells and some scattered showers, with lows of 6C to 10C. Taoiseach Simon Harris with his son Cillian, daughter Saoirse and wife Caoimhe during a visit to Bord Bia Bloom in the Phoenix Park. Pic: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography Tomorrow and Wednesday will see a mixture of sunny spells and showers while Thursday will see showers spread from the northwest of the country and there may be a spell of rain in the south. After Thursday, the forecast indicates that the weather for the rest of the week will stay gloomy and 'largely unsettled' with showers and spells of rain.
Irish Independent
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Over 20,000 people attend fourth day of Bloom
Today at 13:44 Over 20,000 people flocked to the Phoenix Park in Dublin today for the fourth day of Bord Bia Bloom. Around 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the five-day festival over the June bank holiday weekend, finishing on Monday. Celebrity chef Donal Skehan had a smashing time during his cooking demonstration at the festival over the weekend, when the stage oven shattered during his segment, sending glass and pieces of the oven towards the chef while cooking Korean chicken. 'When you're in the kitchen, disasters may happen, that is probably the worst thing that has even happened to me,' Mr Skehan told the laughing crowd. 'Had a smashing day. It's been ten years but I'm thrilled to be back with a bang,' he shared on his social media after the demo. 'I always get asked what my worst kitchen disaster has been, well it happened today live in front of 100s of people. 'A huge thank you to the amazing audience I've ever had a for a cookery demo, you honestly kept me going during the craziest moment in the kitchen. I will remember this forever. 'No home cooks were harmed in the making. The incredible crew at Bord Bia had the oven replaced in less than an hour.' Following the interruption, Mr Skehan carried on with the cooking demonstration and told the crowd 'it's back to business'. The sun was shining for most of the day between scattered showers, with temperatures reaching 18 degrees. Tomorrow is set to be mostly dry with spells of sunshine with highest temperatures of 17 degrees. Meanwhile, Bloom designer Joe Eustace said he has looked up to the garden designers at Bloom since he was a child. ADVERTISEMENT 'There's photos of me as a child in a boogie at Bloom,' he told the Irish Independent. "I idolised the designers the same way that someone else my age may idolise a football player or a rugby player. "To be up here now, competing on the same stage as them, learning from the designers, they've all been absolutely fantastic, and taking me under their wing. 'It's a real watershed moment for me, because I'm here now, and I'm in the position that I would have looked up to a lot when I was a kid. "And I just hope that there's some kid at the show this year that was in the same position as me, and that they can look and see that it is possible and they can come and bring new life into the industry the same way that I fell into it,' he added. Mr Eustace from Newbridge, who is a co-founder of Online Garden Designs, was the first winner of the Boom Bia Bloom cultivating talent initiative in 2022. He has participated in Ireland's largest gardening festival ever since, and is currently completing a master's at UCD. His second show garden at last year's Bloom, the Citroen Floating Lounge Garden, won a gold medal. "My father was a landscape contractor, and so when I was 13 years old, I was out helping him. I had a shovel in my hand, and from there, it's built on. 'I did my first show garden in Bloom in 2023, and I've delivered a garden ever since, I've never looked back, so it's been a great experience so far. And long may it last," he added. Mr Eustace designed the Support Garden this year, sponsored by the Decision Support Service, which won a silver gilt medal at the festival. It has a steel fireplace at its centre, which symbolises the donor of an Enduring Power of Attorney. The garden has two bespoke chairs and is surrounded by a steel pergola, which supports the fireplace and stands for the network of trust built between the donor, their attorney, and the people that surround them. 'What it represents is the profoundly vulnerable moment where someone has to confront the idea of advanced planning, so someone who may be fearful that, in the future, they may make it in an accident or develop a decision impairment disorder such as Alzheimer's or dementia,' said Mr Eustace. 'Essentially, what this garden is all about is planting the seeds now that will flower in the future, and that's what advanced planning is about. "The metaphor of the space is that the central fireplace represents a person who is at the centre of one of these agreements, and then this support network that spans throughout the space represents the friends and family of that person and the decision support service. 'The fireplace is floating and it's being lifted, so the support network that's in place is supporting the person even when they can't support or decide for themselves. 'The planting for the space is chosen for that idea of support, so it's planting that's going to support pollinators,' he added. Una FitzGibbon, director of marketing at Bord Bia said: 'Bloom 2025 has been an incredible success so far, and we are thrilled with the enthusiastic participation from both visitors and exhibitors alike. 'The feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, and it's clear that Bloom continues to deliver a memorable experience for all. As we approach the final day, the forecast is looking good, so we encourage everyone to come, make the most of this fantastic event and grab a bargain on the final day.'
Extra.ie
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Holy cow! Donal Skehan's Bloom kitchen disaster is a cracker
TV chef Donal Skehan was in smashing form at Bord Bia Bloom yesterday, adding the cherry on top of his 'many' kitchen calamities. He was in the middle of a cookery demonstration at the gardening and food festival in the Phoenix Park when a glass oven door broke into pieces in his hand. Skehan, who soldiered on to whip up a Korean chicken dish, told afterwards: 'My biggest fear was that the glass was hot, it went all down my shirt, all down my top.' Donal Skehan, Irish TV personality and presenter, breaks the oven door while demonstrating at Bloom 2025. © Michael Chester. Thankfully, nobody was hurt by the flying shards, and the accident provided the chef with plenty of material for the rest of the demonstration, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the amused audience. 'It had rained previously, so we've never had a more packed demo tent – of course – to witness it,' Skehan laughed. 'The thing I learned in all my years on television is that whatever goes wrong, you keep on cracking on. I've had many kitchen disasters, and I think this definitely tops it. There's nothing like something going wrong in front of 400 people.' Donal Skehan, Irish TV personality and presenter, breaks the oven door while demonstrating at Bloom 2025. © Michael Chester. The Dublin-born chef is a regular presenter on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen and a contributor to ITV's This Morning. He said 'loads' of things have gone wrong in live broadcasts. 'I've burnt things, [This Morning presenter] Alison Hammond has moved things without me realising… 'But probably the biggest one was on Saturday Kitchen. It goes out to like three million people, so it's always a very stressful one to do, but it's a brilliant show. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Donal (@donalskehan) 'And I once sliced a little bit of the tip off my finger and had to continue on interviewing and chatting. Julian Clary was the celebrity guest. He was a pain in the a**e because he kept bringing it up.' Elsewhere at Bloom, another Irishman familiar to British TV viewers was in attendance for the very first time. Diarmuid Gavin explained: 'I've been abroad, and it's always around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show. And while I've lived in Ireland, I've never worked here until Covid. So, eventually, I've made it.' The TV gardener told the festival was 'great' from his first impressions. 'People are very enthusiastic. Great crowds, great gardens and great nurseries. So all very good.' This year's garden trend is 'going wild', Gavin said. 'Embracing the weeds, embracing the natural, getting away from the chemicals – all of that is very popular.' The Bloom judges awarded the concept garden gold medal to The Rainbow Brick Balcony Garden, made entirely from Lego. Limerick artist Gary Kirwan built it from 814,183 pieces over eight weeks, doing '85%' of the work himself. Despite the lack of organic matter in his incredible creation, he said organisers were 'really responsive' to the idea, with one in particular a 'big Lego fan'. The Marie Keating Foundation returned to Bloom with their 'Early Bird Catches The Worm' garden, highlighting the importance of early cancer detection. The charity's director of development, Lyrah O'Beirne, said the silver gilt medal-winning garden is 'asking people to be aware of what the signs and symptoms are and to act on them and get treated. 'The impact on the patient – physically, mentally and financially – is so much easier if it's treated in its early stages, and people can get back to a normal life. 'It's also much easier on their friends and family and on their work, because what people don't realise is that cancer just doesn't affect the patient, it affects everybody connected to that person.'
