Latest news with #Carlow
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
A roll call of stars - including Joy Larkcom-Pollard and Monty Don - to feature at hugely popular Carlow Garden Festival
In the busy, buzzy merry-go-round of fairs and festivals that increasingly punctuate the Irish gardening season, Carlow Garden Festival has a special place in the hearts of many. Starting today, it is now in its 23rd year, and the diversity and expertise of its speakers, the charm and beauty of its venues and the enthusiasm and interest of the public have combined to create a unique annual event that's become a joyful celebration of all things gardening, as well as a vivid snapshot of the vibrancy of the Irish gardening community itself. To give a flavour of its rich history, consider for a moment the list of contributors who took part in the inaugural festival in 2002. It includes – of course it does – Helen Dillon , the venerable gardener, writer and broadcaster of international renown, whose remarkable contribution to the world of horticulture is still felt to this day. Also taking part was the late Dick Warner, the passionate environmentalist, conservationist, nature writer and gifted broadcaster whose eloquent guardianship of the natural world inspired a new generation of gardeners and nature lovers. The highly respected garden historian Finola Reid, champion of the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme, is another name on that list. So too is Gerry Daly, the esteemed broadcaster, garden writer, columnist, designer and former co-founder and editor of the Irish Garden magazine, a household name since his stint in the 1980s as presenter of what was surely Ireland's very first TV gardening series, Room Outside. Joining them at that same inaugural festival was the biologist, broadcaster and author Éanna Ní Lamhna , now this paper's Eye on Nature columnist. Also taking part was the broadcaster, garden centre owner and nurseryman Stiofán Nutty and Rachel Doyle, the well-known businesswoman, entrepreneur, horticulturist and owner/founder of the Arboretum Garden Centre. So was the late Dermot O'Neill, the popular gardener, broadcaster, one-time gardening columnist of this paper, and one of the festival's staunchest early supporters. READ MORE Representing an era of huge change in the world of gardening, the festival's list of former guest speakers has grown to encompass a host of other great contributors who've shared their expertise over the years via workshops, exhibitions, talks, lectures, garden visits and guided walks. Among the Irish or Irish-based gardeners, designers, historians, writers, nursery owners and plantspeople who have taken part are three Chelsea gold-medal-winning Irish garden designers, Paul Martin, Mary Reynolds and Diarmuid Gavin, as well as Seamus O'Brien, Thomas Pakenham, June Blake, Jimi Blake, Carl Wright, Matthew Jebb, Tanguy de Toulgoët, Dr John McCullen, Mary Keenan, Rory Newell, Frances MacDonald, Marie Staunton, Carmel Duignan, Neil Porteous, Fiann Ó'Nualláin, Leonie Cornelius, Elma Fenton, Margaret Gormley, Paul Smyth, Patricia Tyrrell, Oliver Schurmann, Assumpta Broomfield, Terence Reeves-Smith, Shirley Lanigan, Monica Alvarez, Arthur Shackleton, Klaus Laitenberger, Mary White, Madeline McKeever, Paul Maher, Randal Plunkett, John Anderson, Kitty Scully and Colm O'Driscoll. Carol Klein Well-known names from the international world of horticulture include the revered organic kitchen gardener and writer Joy Larkcom-Pollard, whose seminal books continue to inform and inspire a new generation of food growers; the esteemed British garden columnist and writer Anna Pavord, author of New York Times best-seller The Tulip; broadcaster, author and Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don; Financial Times gardening columnist and author Robin Lane-Fox; the author, plantsman and explorer Roy Lancaster, plus a host of internationally renowned British garden designers, writers and plants people including Tom Stuart-Smith, Carol Klein, Bob Brown, Sarah Price, Troy Scott Smith, Aaron Bertelsen, Adam Frost, Alys Fowler, Chris Beardshaw, Charles Dowding, Fergus Garrett, Dan Pearson, Ann-Marie Powell, Arthur Parkinson, Stephen Anderton, Bunny Guinness, Matthew Wilson, Jekka McVicar, James Alexander Sinclair, Nick Bailey, Joe Swift and Alan Gray. Monty Don. Photograph: Marsha Arnold/PA It's quite the roll call. All the more so when you consider that despite its heavyweight credentials, this annual festival is organised by a committee of volunteers (drawn mainly from members of the Carlow Garden Trail, supported by Carlow County Council and Carlow Tourism) operating on a surprisingly modest budget that relies heavily on public support in the shape of healthy ticket sales. Huntington Castle, Co Carlow. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw This year's festival runs Saturday, July 26th, to Sunday, August 3rd, and features the usual winning mix of internationally famous names, home-grown talent and charming locations. You can, for example, listen to the Irish rugby player and passionate gardener Peter O'Mahony in conversation with Adam Frost at the Arboretum (July 26th). Or join the nonagenarian garden historian, adventurer and dendrologist Thomas Pakenham at Huntington Castle as he talks about his latest book, The Tree Hunters: How the Cult of the Arboretum Transformed Our Landscape (July 28th). At Hardymount Gardens (July 29th), Darragh Stone will talk about the continuing evolution of Danesmoate, the private Dublin garden of U2 band member Adam Clayton , where he's head gardener in residence, while Seamus O'Brien will be at Burtown (July 30th) to talk about his most recent expedition to the botanically diverse Yunnan province in western China. Michael Kelly of GIY The inspiring French-born, Laois-based organic gardener Tanguy de Toulgoët will be at Shankill Castle (also July 30th); the award-winning British garden designer Sarah Eberle at Borris House (July 31st); Michael Kelly of GIY at Kilgraney House (also July 31st); Rosy Hardy of the UK's Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants nursery at Altamont in conversation with Nick Bailey (August 1st); Mary Keenan at the Delta Sensory Centre (August 2nd); Robin Lane Fox at Huntington Castle (also August 2nd); and June Blake at Gairdín Beo (July 27th). I'll also be talking at the Delta Sensory Centre (July 28th). And that's only the half of it. For the complete schedule of talks, tours, workshops and guided walks (booking is essential), visit . This week in the garden Watch out for self-sown seedlings of favourite perennials when weeding/hoeing, and mark them with labels to avoid accidentally beheading or uprooting them. Come autumn these can then be easily identified, gently lifted and either transplanted into a more permanent spot in the garden or potted up and gifted to family and friends. Peg down the individual baby runners of strawberry plants into pots of multipurpose compost sunk into the ground to encourage them to develop their own independent root systems. Make sure to keep the pots regularly watered in the weeks ahead. Once they've properly rooted, these runners can then be snipped away from the parent plant, the pots gently lifted, and the young strawberry plants replanted where required. Dates for your diary RHSI Belfield Open Weekend RHSI Belfield Gardens, Shinrone, Co Offaly, today and tomorrow (Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th). With guided tours of the garden by head gardener Paul Smyth (noon and 2pm on both days) and plant sales. St Anne's Park Annual Rose Festival and plant fair Raheny, Dublin, today and tomorrow. Plant Person's Course Hunting Brook Gardens, Co Wicklow. Starting September 24th, a one-year course (one Tuesday per month) with the horticulturist, innovative designer and garden maker Jimi Blake, enrolment now open.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Extra jail time for arsonists who set car alight after ramming into building as families slept upstairs
Three men received unduly lenient prison sentences for their 'targeted' and 'premeditated' arson attack in which a car was doused in fuel and rammed into a tanning salon, causing an enormous fire while families slept in the apartments overhead, a court has ruled. At the Court of Appeal on Thursday, Keith McCormack Smith (24) had his four-year sentence increased to seven years; Jason Ryle (26) had his three-and-a-half-year sentence increased to six years; and PJ Lyons (21) had his three-and-a-half-year sentence increased to four-and-a-half years. Advertisement McCormack Smith – also known as Keith McCormick and Keith McCormick-Smith – of Riverview, Church Road, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to arson at Tip Top Tanning Studio, Tullow Street, Carlow on May 17th, 2022, and arson to a Toyota car on the same date and at the same location. He also pleaded guilty to various other charges, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, unlawful carriage in a motor vehicle and theft between May 1st and May 17th, 2022. Judge Eugene O'Kelly sentenced McCormack Smith to six years with the final two years suspended at Carlow Circuit Court on July 31st, 2024. Ryle, of Raithin, Mullingar, Westmeath and Lyons, of Cedarbrook Walk, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, also pleaded guilty to arson arising out of the same incident. Advertisement Ryle and Lyons further pleaded guilty to a number of other charges, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, attempted theft and theft on various dates in May 2022. Ryle was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment with the final two years suspended, while Lyons was also handed a sentence of five and a half years with the final two years suspended for a period of two years and three months. Appealing the leniency of these sentences in April last, Niall Storan BL, for the DPP, said the incident in Carlow occurred shortly before 5am on May 17th, 2022, when a stolen Toyota Avensis was rammed into a building on Tullow Street in Carlow and set alight, causing the building to catch fire. Mr Storan said the ground floor of the building operated as a tanning salon during the day, and the upper levels were residential apartments. He said McCormack Smith was driving the Toyota car while PJ Lyons recorded what was happening on his phone, and Ryle was also present. Advertisement Ryle had a bottle containing accelerant in his hand, which he then poured onto the car while McCormack Smith got out and the three fled the scene. A garda investigation revealed that multiple vehicles had been stolen in different locations and were involved in the commission of various offences, which ultimately led to the arson at the tanning salon. The offenders were ultimately identified through social media content from a TikTok account. Mr Storan told the Court of Appeal in April that it was 'difficult to conceive of a more serious arson offence' than this one, which was both 'targeted' and 'premeditated' to cause 'an enormous fire'. Advertisement He argued the headline sentence of eight years was too low, and the sentences imposed did not adequately reflect the gravity of the offence. The lawyer suggested the judge had misplaced the offending at the mid-range on the scale of gravity. Mr Storan also said insufficient weight was given to the many aggravating factors, including the fact that the apartments over the premises were occupied by families who were sleeping at the time, the premeditation involved, the use of an accelerant and the fact that the respondents were on bail. In delivering judgement on Thursday, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said that the arson was a very serious offence, with obvious aggravating factors including the planning involved, the use of a getaway vehicle, the attack on a business premises, the fact that residential apartments needed to be evacuated, and the fact that each man had previous convictions and was on bail at the time. She said that the court agreed with the DPP that the sentencing judge reduced the sentences by too much, with the sentences ultimately imposed not meeting the gravity of the offending. Advertisement Ruling that the sentences were unduly lenient, Ms Justice Kennedy said that the court would quash the sentences and move on to resentencing the three men. She said that the appropriate headline sentence for McCormack Smith was ten years for the arson offence, which was reduced to eight years with the final year suspended. In the case of Ryle, the headline sentence set was nine and a half years, reduced to seven years with the final year suspended. And in the case of Lyons, Ms Justice Kennedy fixed the headline sentence at nine years, reduced to six and a half years with the final two years suspended.
BreakingNews.ie
14-07-2025
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Thunderstorm warning issued for 14 counties
Met Éireann has issued a thunderstorm warning to 14 counties following the end of the recent sunny weather. A yellow thunderstorm warning is currently in place for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, and Wicklow until 4 pm. Advertisement Met Éireann has warned this could lead to lightning damage. Separately, a yellow rain and thunderstorm warning has been issued for Clare, Kerry, Limerick, Galway. This will come into effect at 7pm, and will be in place until 7am on Tuesday warning. Met Éireann has warned of Surface water flooding, lightning damage, and difficult travelling conditions. Monday will be cooler than recent days with sunny spells and heavy thundery showers and some thunderstorms. Later in the afternoon, cloud will further increase across the West and Southwest with showers merging to longer spells of rain in these parts. Highest temperatures of 15 to 21 degrees. Monday night will see rain turning heavy and thundery at times, especially across western counties with spot flooding. Further thunderstorms will occur with the potential for lightning damage. Lowest temperatures of nine to 13 degrees. Tuesday will see further thundery spells of rain early on Tuesday with local thunderstorms. Brightening up from the west through the morning with a mix of sunny spells and showers, with mainly dry conditions developing in the west for the afternoon. Highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees.
BreakingNews.ie
12-07-2025
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Ireland's heatwave: Limerick hotter than Lisbon as temperatures exceed 30 degrees
Ireland has recorded its hottest day of the year so far with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees in many areas. The weather station in Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon, saw temperatures hit 31.1 degrees on Saturday afternoon. Oak Park in Co Carlow, Shannon Airport and Mullingar also had highs of 30 degrees. Advertisement Temperatures soared above 30 degrees in Magilligan, Co Derry, the first time the milestone had been reached in Northern Ireland since July 18th, 2022. ☀️📈🌡️Today marks the highest temperature of this year so far, recorded in multiple locations⬇️ Provisional temperatures - pending verification⬇️ — Met Éireann (@MetEireann) July 12, 2025 Ireland experienced a hotter day on Saturday than many parts of Portugal and Spain, with storm warnings in place for central and eastern parts of the Iberian Peninsula. According to Met Éireann, Sunday will also start 'largely dry and fine' across Ireland with long spells of sunshine and mostly light winds. However, cloud 'will build from the west with showers pushing in across west Munster in the morning extending into Connacht and western parts of Leinster during the afternoon and evening'. Advertisement Some heavy and thundery downpours are likely although it will remain very warm with highest temperatures of 22 to 29 degrees and light to moderate south to southeast or variable breezes. A high-temperature warning will remain in place in northern and eastern counties until 6pm on Sunday. The RNLI has asked those planning a trip to the coast or inland waterways to make sure they keep themselves and their families safe. They have urged people to visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flag, to check the weather forecast and tide times, and to read local hazard signage to understand local risks. Advertisement The public has been urged to keep a close eye on family, both on the beach and in the water, and to make sure people do not swim alone. Linda-Gene Byrne, RNLI water safety lead, said: 'We are expecting people to head to the coast during the hot weather, it is a great way to have fun, relax and cool off in high temperatures. 'Choosing a lifeguarded beach will mean our lifeguards can ensure you enjoy a safe visit. Please head to a lifeguarded beach, swim between flags. 'Remember: where there are no flags, there are no lifeguards. Advertisement 'If you find yourself in trouble, Float to Live. Knowing this technique and encouraging your family to practice it, could save your life. 'Whether you get into difficulty in the water at the coast or on any of our inland waters, Float to Live: tilt your head back, with your ears submerged. Relax and try to breathe normally. 'Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to. 'It's fine if your legs sink – we all float differently. By doing this, you give yourself the chance to rest and recover your breathing. 'Once you've regained control of your breathing, you can call for help or swim to safety.' Water Safety Ireland urged anyone visiting the beach to enter the water slowly. It said: 'Whether you're swimming, surfing, or paddleboarding, make safety your top priority. 'Enter the water slowly to avoid cold water shock. Supervise children and hold their hand near water.'
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
High temperature warnings issued across island of Ireland
High temperature warnings have been issued by Met Eireann for the weekend, with forecasts of 29C on Friday and 30C in some parts on Saturday. The forecaster said that Friday will be sunny, dry and warm, with temperatures set to rise above average. Highs of 25C to 29C are predicted across some parts of the island. The country is under a status yellow high temperature warning for the days ahead. A warning for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary is in place from midday on Friday until early Saturday morning. A nationwide high temperature warning will be in place from 12pm on Saturday until 6am on Sunday. Met Eireann said that Saturday will be another very warm day. As the country prepares for the very warm weather, the RNLI has urged families to put safety first. The RNLI has asked those planning a trip to the coast or inland waterways to make sure they keep themselves and their families safe. They have urged people to visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flag, to check the weather forecast and tide times, and to read local hazard signage to understand local risks. The public has been urged to keep a close eye on family, both on the beach and in the water, and to make sure people do not swim alone. Linda-Gene Byrne, RNLI water safety lead, said: 'We are expecting people to head to the coast during the hot weather, it is a great way to have fun, relax and cool off in high temperatures. 'Choosing a lifeguarded beach will mean our lifeguards can ensure you enjoy a safe visit. Please head to a lifeguarded beach, swim between flags. 'Remember: where there are no flags, there are no lifeguards. 'If you find yourself in trouble, Float to Live. Knowing this technique and encouraging your family to practice it, could save your life. 'Whether you get into difficulty in the water at the coast or on any of our inland waters, Float to Live: tilt your head back, with your ears submerged. Relax and try to breathe normally. 'Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to. 'It's fine if your legs sink – we all float differently. By doing this, you give yourself the chance to rest and recover your breathing. 'Once you've regained control of your breathing, you can call for help or swim to safety.' Water Safety Ireland urged anyone visiting the beach to enter the water slowly. It said: 'Whether you're swimming, surfing, or paddleboarding, make safety your top priority. 'Enter the water slowly to avoid cold water shock. Supervise children and hold their hand near water.' 'Never use inflatables in open water.' Meanwhile, temperatures in Northern Ireland are set to reach around 25C over the weekend. Data from the Met Office forecasts temperatures to reach 26 degrees and to rise over the coming days. Overnight temperatures on Friday is expected to be around 15 degrees before another hot day on Saturday when the mercury could reach 30 degrees. The HSE has said that people most at risk during hot weather include: – Babies and young children – People over 65 and those with underlying health conditions, including heart and breathing problems as well as Alzheimer's disease and dementia – People who spend a lot of time outside or in hot places – such as those who work outdoors or the homeless – are also at high risk. The advice for staying cool indoors is: – Turn off lights and appliances not in use as they generate heat – Close windows that face the sun during the day and open them at night when temperatures drop – Close curtains in rooms that are exposed to the sun, sprinkle water over the skin, or keep a damp cloth on the back of the neck – Use an electric fan (but only if the temperature is below 35C). Outdoors, people should: – Stay in the shade – Avoid being outside, if possible, between 11am and 3pm – the hottest part of the day – Wear light and loose-fitting clothing that covers the skin – Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses – Regularly apply a UVA and UVB water-resistant sunscreen to skin that is not covered, using factor 30-plus for adults and 50-plus for children. People are also advised to drink plenty of fluids. Water or oral rehydration sachets are considered the best option.
