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kilmokea · 2 years ago

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Day 1

Arrive at Kilmokea between 2.30pm and 3.30 pm for the introduction to your beautiful, individually designed bedroom.

4 pm. Join Johanna and Emma in the drawing room where you will receive a warm welcome followed by a gentle meditation.

5 pm. Time to explore your retreat space before dinner allowing you to unwind and connect with your surroundings.

7 pm. Healthy Organic Vegetarian 2 course dinner in the Dining room.

8:30 p.m. Evening gathering with Qi Gong at the Italian Loggia & Pool.

Qi Gong, pronounced “chi gong,” was developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being. Qigong has both psychological and physical components and involves the regulation of the mind, breath, and body’s movement and posture.

Day 2

8.00 am. Energise with Qi Gong movement on the lawn, whilst listening to the morning birds.

8:30 am Breakfast in the Garden Conservatory

10 am Mindful walk to the Vegetable Garden

10:30 am Explore the world of growing your own fruit and vegetables

12:30 pm Lunch in the Garden Conservatory followed by an afternoon of replenishing your inner resources. Press the pause button on everyday life with a relaxing afternoon in the Jacuzzi and Indoor Heated Pool and Gardens.

4 p.m. Forest bathing/ Shinrin Yoku in the Woodlands. This health promoting, nature connection practice aims to enhance wellbeing, relieve stress and encourage relaxation. Enjoy a guided walk, and soak up the healing benefits of the natural environment through one’s five senses.

6.30 p.m. Healthy Organic Vegetarian 2 course dinner in the Dining room.

8 p.m. Evening Meditation under the Stars.

Day 3

8 a.m. Energise with Qi Gong movement on the lawn, whilst listening to the morning birds.

8:30 a.m. Breakfast in the Garden Conservatory.

10 a.m. Stunning gentle Beach walk, with optional Sea Swim. Enjoy an Introduction to seaweed delights and the practice of earthing.

1:30 p.m. Kilmokea lunch followed by an afternoon of replenishing your inner resources. Press the pause button on everyday life with a relaxing afternoon in the Jacuzzi and Indoor Heated Pool and Gardens.

6 p.m. Open fire dinner in the Woodlands with evening meditation to finish

Day 4

8 am Meditation & Qi Gong movement in the Gardens.

9 a.m. Breakfast in the Garden Conservatory.

10am Our closing gathering. Depart feeling revitalised, restored & renewed.

Participation in daily activities and workshops is always optional.

Mana Retreat Hosts.Emma Hewlett.

Emma Co owns and lovingly looks after Kilmokea Country Manor and Gardens with her husband, Mark. Guests have been staying at Kilmokea under their care for over 25 years, enjoying the Hewlett home with all the gorgeous offerings on site. Extensive gardens, indoor heated pool, tennis court, croquet lawn, jacuzzi, sauna and gym.

Emma is the Chef in the evening for paying guests where she prepares a wide range of seasonal organic locally sourced food, much of which is grown in the gardens under her care.

She is an Holistic Aromatherapist who works with organic Irish essential oils. Recently she qualified as a vibrational flower essence practitioner and forest bathing facilitator. She practices Qi Gong and meditation daily, loves being outside and sea swims throughout the warmer months. She spends her relaxing moments on the beautiful local beaches and walking with her dogs in the woodlands amongst the trees.

Johanna Brown

A history graduate from Trinity College Dublin Johanna spent over 20 years working and travelling, including 5 years living and working in Jordan. 10 years ago she started running art and nature classes which evolved into her own ‘Forest school’. This involves outdoor education through school programmes in after school groups and camps. She has also led teacher training in this area, and workshops for mental health.

Passionate about foraging, eco-art and learning more about nature-based solutions she is also a certified Forest Bathing practitioner. Johanna enjoys Qi gong regularly, meditation, nlp, swimming in the river and sea, and walking. She loves sharing the joys and benefits of nature and leading groups of people outdoors, promoting mindfulness and well-being.

Everything you need to relax at Kilmokea Country Manor & Gardens:

3 nights accommodation in beautiful individually designed bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, cotton sheets and floral bathroom soaps.

Invigorating Water from our own well which has been filtered through reverse osmosis and a vortex.

Daily delicious, nutritious, locally sourced, organic vegetarian food with a vegan option available by prior arrangement.

Secluded Property with Historic Gardens which highlight the location of the mythological foundation site of Ireland, with the first landing of Cassair, followed by peaceful Celtic monks in the 7th century who farmed the lands. The Viking boats which sailed up the River Barrow and settled at Kilmokea preceded the arrival of the Normans in 1169.

What to Bring:

Optional to bring a musical instrument, a story or song for the Open Fire evening in the woods

Outdoor activities will require appropriate clothing so please bring a coat, outdoor footwear, suncream, a water bottle and Beach towel if swimming

Feel free to wear pajamas for the meditation or loose comfortable clothing

Exclusions

Gratuities

Honesty Bar Drinks & Wine.

Sauna

Transport to the Beach (20 minute drive).

Cancellation Policy.

Mana Retreat Reservation Policy

A 50% deposit is requested upon confirming the booking. This is non refundable and secures the booking.

The final 50% payment is payable 21 days before checking in to Kilmokea.

If the booking is cancelled before 21 days before check-in, the charge is 50% of total.

If the booking is cancelled less than 21 days before check-in the charge is 100% of total.

* If the government places kilmokea in a lockdown for your intended stay, we will postpone your reservation until the government opens us up again. The deposit therefore becomes a voucher for your postponed booking and you are not being charged anything for the dates which you reserved. Please note that this applies ONLY in a lockdown situation.

* GIFT A FRIEND. Please note that once payment is made, it is the responsibility of the participants to find a replacement if they have unforeseen circumstances causing them to be unable to join us and gifting a friend is a beautiful thing to be able to do.

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kilmokea · 4 years ago

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Self Funded Private Gardens of County Wexford on the Wexford Garden Trail

Out of the earth, these garden owners

are creating living miracles.

These Gardens of Wexford have a few things in common which inspire them to keep going, be creative and open their gates to the public. They are all in County Wexford, privately owned and managed and are self-funded. Together with Garden Centres and Government funded Gardens they are members of The Wexford Garden Trail. This trail welcomes visitors and their members are more than happy to assist with any information visitors require to enjoy their visits to the Gardens and Garden centres of County Wexford.

There really is something special and treasured about Irish Gardens. They represent a natural environment of plants and trees taking in carbon and releasing oxygen into the air while their roots stabilize the soil and filter water. As trees reduce air pollution they help us to breathe better. Spending time within a natural setting often reduces our stress & improves our sleep. Just being among trees is good for our wellbeing and they make a lovely setting for walking, an activity shown to reduce stress and illness. With roots reaching deep into the earth, trees have excellent grounding energy. Indeed the healing powers of a garden have been portrayed in art and literature since our earliest beginnings. Out of the earth these garden owners are creating living miracles.

Nature has long been known for its relaxing qualities. Visiting gardens is so good for our health having vital positive effects on mental health as they boost our mood and generally make us feel more cheery. The Holistic benefits are huge. Relaxation, stress reduction and the value of improved quality of life to name but a few.

So much inspiration can be received through visiting gardens to assist the creation of our own garden too. Meeting the gardeners and owners adds enormously to the visit.

The sharing of valuable knowledge and stories while appreciating someone else’s hard work and creation adds to our lives. So often we are creating and planting for the future generation to enjoy so sharing knowledge cements the continuity of gardening systems. Stories of pioneering gardeners over the years who created and contributed to gardens over time add a depth to our visit helping us appreciate the garden while gaining inspiration for our own gardens. Great inspiration too for poets, artists and writers alike.

The visit provides us with the benefit of expanding our knowledge of horticulture, new technologies and making connections with like-minded people. They are a great way to introduce gardening as a hobby to children teaching them to nurture living things.

Some of the deepest preoccupations of thoughtful gardeners are the weather and the seasons. It is from Spring to Autumn, that magical time of year when many of Wexford’s self- funded private gardens open their gates to the public for you to explore.

Forward by Emma Hewlett

Coolaught Gardens was created and is owned by Harry & Caroline Deacon

“We were both probably always really into gardening but for me it started as an interest in growing to eat vegetables and fruit from a young age, but not into the floral side, I left that to my mother. She loved keeping the garden going and I was often called to help out, not really willingly I may add. When I married Caroline she was really interested as well, so much so that when they teamed up, I needed to find somewhere to escape to when they were both after me to do something or other!

The years that followed saw us become more interested and the garden grew in size and to be fair it was Caroline was now the driving force but we visited more gardens in our time off and I suppose the gardening bug had bitten.

The start of Coolaught Gardens really happened as a result of us deciding for the hell of it to enter what was then the National Garden competition, we came second in the Wexford section but we never realized how much it would impact us and by the end of the following week we had about 4 garden clubs asking us would we open the garden for viewing for their clubs! It seems that up to that point no private garden had come as high up the competition and a lot of people wanted to see this unknown garden. We started playing with the idea of opening the garden for a limited time Sundays 2 to 6 for the Summer months, but we underestimated the response, and we were run off our feet on those Sundays and the tours that came on weekdays again made us realize that we were going to have to open more days to spread the load. We opened from Wednesday through to Sunday next and after that we opened the full seven days and of course by then we had added the garden centre and the garden during this time had also more than doubled in size and now stands at more than 2.5 acres. So even though now when the garden is closed we have the sales area to take care of.

We have loved the time we have spent in making the garden but we have also loved meeting all the like-minded people we have met through the past 20 years because of what we started here. True gardening folk are the best people you can be around, they are generally very positive people who work their way through every adversary, none have been tested as much as by what has happened in the last year. Things and situations have changed utterly for a lot of people, life as we know it has been turned on it's head, these lockdowns have had a devastating impact on families, business, economies across the world are suffering but nothing compared to the families of the people that have died. There has on the other hand been more time for parents to spend with their children, that has to be a bonus. The realization that most people won't be able to travel away for holidays and breaks has seen the nation change by being much more conscious of their homes and their gardens. After the first lockdown we started a call and collect service which I found very difficult. It is not the same as meeting with your customers face to face and making sure what they are buying will suit them, but as the Summer wore on and the economy opened we found that a lot of people had also found the joy of having the space around their homes and now wanted to make that area more beautiful and a place to relax and unwind in i.e. make a garden out of it! Last Summer all the tours both National and International were cancelled as were all the new Brides and Grooms that come for to take their photos in the garden. We were reluctant at first to open the garden as we weren't sure of the protocols to put in place to keep people safe but as we finally became more confident, we did open it and our new customers and old seemed to get new enjoyment from the garden and that also lifted our spirits.

We have passed the first day of Spring St. Bridget's day and even though the weather is still dismal, that too will change the days are getting longer and warmer and Summer will come again and eventually Covid will be consigned to the history books and life will return to the new normal. We will look forward to meeting both our regular customers and those that have been bitten with the gardening bug recently back to Coolaught Gardens again.”

Clonroche, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

Telephone:

053 9244137

Mobile:

087 6446882

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.facebook.com/coolaughtgardens

Contact:

Caroline & Harry Deacon

Opening Hours:

Garden is open Mid May to Mid September, or by appointment to individuals and groups Garden Centre open all year round.

Glenavon Japanese Garden was created by and is owned by Iris Checkett.

“During the winter of 1999 I attended gardening classes run by Frances McDonald in Gorey Community School. As part of the course we were asked to design our dream gardens. I decided to create a Japanese themed garden. The garden developed over the next few years ,constructed by Drinagh Garden Centre. Originally based on the four seasons of the year over the years it has matured and changed.

Some years ago I joined The Wexford Garden Trail and opened my garden to the public for a few months in the summer. All proceeds are given to charity. The Garden Trail has helped enormously with the marketing of my garden through the Web site, Social Media and The Brochure. It is enormously beneficial too for our garden visitors as we introduce them to the trail and suggest other gardens for them to visit and Garden centres for them to purchase plants and garden related tools, compost, pots and ornaments.

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic last year there were very few visitors and this year I hope Government restrictions allow more people to avail of the wonderful spaces we have all created in the Wexford Garden Trail for visitors to enjoy safely.

Working in the garden keeps me fit and gives me the opportunity to meet like-minded people. Hopefully these visitors get as much pleasure from the beauty of the garden as I do, and the peaceful place helps them to reduce the stresses of life.

Each season brings its own particular pleasures. In Spring we have the beauty of the Cherry Blossom. Summer features Hydrangeas, Autumn, the Liquid Amber walk and in Winter all the grasses.

Of course, there are problems associated with any garden. The area is all macamore soil so it requires quite a lot of chicken manure and hard work. I have to contend with the Macamore soil and Mr Heron repeatedly comes for my fish! On the upside I buy all my replacement plants and receive help and advice from my good friends in Springmount Garden Centre. Nothing takes away from the pleasure and enjoyment of being surrounded by the beauty of a garden. I love Glenavon Japanese Garden and enjoy every moment I have in this gorgeous space.

Glen Richards, Courtown Harbour, Gorey, Co. Wexford

Telephone:

053 9425331

Mobile:

085 2048737

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.facebook.com/glenavonjapanesegarden

Contact:

Iris Checkett

Opening Hours:

Sunday and Friday May to August 2pm – 5pm, or by appointment to individuals and groups.

Kilmurray Gardens was created and is owned by Paul & Orla Woods

Opening your garden to the public is a work of passion it requires complete dedication and a little bit of lunacy which we have in spathes. It is a moving feast which is never complete but which hopefully inspires people to try and achieve parts of it in their own garden space. Opening your garden requires courage as you are opening yourself up to other people opinions and criticism but it also can give you huge rewards for all the hours you are on your hands and knees weeding. Our greatest concern is when people return from a walk in the garden with armfuls of flowers they have picked to see if we have it for sale in the nursery a tight lipped smile usually is the response with a gentle reminder not to pick the flowers. The responses can be quite amusing.

The development of our garden started in conjunction with the development of the nursery as we found people enjoyed seeing the plants they were interested in buying growing in a garden. It is planted in an informal style with the inclusion of pond areas over the past few years. We completed our long border in a formal setting six years ago and they give a formal entrance into the garden joined to the more informal areas. My favourite spot is sitting in the long borders surrounded by hornbeam hedging completely surrounded by foliage and flowers. It is the most perfect tranquil spot. My favourite plants are definitely the ones that continue flowering for a long time like Alstroemeria and are wonderful cut flowers for the house and also the scented ones like phlox and paeonias which are brief but in the few weeks they flower give so much joy. Our gardening opening is self- funded as we have a donation box for the RNLi in Courtown which we are past crew of and which our daughter has now joined. Our greatest pleasure is seeing people enjoying the space we have created and sitting and relaxing which in these times is so important .Our opening last year was hampered with Covid regulations but hopefully when summer arrives we will be able to reopen and allow people to enjoy our space

Kilmurry Nursery, Gorey, Co. Wexford

Telephone:

053 9480223

Mobile:

086 8113171 / 086 8180623

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.kilmurrynursery.com

Contact:

Paul & Orla Woods

Opening Hours:

Nursery Open Jan-March Mon-Friday 10-5 March 30th -Sept 27th open Monday-Saturday-10-5pm 30th Sept-13th December -Monday -Friday-10am-5pm

Entrance Fee:

Donation to Courtown RNLI

Kilmokea Gardens is owned by Mark & Emma Hewlett

“Ancient garden heritage goes back to earliest settlers. In the seventh Century the patron Saint of gardening, Saint Fiachra was adopted. He holds a special place in our hearts as the Kilmokea Monastic site dates back to this time. It is situated next to the walled garden.

When the Church of Ireland purchased the Monastic lands to build the rectory for the Rector of White Church, the fruit and vegetables for the house were grown in the walled Garden. Today it is home to a series of interchanging garden rooms with herbaceous planting, rose gardens and sheltered garden seats positioned to reflect on the beauty of the place. My favourite place is our Italian Loggia and pool which I have adopted as my summer office. As the business has grown, I become more office bound so I may as well be close to the garden on my laptop! Without doubt Roses are my favourite summer flowers and Hellebores in the spring. Many of the healing properties of the flowers and plants in the garden are now bottled as last lockdown I completed a flower essence course and these will be available to purchase in the Conservatory. To further assist the health and wellbeing of our guests we are introducing the concept of ‘Forest Bathing’ in the woodland garden. This Japanese practise known as ‘Shinrin Yoku is a simple method of being calm and quite amongst trees, observing nature around you while breathing deeply. A wonderful way to de-stress and boost the immune system at the same time.

We have been maintaining the seven acres of gardens for 24 years now and have weathered many storms! One of the first things we did was to build a large wooden Conservatory which is our Café where we offer guests lunch and afternoon tea. We then created a new food garden where fruit and vegetables are grown using organic methods for the kitchen which feeds guests staying in the house, self catering cottages and are essential ingredients for our lunch menu the conservatory café. This is really important to us as our philosophy of “ground to fork” is ingrained in our objectives.

Since the food travels only a few feet to reach the plate in the Conservatory Café, it is more sustainable. We strive to offer local & sustainable food and food grown with Organic methods to our guests and our family.

Our parents were all keen gardeners and fostered an interest in Gardens and nature and the outdoors. When we first started caring for the gardens my father would drive down from Dublin arriving at 8am, peel himself out of his low Honda and put on his overalls to mow the lawns and tend to the Roses. He was great inspiration and got involved in many of our early projects, giving advise, even when it wasn’t needed! Over the years we have created a large new food garden, which is very close to our hearts. We have built board walks and wooden structures in the woodland garden, designed fairy houses & viking boats and planted many hundreds of plants not to mention spending many hundreds of hours weeding! We now employ a full time gardener who gardens five days a week. We are very involved with decision making, planning new plantings, building structures, graveling pathways and discussing all the planting of seeds for the Vegetables and Flowers. We are totally indebted to Marty Reville our gardener who tends to the gardens with the love and passion which we hold for the gardens. With him we have created no-dig vegetable beds and he is extending biodiversity throughout the gardens. Large bug hotels are the latest structures! We really hope Government restrictions allow us to open Kilmokea Gardens to visitors this season, and we look forward to welcoming you”.

Great Island, Campile, Co Wexford

Telephone:

051 388109

Mobile:

086 6641946

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.kilmokea.com

Contact:

Mark & Emma Hewlett

Opening Hours:

Opening hours. 10am to 5pm

March 17th to end of May. September & October. Wednesday to Sunday

June, July, August. Every Day.

Entrance Fee:

Adults €7; OAP €6; Children under 16 €4; Children under 2 Free; Groups welcome. Up to 12.5% discount for groups of over 20

Marlfield House Gardens

Marlfield House is owned by The Bowe Family and managed by Margaret and Laura Bowe

When our parents Mary and Ray Bowe bought Marlfield House just outside Gorey in 1977 it was with the intention of opening the house and gardens to guests as a country house hotel. The Dower house of the Courtown Estate, the Earls of Courtown had entertained lavishly in both Marlfield and the nearby Courtown House. With Marlfield’s opening as a hotel in 1978 it began again to welcome guests from all over the world.

The garden was smaller then and has been developed and extended extensively by Mary and Ray in the early days. On 36 acres in total there are 12 acres in woodland walks and garden today. While the gardens have always been enjoyed by hotel guests, since opening ‘The Duck Restaurant’ in 2015 the number of people coming to enjoy a coffee, lunch or dinner and a wander in the gardens has multiplied tenfold. The restaurant is located in a long stone building with French doors opening onto a sandstone terrace overlooking the kitchen garden filled with vegetables, soft fruits, a plethora of herbs and beds of blooming roses! Our guests enjoy seeing chefs picking herbs, vegetables and salad as they dine al fresco on the south facing Terrace. The ‘garden to plate’ ethos could not be more evident!

It brings us great pleasure to see our garden enjoyed by so many.

Woodlands form the back drop of the garden, with meandering paths through a kitchen garden of herbs, vegetables and fruits. Long borders of shrubs and herbaceous perennials flank a yew hedge and lead to the lawns and formal gardens.

The duck pond forms a completely separate garden to the front of the hotel and the island, reached by a wooden bridge, has beautiful specimen shrubs and trees. It has only recently become the location of five private stand alone pond suites where guests can sleep, each in its own grounds amid oak and chestnut trees, surrounded by nature. The many paddling ducks, waterhen, squirrels, rabbits and George our peacock are happy to share this piece of the garden with those sleeping in the pond suites!

Spring is our favourite season and our gardener Sean Kehoe plants thousands of daffodils and tulips annually. Unfortunately in 2020 the pleasure of seeing the carpets of daffodils and rainbows of tulips and Camellias was confined to those on social media , and it seems that history might repeat itself this Spring! But our herb and rose gardens will be filled with a plethora of colour of blooms and fragrances and enjoyed by many this Summer when we are very hopeful that Covid restrictions will lift.

We are Looking forward to welcoming lots of people back to Marlfield and our gardens this year. Now more than ever we all need to Enjoy nature and spending time with each other, enjoy the outdoors, the beauty of our county and its gardens and produce and be grateful for the beautiful gardens in the Wexford Garden Trail.

Courtown Road R742, Gorey, Co Wexford

Telephone:

053 9421124

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.marlfieldhouse.com

Contact:

Margaret & Laura Bowe

Opening Hours:

Garden visit and Lunch/Afternoon Tea by appointment (March to December)

Entrance Fee:

€12.00 which includes morning coffee or afternoon tea with dressed scones in Marlfield House Hotel

Wexford Lavender Farm

My name is Moira Hart, I am the Owner and Manager of Wexford Lavender Farm, a privately run garden and tourism business located 10 km north of Gorey in North Co. Wexford.

We opened to the public in April 2014 with 2 acres of lavender plants in a field located close to old disused stables, which we had converted into our Café/Giftshop prior to opening.

We are currently Irelands’ only dedicated commercial lavender farm and added a second 2 acre field in 2018 with 5,000 more lavender plants. We planted rows of English Lavender Hidcote, English Lavender Rosea, Dutch lavender Grosso and some English Lavender Munstead. My late mum (Betty) was a keen organic gardener, animal lover and bee keeper, my love of gardening, lavender and animals comes from her and after visiting many lavender farms in England (I grew up in rural Dorset) decided to set up my own business here in Ireland. We’re (mostly) fortunate with the weather here in Co. Wexford and grow the English Lavender varieties which are hardy.

Farming anything involves lots of hard work, a passion for what you love and lots of energy, especially in the busy Summer months when the lavender is in bloom and visitor numbers are high. We keep ducks, chickens, goats, ponies and horses too, which all need looking after 365 days a year, whatever the weather. Being self-employed it’s important to be self-motivated and drive yourself forward.

When we first opened the business our daughters (Clara & Martha) were 6 and 9, I didn’t have any experience running a business, managing staff or working in a café so to say it was a steep learning curve would be a big understatement! Seven years later our daughters are now involved working in the business in the summer months when school is closed. We have a fantastic, hardworking team working alongside us, being a seasonal business can be difficult with staffing as its ‘all hands-on-deck’ during the summer then nothing during the winter.

We were at the beginning of planning and building a wooden Maze as an extension to the Lavender Farm in January 2020 when COVID-19 arrived unwelcomed into our lives, with this unknown threat and all the uncertainty it brought, I decided reluctantly to halt plans for 2020. We eventually re-opened on 30th June 2020 and had a strong but short domestic season in between Lockdown one and two, with so many people not being able to travel abroad. The Maze plans are back on track and will be built before June 2021. This will be a welcome addition to the business, as well as being the only wooden Maze in Ireland, it will not be dependent on the lavender flowering season (mid June through early September).

The first Covid lockdown was a welcome break, with fantastic weather and time-off that I hadn’t had through the spring/early summer since opening but this latest Lockdown has been tough on everyone and the very wet winter has made getting outdoor maintenance jobs impossible for the time-being.

We are SO looking forward to Summer, lavender, visitors, long days and being outside with nature and the things we love!

Coolnagloose, Inch, Gorey, Wexford, Y25 NW42

Telephone:

087 068 6774

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.wexfordlavenderfarm.com

Contact:

Moira Hart

Opening Hours:

Closed January, February & March.

Opening 1st May (if restrictions allow) to Mid September: Tuesday - Sunday: 10.30am - 5pm (plus Bank Holiday's)

Mid September to December: Saturday & Sunday: 10.30am - 5pm

Entrance Fee:

€5 per car in June, July & August

Woodville Gardens

Gerald Roche is a farmer and gardener at Woodville, New Ross where his family have lived since 1876.

As a farmer I know that I am simply a custodian of the farm for subsequent generations. A garden is just the same. A garden is shaped by the tastes and fashions of each generation that works in it but it goes on from one generation to the next. So it is with the gardens at Woodville, the apple and pear trees were planted by my grandmother, I think in the 1930s, so they are well past their prime though still productive and a strong structural element in the garden as many of them are espaliered. My interest in gardening came later in life with the realisation that gardening is an all absorbing occupation, once bitten by the gardening bug, there is no escape. The garden is not a chore, as a gardener, one wants to be in the garden planning, planting, shaping, altering, propagating.

At Woodville the walled garden was laid out when the house was built in the early 1800s. It was extended and remodelled in the 1830s and further developed in the 1880s when it was acquired by PJ Roche. He extended the house and built a conservatory. He also extended the existing glasshouse by building a vinery. These houses came from the Messenger Company in England and having restored the conservatory a few years ago and more recently, the peach house, the Messenger greenhouse, home to the vines, is my next project. I have sourced the timber and the help, we will probably lose this year’s crop of grapes unless we have a very warm summer.

In the last decade of the 19th century, plentiful labour and cheap coal meant these glasshouses were both productive and ornamental, these days they are a labour of love. The boilers are gone and they rely on solar gain to heat them, an uneven source of energy even with climate change. I try to garden in as sustainable and environmentally friendly way as I can, using manure and compost produced on site and to choose plants that will flourish in this microclimate.

These days, I look after the garden with the help of the family, a Teagasc student if one is available and the (very) occasional contractor. Help comes in the form of S.482 tax relief in return for which the gardens are opened to the public for two months each year. Covid 19 put a big dent in the visitor numbers in 2020 and I expect the same for 2021 as we rely on garden tours from abroad for much of our income.

Wet weather such as we have endured in January/February 2021 causes anxiety and impatience, even in a garden with free draining soil such as ours and spring sunshine and March breezes are eagerly anticipated. Small highs come from spotting the first bud or flower or fruit, comparing notes from other years. Pleasure comes from the harvest of fruit and vegetables, sweet new carrots, pencil thin, big bowls of autumn raspberries, sculptural romanasco, artichokes, validating puddles of melted butter on the plate. Satisfaction is a freezer filled with vegetables after summer evenings podding and chopping, blanching and bagging. Sweetcorn, broccoli and beans both broad and French, raspberries and blackcurrants all are saved and whatever else is surplus to the day’s requirements. Not for the gardener long days on the beach, those sunny days are spent mowing and edging lawns, harvesting and weeding and at the end of the day, a dash to the sea to cool down and wash off the dust. Just as paper never refuses ink, gardens soak up labour. There is never enough time, power tools have speeded up tasks but there is always more to be done.

In another era, an army of gardeners assisted by carpenters and painters maintained these gardens. Today we do what we can as best we can and relish producing food for the table – nil food miles, kind to the environment. It is an ongoing challenge but one we cherish.

New Ross, Co Wexford

Telephone:

051 422957

Mobile:

087 9709828

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.woodvillegardens.ie

Contact:

Gerald Roche

Opening Hours:

May – June: 10am – 2pm, or by appointment

Entrance Fee:

€5.00

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kilmokea · 8 years ago

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Mysterious Island of Myth, Mystics and Magic

The outstanding contribution of Professor Jim Mallory who travelled from Belfast to be present was the centrepiece and highlight of the Think- In at Kilmokea on 19th August, the first day of National Heritage week.

An internationally renowned and acclaimed Archaeologist and Author (whose recent books include 'The Origins of the Irish' and in 2016 'In Search of the Irish Dreamtime' on Archaeology and Early Irish Literature) he gave an illustrated PowerPoint Presentaion on how stories , in the language of the time of their telling, sometimes reveal anomalies like dress and other habitual articles, like battle swords etc.,as occupying supposedly a time before they were invented.

He demonstrated how inconsistencies and impossibilities of performance threw suspicion of manipulation on claims that didn't stack up.

Sensationally, and using this very methodology, he demonstrated that well documented claims from Cork, Kerry and Sligo as being 'Dún na mBarc" (The Fort of the Ships), the first recorded landing place of Ceasair of the Flood myth were weaker and the strongest claim lay with Kilmokea .

A claim such as this leaves Kilmokea as the Island with the first and most famous landing site in Ireland, the place " of the greatest antiquity " in flood mythology, and a foremost major international Mediaeval education centre governed by a bishop who helped sign into Irish Law the first European rights charter and protective of women, children and clerics.

This is only the start of the beginning of the rediscovery of a glorious past that had been stolen by pretenders, lost due to academic miscalculations, and bravely recovered by four university professors who were prepared to help when asked- not unlike the innovators of the Annals of Ireland - Mícheál Ó Cléirigh , Cùcochríce Ó Cléirigh, Maol Conaire and Ó Donobháin, who earned their reputation as The Four Masters from the late Mediaeval period - the four University professors - Proofessors, John Carey, Pádraig Ó Riain , Máirín Ní Dhonnachadha and James Mallory - have now earned recognion as The NEW Four Masters of Kilmokea !

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kilmokea · 8 years ago

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A “Think-In” on the Heritage of Great Island was held at Kilmokea Country Manor, Kilmokea, Great Island, Co. Wexford on Saturday 19th August 2017 .The subject -matter was the claim that Kilmokea, Great Island, is the most ancient site of instigation and foundation of Ireland, its heritage and culture. Above are the happy team who hosted a wonderful day, firmly placing Great Island on the map of Ireland as ‘the Island with the first and most famous landing site in Irealnd, the place " of the greatest antiquity " in flood mythology, and a foremost major international Mediaeval education centre governed by a bishop who helped sign into Irish Law the first European rights charter and protective of women, children and clerics’.

#history irelandancienteast #irelandsancienteast

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kilmokea · 8 years ago

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Kilmokea Luxury B&B turned 3 today! I absolutely adore this time of year when the garden comes alive again. Longer days and the birds singing again.

#tumblr birthday #tumblr milestone

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kilmokea · 8 years ago

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUDBSflv6R0)

#irish garden #b&b #~Irela #irelandsancienteast

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kilmokea · 9 years ago

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Here is the Ireland’s Ancient East Logo. Kilmokea is a proud member of this Failte Ireland creation. THE AREAS Encompassing 17 counties and 5,000 years of history, Ireland’s Ancient East features three unique areas.In the Land of 5,000 Dawns, you'll find the whimsical woodland trails of Belvedere House and the exceptional passage tomb of Newgrange, built way back in 3200 BC. The Historic Heartlands is much more than cozy National Heritage Towns and sleepy mirrored lakes. This is where saints converted kings at the Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny Castle changed hands for a song and Iron Age victims were surrendered to Lough Boora Bog.Tales continue on the Celtic Coast, where Vikings looted holy treasures from the monastic city of Glendalough and the light of Europe's oldest lighthouse sweeps across Ireland's story-strewn maritime history.

#irelandsancienteast #kilmokea #failteireland

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kilmokea · 9 years ago

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This Map of Ireland circa 1450, during the Norman decline showing the Celtic areas, Anglo-Irish areas and the English-ruled Pale. Look how the geographic shape of Ireland has evolved.

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kilmokea · 9 years ago

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Look at this map of Ireland which shows the monastic settlements which were raided by the Vikings as well as showing Viking settlements

#vikings monks kilmokea

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kilmokea · 9 years ago

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I just love this Ancient Map of Ireland known as Hibernia . Still a gorgeous Teddy Bear to me.

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kilmokea · 9 years ago

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mill stone

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kilmokea · 9 years ago

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History of Kilmokea

I hope you enjoy reading our Kilmokea Stories. To add to our information welcome both national and international media and international Tour Operators to Kilmokea we would like to also highlight our bespoke luxury country house where we look after guests for Bed & Breakfast & Dinner serving mainly Organic food.

'Anglo-Ireland'

This townland of Kilmokea was settled and re-settled several times. Remains of a monastery have been found, the Vikings built a harbour town next to the Barrow, the Normans an earthwork fortification that now forms part of Kilmokea's boundaries. Then the rectory was built, passing into private hands in the 20th century and finally bought by Mark and Emma Hewlett for conversion to a bespoke guest-house.

Kilmokea was a rectory once, built of sturdy stone in 1794 by The Reverend Cubit the Rector of White church. It displays typical Georgian architecture. Understated elegance, yet quite a not-so-humble home for the local rector. Planting of the Heritage gardens began in 1947. They cover seven acres and received 10,700 visitors in 2015. Holding both botanical and archaeological interest, Kilmokea is open from March to November for guests staying in the luxury B&B and for guests visiting the Gardens.

'Ancient Ireland',

Kilmokea is the first place that is mentioned in Irish history. The Country House and Gardens of Kilmokea are located within the ancient ramparts of a most historically important earthwork from ancient times. The island upon which it is located is called Great Island. There was a large monastery here in the sixth century covering over twenty acres.

Habitation of the island commences some time, a little after 10,000 BC. Invading seafarers approaching Great Island would have been confronted with a Delta formation. The ancient Irish believed that the first invaders came from the East and landed at Kilmokea which was then called Bun Suaimne. This strange Irish name refers to the ope or the umbilical cord to birth mother Ireland.

Michael Cleary, the seventeenth century Franciscan monk enlisted the help of brother monks, CuCocriche O Cleirigh, Maol Donnabhain and Maol Connaire and, together, they claimed authorship of ‘’the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland’’– more popularly known as ‘’The Annals of The Four Masters’’. They write of the arrival of Cessair, daughter of Noah at the confluence of the Three Sisters. She was first leader into Ireland , the generic name for leader (Caesar) who led 49 women and 3 men. Versions of this origin-legend were recorded in a range of medieval manuscripts that were available to the Four Masters, and that text was fundamental to their understanding of the ancient Irish past.

Kilmokea was then called Mileadach. (Mil in the old Irish means ‘a rise of ground' and ‘–eadach' derives from the conjunction of ‘aod’ and ‘oc’, where ‘aod’ means ‘ fire’, and ‘oc’ means ‘little’ or ‘small’) Out of all of this Mieleadach comes to mean ‘the rise of ground of the little fire’! These people were sun worshippers and the expression has to do with the sunset near the little rise of ground. It’s not surprising that they threw up a rampart to surround it as a sacred place where the sun set. It’s equally not surprising to understand how the Christians took over and erected monasteries here over the years after the arrival of Saint Patrick, or, at least, the coming of Christianity to Ireland.

'Early Christian Ireland'

In the 7th Century there was a Monastic site at Kilmokea. There is a large enclosure which measures c. 330 metres by 260 metres centering on the early ecclesiastical church of Kilmokea which predates the medieval religious centres of Tintern and Dunbrody, which were founded following the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1169.

The Abbey/Church was situated behind the Italian loggia. The cemetery remains with items of great historical interest and are well worth seeing. The most important of these are The smallest High Cross in Ireland, Bullaun stones and an unusual headstone. In the woodland garden are the remains of a Horizontal Water Mill.

1. The smallest High Cross in Ireland stands at 56cm high. It has a Latin cross inside the carved circle. It also has some letters carved. The D-shaped graveyard is situated inside an early Christian enclosure. A church was founded here in the 8th century by Suadbar. The site is also associated with Saints Findbarr and Barrfhin. The sandstone cross has been decorated with rope-moulding around the edges, including all the side panels and arms. Crosses have been carved onto both faces of the solid head and there are interlaced knots carved in some of the front and side panels.

2. The two bullaun stones consist of large rectangular blocks of weathered limestone with a deep bowl-shaped depression, hollowed out of its upper side. It is generally thought that bullaun stones date from the Bronze Age (2000BC to 500 BC, in Ireland). “Bullaun” refers to the hollow in the rock itself, which can have many bullauns in it, although many have only one. It may have been used in pagan worship with perhaps offerings of milk, grain or even blood deposited in the bowl. It has been suggested that the bullaun stone was also known as a “wart stone” and healing powers were attributed to the rain that collects in the bowl-shaped hollow. Believed to be of pre-Christian origin. These stones have an undisputable association with water, and with worship of the Celtic fire goddess Brigid, and her successor, St. Bridget. Many are found in association with early churches and holy wells.

3. In the Cemetery here is an unusual head stone with a skull and cross bones carved on it. On the back it has an inscription and the year 1739. There is a history of pirates attacking vessels on the River Barrow in this area.

4. A mill stone and a wooden flume were found in Kilmokea in the 1960′s during drainage work. These were part of a Horizontal Water Mill which were used in Ireland from about the 7th century. They were one of the first automatic machines used here. They are called Horizontal Mills because the wooden wheel which provided the power was layed flat in the water. The flume has been carbon dated to around 679. As there was once a monastery here in Kilmokea the mill was used by the monks. The water came from the stream and was directed by the flume on to the mill wheel. As the flow of water increases the wheel turns faster and its axle then turned the upper millstone. Below this stone was the lower stone which didn’t turn. The grain was fed in from the hopper and ground between the two stones.

5. A Sheela na Gig that was discovered in Kilmokea. This now lives in the archives of The Dublin Museum. These Sheela na Gigs were erected on many churches of the medieval period and were almost invariably placed in a very prominent position such as over the main entrance door or a window. they were highly regarded, revered images that evidently held an exalted position within the religious iconography of the earlier church.

'Medieval Ireland'

Vikings who had first carved out a new homeland in France, then conquered England and Wales, finally came to Ireland at the insistence of Diarmait Mac Murchada the Irish king. Starting a few centuries of problems and misery ... At the end of the 10th century there were established Viking kingdoms and settlements in many parts of Ireland, mainly in coastal areas. The rampart of a Viking fort can still be seen at Kilmokea. A viking age coin hoard dating to c. 1050 discovered in the vicinity of Dunbrody reflects the importance of the estuary as a trade route and relates to trading activities at the monastic centre of Kilmokea, which straddled the ferry route between the Norse towns of Wexford and Waterford. This coin hoard is the largest found in Ireland with over 1600 examples of coin. It was discovered in 1836 beside Waterford harbour.

So in came Strongbow in 1169, at the head of an Anglo-Norman army. Norman as in Normandy, Normandy as in Norsemen. They landed at Bannow, (20 miles from Kilmokea) led by Strongbow and accompanied by Hervey de Montmorency his uncle. He brought thirty knights from his relations, sixty men wearing mail, c300 archers and tradesmen. Montmorency was sent as a scout for Strongbow . They were joined by Diarmait Mac Murchada with c500 men . After the capture of Wexford, the walled town of which was occupied by the Norsemen, Hervey was assigned two cantreds by the sea between Wexford and Waterford by Mac Murchada . This assignment was indicative of the impact Hervey had on Diarmait . The area called Insula, now known as the Great Island in Kilmokea, co Wexford, on the east bank of the Barrow river, and now no longer an island, was the caput baroniae of Hervey de Montmorency’s fief . The lands were then taken by King Henry who gave them to Strongbow as part of the lordship of Leinster and he re-granted or confirmed them to Hervey, the founder of the medieval town on the island. A wealth of early historic and medieval remains survive.

We have a large Conservatory Café in the Walled Garden where we cater for guests visiting the seven acres of Gardens. We can accommodate up to 40 guests at one sitting. When larger groups visit Kilmokea we accommodate them in two groups. One visiting the gardens and then enjoying lunch or Tea, coffee, Scones or cakes while the other group enjoys lunch first. We have Ladies & Gents facilities & wheelchair toilets too. Our drive entrance to the gardens was recently widened to accommodate buses.

We offer either self-guided visits to the gardens with a complimentary introductory informative short talk or fully guided tours of the gardens and their history.

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