National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh

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National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh
Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus Cill Mochura
Entrance to Kilmacurragh National Botanic Gardens.jpg
TypeBotanic Garden
LocationKilmacurragh, Wicklow
Coordinates52°55′46″N 6°08���52″W / 52.929327°N 6.147796°W / 52.929327; -6.147796
Area21.04 ha (52.0 acres)
Created1712
Operated byOffice of Public Works
StatusOpen all year
Websitewww.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh

The National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh (Irish: Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus, Cill Mochura) is a botanic garden outside Wicklow Town, County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a satellite of the main National Botanic Gardens located in Glasnevin, County Dublin. The 52 acre gardens are situated 5km from exit 18 on the M11 motorway.

Today, the gardens are in State ownership through the Office of Public Works. In 1996, a 21-hectare portion of the old demesne officially became part of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland. The following ten years were spent giving the estate’s rare and beautiful plants a new lease of life.

Kilmacurragh is now part of the National Botanic Gardens, providing a complementary collection of plants to its parent garden at Glasnevin. Arrive in spring to witness the transformation of the walks, as fallen rhododendron blossoms form a stunning magenta carpet.

History[]

The story of Kilmacurragh stretches back beyond the establishment of the gardens to early Christian times. A lake, part of which remains as a small pond, once existed as a fishing pond for a monastery that stood where the remains of the Acton family home stand today. This monastery was dissolved by Henry VII.

Thomas Acton and his sister Jane Acton were behind establishment of the gardens, subscribing to plant hunting expeditions and utilising contacts in botanical gardens and nurseries around the globe to acquire exotic seeds for the gardens. The gardens were the showpiece of the rare Irish Queen Anne style house, the home of the Acton family.

The Rhododendron walks were developed through a friendship with David Moore the curator of the National Botanic Garden's at Glasnevin. This led to Kilmacurragh becoming the home to the national rhododendron collection.[1]

Further Kilmacurragh, whose acidic brown soil, low rainfall and mild winters, become the home of many specimens that were struggling or failing at Glasnevin. Many of the species grown in the gardens are so rare that they may be the only one or two of their kind in Europe or even the Northern Hemisphere.

Photo of the Acton family home in National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh
The remains of the Acton family home in National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh

These rare species include[2]

Mature monkey puzzle tree in National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh
Mature monkey puzzle tree in the gardens.

Facilities[]

The Acton Café, opened in 2015 in one of the restored courtyard buildings on site.[3] There are free guided tours from March to October (12noon and 3pm daily). Suitable outdoor clothing/footwear advised.

References[]

  1. ^ "Kilmacurragh Home | The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland". Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. ^ Thompson, Sylvia. "Kilmacurragh Arboretum: Ireland's secret garden". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Acton Café | The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland". Retrieved 6 July 2019.

Coordinates: 52°55′46″N 6°08′52″W / 52.929327°N 6.147796°W / 52.929327; -6.147796

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