It’s amazing to think that I spent an entire semester on this blog with the anticipation of going to Ireland, and that I’m back home already writing about my journey. The first thing I have to say is that it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken in my life. Previous to this whole experience, I had never been out of the country, and was very curious what life was like outside of the United States. The minute I got off the plane and arrived in the Dublin Airport, it was easy to see that the culture of the Irish was quite different than that of our own. The reason I say this is that the Irish in general have a very relaxing, humble, and warming presence to the people around them. I never felt rushed, or tense, or any of the usual feelings that can be found day to day in typical America. Don’t get me wrong; it was very evident that the Irish are hard-working, timely people, but their general outlook on life is just very laid-back compared to our own.

            So in terms of the outline of the entire trip, we spent the first two days in Dublin touring around the city. It was very enjoyable even with the rain that we did encounter. Probably one of the most noticeable aspects of the tours was the fact that there was so much history attached to it, and the interest from the Irish people in the history. It seems as though the Irish people and the history of their country are very strongly linked. So after driving through the city on a double-decker bus, seeing the amazing library in Trinity College, drinking Guinness in the Storehouse, and standing on top of the Hill of Tara, we made our way east to the town of Ennis. On our way over there we managed to see the National Botanic Gardens and the Kilbeggan whiskey distillery as well. 

Sampling whiskey on a cold, rainy day

Apparently if you put your hand on the stone, and trumpets blare, it means you're the new king of Ireland...needless to say I didn't become King.

When touring the Guinness Storehouse, you get a free pint at the end in the Gravity Bar.

            The night of our arrival, we went to Bunratty Castle where we experienced a medieval-style banquet. I was actually appointed as Lord that night, and since then have been known as Lord Humble Gumble. Needless to say it was a fun night. The next morning we drove over to the Cliffs of Moher. We were 700 feet above the ocean, and had nothing but clear skies. Needless to say it was absolutely breathtaking. We also drove through the Burren country, and finished the day by having a blast at one of the playgrounds in Ennis. 

The Cliffs of Moher, looking 700 feet above the ocean

This is a picture of me being crowned Lord at the Bunratty Castle Banquet

This was a playground at Ennis, and probably one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip.

            The rest of the trip included scenic tours of the Dingle Peninsula, Killarney, the Muckross Gardens, Rock of Cashel, the National Stud, Glendalough, the Powerscourt Gardens, and a fun night at Lanigan’s Pub. The end of the trip came all too soon when we had to say good-bye to our bus driver Murt O’Shay, who helped make this trip as great as it was. 

This is one of the stops we made on our way to the Dingle Peninsula, where it's easy to see how Ireland is known for having 40 shades of green.

A beautiful view of the Dingle Peninsula

Muckross House

Muckross Gardens

Muckross Lake

Rock of Cashel

A few horses at the National Stud

A view of the bridge in the Japanese Gardens at the National Stud. The entirety of the gardens represent the journey of man's life.

A beautiful scene from the Powerscourt Gardens

Japanese Gardens within the Powerscourt Gardens

The Celtic Cross which is found as a tomb stone at the monastic settlement of Glendelough in this particular photo

            So now you’re probably wondering what I have to say about the gardens and landscapes of Ireland, especially considering that this was the entire subject of my blog from the start. Well, what I have to say is that while I was over in Ireland, I didn’t run into a huge number of landscape companies, and the presence of landscape contractors. Perfect landscapes from homeowners were just simply not there. The reason for this, that I could find, is that the country of Ireland is absolutely beautiful. Wherever you go you’ll see rolling hills of green, coastline and beaches, old castles, and stone walls. You simply cannot get away from the natural beauty of which is Ireland itself. Since the people of Ireland have all of this in their backyards, they simply don’t need the level of demanding landscaping that we experience here in the United States. Now this isn’t to say that landscape companies and nicely refined properties don’t exist over in Ireland. That’s not true at all. In all of the major public spaces and historical areas, there was great attention to detail that could be found everywhere. I could especially see this in Muckross. There wasn’t a single blade of grass out of place. All of the shrubs and trees were pruned perfectly as well. I also noticed that as we drove through the country, there would be random houses throughout that appeared as though they were owned by prominent, wealthy individuals. These particular houses had very precise, perfected landscapes as well. Lastly, I noticed that there were several large garden centers throughout the country, and that these could be found before landscape companies. The main reason for this, to my understanding, is that if a middle-class, or lower socio-economic status Irish person would wish to improve the value of his or her property, or just do some gardening, he or she would do it on their own, rather than higher a landscaper. 

            So to finish my blog, I would like to say that this course was a great experience, and that I now have the need to see the rest of the world as well. I also have to say that traveling in general, seeing new places, and meeting new people is really something everybody should do at some point in their lives. There’s nothing else quite like it, and I can say from my own experience that it is a unique education that can really enlighten you as an individual, and make you a more open person. 

            It has been a pleasure, and until next time, Slainte!    

Sorry it's been a while! A lot has happened since my last post, especially with finals and end of the year projects. So I brought up Bloom in my last post, so that's what I'll start with. Bloom is Ireland's largest garden festival, and it will be kicking off in the beginning of June for five days. Just last year it brought in 90,000 people to Phoenix Park in Dublin. The festival basically involves cooking, craft demonstrations, gardening workshops, Irish produce markets, and live bands and other entertainment. If anything, it kind of reminds me of Art's Fest at Penn State during the summer with a little bit more of a plant and garden aspect to it.

Visitors enjoying the gardens and wine on a nice day at BLOOM last year

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A wide variety of desserts and pastries that can be found throughout the festival.

One of the garden displays created at BLOOM.

So the last part of my blog before I actually travel to Ireland will be current landscaping and garden design in the country.

I figured the best way to go about this would be by researching landscape contracting companies within Ireland. One of the first companies that I came across was Comeragh Landscaping. This company has been in business for about ten years, and is said to be one of the best in the country. They are a member of the ALCI (Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland), and even produced an award winning garden at BLOOM just last year. The business is divided into two sections; residential work and commercial work. In their portfolio they have photos of everything you would see from a landscape company in the States, which includes bed and lawn spaces, decks, driveways, tree install, patios, and stonework.

This is an image of the award winning garden at BLOOM.

Typical commercial landscaping at an apartment complex.

For their commercial work portfolio, once again, they had photos of work that was very comparable to that done in the States. It contained images of well-kept apartment complexes, tree installs along public roads, and reclaimed public spaces.

One additional part of their website involved the description of different types of gardens that they were accustomed to installing. They also described the different aspects of gardens and that they could design them for entertaining or for more of a family space. They even emphasized that in their own culture, people are spending more time working indoors, and that an outdoor garden with little maintenance can be extremely beneficial. 

Another company that I found was Alder landscaping. They were basically set up in the same manner, separating the residential and commercial work. They were definitely a smaller company, and it seems as though these were the most prevalent throughout Ireland. I couldn't seem to find any companies that did only commercial or only residential work. This makes sense though, due to the fact that you usually have to be a bigger company to do this, or you have to have an extremely wealthy clientele.  

Residential pond created by Alder landscaping.

I've come to the conclusion that there are major similarities between the Irish and American landscapes. They both involve having precisely mowed green grass, and traditional planting beds. Construction seems to be the same as well. However, it does seem that the Americans like to build bigger. A deck in Ireland is very small compared to a deck in the States.

However, the biggest difference between America and Ireland when it comes to landscaping and nature, boils down to the word "garden". When an American says the word garden, he refers to a growing space for vegetables or flowers. When someone from Ireland or from a good part of Europe says the word garden, he refers to a well-thought out, and nicely designed outdoor space or room. I find that very interesting, and it seems as though America may eventually catch on to do the same. 

So the semester is winding down to a close, which means that I don't have too many posts left. I'm basically going to be discussing one of my last topics within the next week or so, which is current landscape design in Ireland. But before I go into that I just want to bring up something I just found today. It's called Bloom, which is Ireland's biggest garden festival. It's actually taking place from May 31st to June 4th this year right in Phoenix Park of Dublin. This is really an eye-opener for me because it shows the significance of gardens and landscapes in Ireland's culture. Here's the link to Bloom's website for the time being. I'll be sure to bring more information on the event in the near future.

Bloom Festival  

This may be a little out of order, but the next topic discussion I’ll go over is sustainability practices that can be found in Ireland. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term sustainability, it basically means living in an environmentally sound manner. There is also a large focus on conservation of both natural resources and energy. In the United States, sustainability has been making some really good strides with the developing “green wave” that’s been recently taking over. One of the biggest steps we have taken to promote green practices is through the U.S. Green Building Council, and their establishment of LEED certification. This rates buildings on how “green” they are, and this is determined through a series of aspects and qualifications. 

This is the Millenium Science Complex at Penn State. It is a LEED certified building with five extensive green roofs for storm water management. It also has an intensive green roof which is what's being shown in the photo above.

This is the Millenium Science Complex at Penn State. It is a LEED certified building with five extensive green roofs for storm water management. It also has an intensive green roof which is what's being shown in the photo above.

 

So with that being said, what is Ireland doing?

Well, after looking around, it became rather obvious that Ireland is definitely active with sustainability. There actually is an organization by the name of Sustainable Ireland that focuses solely on the education of green practices. Some of their programs involve a better building conference, discussion of climate change, and Building Energy Rating Assessment. 

This is one of the workshops that Sustainable Ireland has set up that give people hands on construction experience.

This is a renovation project that is part of the better building conference.

There’s also another non-profit group, called the Natural Step. This group has actually been in existence for about twenty years, and operates in eleven other countries aside from just Ireland. They focus on working with businesses, governments, and academic institutions to develop new and innovative sustainable practices. They have been quite successful in the fact that the group has received several awards in their years of existence and operation.


Currently, Natural Step is working with the Dublin City Council, or DCC. Dublin was a very crucial location due to the fact that a third of Ireland’s population lives in the greater Dublin area. The DCC originally made large investments in energy efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and sustainable urban development. Natural Step is now working with this scenario and the DCC to develop everything properly and to the best it can. What they plan to eventually have is a city workshop that would once again educate in the subject of sustainability, and this would be part of a bigger two year project, Sustainable Dublin. Two current flagship projects include the St. Patrick’s Day project and the building management project. The St. Patrick’s Day project is aimed at taking the week-long celebration, and run it as a sustainable event. I’m really interested to see how that all turns out.

Sources

"Sustainable Dublin, Ireland | The Natural Step." The Natural Step. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://www.naturalstep.org/en/sustainable-dublin>.

"Sustainable Ireland | Cultivate Living & Learning." Sustainable Ireland | Cultivate Living & Learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://www.sustainable.ie/>.