Volunteers transform field of dreams into glorious garden

THE transformation of an abandoned field into a beautiful community garden in a west Cork village can be seen on RTÉ One tonight.

Back in July 2009 a group of people in Schull came up with the idea of developing the field and were thrilled last March when gardening guru Diarmuid Gavin said he’d give them a hand.

One of the local organisers, Aileen Maguire, said they simply loved Diarmuid’s designs.

Last August the work got under way at the field at Cadogan’s Strand and viewers will be able to see how it developed over the months.

An eyesore has been transformed into a garden which has something for everybody.

Local stone mason Anthony O’Regan put his own artistic stamp on a meandering path in the design and he also produced some stone seating that wasn’t included in the design at all.

“Diarmuid loved the changes we had made, even if they were without consultation with him,” Aileen said.

The garden, which is at the entrance to Schull, has child-friendly seats on top of curved and rounded grass mounds. Picnic tables have also been installed.

Aileen said that county council foreman, Denis Murphy, got a team together to make a new footpath, fencing and tarmac at the entrance.

“We needed this garden to be practical for public use and be a place that kayakers and non-motorised water sport enthusiasts could launch from. Because of its location at the entrance to the town, the area needed a car park but we didn’t want a sea of tarmac and cars to be the focus of the field,” Aileen said.

Instead Diarmuid designed a car park which consisted of special matting covered with a maxi of sand and soil through which grass grows.

A similar system was used at the Giant’s Causeway, Co Antrim.

“My main inspiration was from the group of women.

“Their enthusiasm was infectious and I felt I really wanted to create a garden for this site because of them. Also, it’s a privilege to have been asked to work in such a renowned spot to create a place for the public to stop and relax on the way into a beautiful town and to have access to the sea,” Mr Gavin said.

The programme will be screened on RTÉ One at 8.30pm.