Meeting Point: Upper Terrace – Formal Gardens
Free, booking required, Book Here 

IMMA Talks is delighted to welcome Mary Condon, OPW Head Gardener at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, for an informative stroll around the Masters Gardens. This talk will touch on the biodiversity, ecology and history of the Master’s Garden, as well as the commitment it takes to sustain a fast array of green spaces, formal gardens and meadows across the site.

First developed as a pleasure garden, it later evolved into a market garden, producing vegetables and fruit in for the residents at the hospital. The Gardens were later restored under the guidance of Elizabeth Morgan and are now managed and maintained by, Mary Condon, and her team at the OPW. The Gardens, though quite formal, support a diverse range of wildlife, plants, insects, and wild fauna, surrounded by classical sculptures, popular at the time it was built.

Join Mary for walking talk and tour where she shares the history of working and designing these gardens against the backdrop of the magnificent architecture of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham and its distinct character, that has inspired over 25 years of garden restoration work. This talk gives you the chance to chance to see the site through a new lens and learn how heritage green spaces can thrive as living ecosystems, while also pointing out a wonderful variety of flora, planting and garden design, now in full summer bloom.

Walking Talks in the gardens take approximately one hour in duration. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable flat shoes, as take place outdoors and may involve walking on uneven ground.