Roscommon garden to feature at Bloom Festival

Farming Rathcroghan will showcase at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom Festival with its own unique show garden design.

The Rathcroghan Ogham Alphabet Garden will be featured in the Small Show Garden section at the upcoming Bord Bia Bloom taking place at the Phoenix Park from May 30 to June 3.

The Rathcroghan Ogham Alphabet Garden embodies the unique natural, agricultural and heritage landscape of Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. The garden design is inspired by the Ogham inscription at the entrance to Oweynagat (Cave of the Cats) and celebrates our linguistic history, dating from between the fourth and eighth century. 

Reflecting the significance of trees to our culture, the garden features an Ogham totem pole as its centrepiece, with 20 circular wood rounds each containing the 20 letters of the alphabet.

The garden design is inspired by the Ogham inscription at the entrance to Oweynagat - (Cave of the Cats) and celebrates our linguistic history, dating from between the fourth and eighth century and its later association with trees. Also known as the "Gaelic Tree Alphabet", Ogham contains 20 letters, each associated with a different native tree.

The garden reflects the significance of trees to our culture featuring an Ogham totem pole as its centrepiece.

The project is supported by the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, National Monuments Service, Office of Public Works, Roscommon County Council-Creative Ireland Programme, Roscommon Leader Partnership, the Heritage Council and Bord Bia Bloom funding.

Farming Rathcroghan is one of 23 European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) that were funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine to tackle current challenges in farming landscapes. It is the only EIP in Ireland with a focus on farming in an archaeological landscape. Following on from its successful Postcard Garden in 2023.