The 31st annual Conference of the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust will be held in the Westville Hotel, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, on 2-4th October 2025 on the theme of: The World of Bulbs: Their history, propagation and use in the garden throughout the year.
Papers will look at the history of commercial bulb and tuber breeding in Ireland from the 19 th century; how bulb nurseries propagate their varieties and how they produce their stock commercially; historic bulb varieties; bulbs in art; bulbs in the wild; how bulbs were planted in gardens from the 17 th century onwards.
he Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust recently held a very successful conference at the Woodenbridge Hotel, Co Wicklow, when over a hundred delegates from Ireland and Great Britain enjoyed a programme of talks about The Role of Water in Historic Garden Design and Management.
Christy gave our Spring Lecture earlier this year, giving us a foretaste of what was to come, and, for those also attending our conference next week, there will be a number of the books available to buy as well as an opportunity to speak to the author.
Our urban landscapes contain a rich and varied heritage of shared green spaces such as town squares, public and municipal parks, botanic gardens, tree-lined streets, public walks, allotments and detached town gardens. Some have evolved organically through time, others are the product of careful urban landscape design, especially from the early twentieth century when, following the influence of Ebenezer Howard and others, there was a strong emphasis on soft landscaping. In addition to examining these historic developments, this conference will seek to highlight dangers to this heritage and efforts made towards its conservation.
Ecclesiastical capital of Ireland from medieval times, this medium-sized county town boasts two cathedrals and is the seat of the two Archbishops of Armagh and Primates of All Ireland. While of ancient origin, much of the present town’s rich architectural legacy derives from the eighteenth century linen trade; this includes the Royal School (founded 1608); the astronomical observatory (1790); the renowned public library (1771) and former archbishop’s palace (1770). The city’s historic Georgian fabric with its fine terraces, incorporates a number of green spaces, notably the eight-acre former town common, The Mall, now a tree-lined promenade in the heart of the city.
6.00pm Registration, Reception and Refreshment
Venue: Archbishop’s Palace
7.30pm Chairman’s introduction (NIHGT)
Welcome from Julie Flaherty, Lord Mayor
of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
Margaret Gormley
Urban Heritage Landscapes and Their
Role in Tourism
9.15am David Lambert
The Parks Renaissance: the Heritage Lottery Fund and Urban Parks, 1996–2017
10.30am Christy Boylan
Urban Trees and the Tree Council of Ireland
11.15am Graham Hickey
Dublin’s Five Georgian Squares
12.00pm John McCullen
The Phoenix Park – from Pastureland to Landscape Park
1.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Site Visit
Armagh City
7.30pm Dinner
Venue: Armagh City Hotel
Patrick Bowe
Dublin’s Urban Parks – three centuries of design
9.30am Mark Johnston
A History of Street Trees
10.30 Harry Watkins
Management of Street Trees in Sheffield
11.10am Ben Simon
Urban Woodlands Around Belfast
11.50am Reg Maxwell
Belfast Botanic Gardens Through the Years
1.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Mary Forrest
Allotments in Dublin 1900–1950
2.40pm Leslie Moore
Greening the City: from Plan to Pollinators
3.15pm Mervyn Miller
The Garden City Movement: historic precedents
