OPINION (AN COLÚN): The beauty of Spring & Summer in Birr Castle Demesne

THE Cherry Blossom season is almost upon us. It usually begins in late March, its beauty deeply impressing the viewer. However the blossoms only last a couple of weeks, their demise hastened by April showers and windy weather. It is poignant to see this beauty disappear so quickly.
The Cherry Blossom's loveliness reminds us of the beauty within ourselves. Its quick demise reminds us of the ephemerality of our own lives. As we look at the falling blossoms we recall that life is short and constantly changing. We are reminded of those blossoms, those close, meaningful relationships with others that we once enjoyed in this material universe of ours. This recognition of the transience of life can lead to deep sadness. It leads also to a realisation within that we should appreciate the time we have here and focus as much as we can on meaningful experiences. People often think that meditating on mortality is morbid, depressing, and something to be avoided. In fact, reflecting on mortality can be a life-affirming, liberating, and healthy practice which leads our minds to increased gratitude and purpose. It can also lead us to embracing the great spirit of love that is God. Focussing on the finitude of time, we reassert our determination to live authentically and be as true to what is in our hearts as we possibly can be. As a result we find life-affirmation in our daily "journeys", in what are called “the small moments”. We are attuned to the miracle and beauty of the life that is all around us.
In Birr we are very fortunate to have Birr Castle Demesne on our doorstep which every year has a wonderful display of Cherry Blossoms.
I was a tenant in one of the cottages in the Demesne for a couple of years about three decades ago. It was a special place to live, when waking up each morning felt like waking up in paradise, in a place which was rightly called “a green jewel” by one author.
Spring and early Summer is exceptional in the Demesne with a wide range of flowers and tree blossoms on display including one of Ireland’s finest private collections of magnolias in bloom. After the snowdrops in January, daffodils follow in February and March. In April and May bluebells carpet the woodland floors. In March, the camellia walk bursts into flower, and in late April the glorious peonies blossom.
The magnificent magnolia trees in full bloom include ‘Magnolia stellata’, camellias include ‘Camellia yunnanensis’ and ‘Camellia Maud Messel’. There are acres of daffodils and bluebells and hellebores. May and June see flowering of the rhododendrons, peonies, lilac and deeply impressive wisteria. The wisteria is over a hundred years old and can be found in the formal gardens. With its dramatic, cascading blossoms its fragrant, trailing flowers express a gentle, elegant aesthetic, and create a dream-like atmosphere.
Native ground-based plants are represented by an abundance of wild garlic, wild snowflake, heathers and one of Ireland’s finest wildflower meadows which attains its full glory by mid-June. These meadows have not been ploughed since at least 1620.
In 1936 Anne, Countess of Rosse planted the hornbeam cloister walk to celebrate her marriage to Michael, 6th Earl of Rosse. Close by are the world’s tallest box hedges. These box hedges were planted 300 years ago and are nearly 40 feet high.
The current Lord Rosse has been a great lover of trees and flowers all his life and brought back plants collected during expeditions in several far-flung places in the world including Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Iran, South Africa, New Zealand, China and Bhutan. Indeed, the Demesne has an abundance of rare plants and trees.
In its advertising material the Demesne says it's “an environmental and scientific time capsule, a living breathing and evolving place of beauty and inspiration.” Certainly, as you walk through this very special place you are walking through a garden which has evolved over 400 years. Strolling along its paths you think about all the people who have either planted or walked here over the last four centuries. Some of those people might have had very different beliefs to you or I but we can find common ground with them in our mutual admiration and love for plant life. We are all drawn to the beauty of nature, we all share that powerful human impulse, no matter our religion, class or background.

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