National Rose Month
There are many things worth celebrating throughout the month of June, from the official beginning of Summer to Father’s Day. At Dromoland Castle, we are delighted to be celebrating June as National Rose Month in honour of our very own “Dromoland Rose”.
Roses have a strong and colourful history, representing love, war and beauty going back many years, but this National Rose Month we wish to explore the history of The Dromoland Rose.
The Dromoland Rose was planted in commemoration of 50 years of service as a hotel at Dromoland Castle and was planted back in 2013.
Our very own Dorothea Madden, Head Gardener did the honour of planting Rose on the very special anniversary of the hotel opening in 1963.
In fact, Dorothea has been looking after the grounds and gardens of Dromoland for quite some time herself. She began working with us in 1989 and was appointed Head Gardener only a few years later.
In her time here, Dorothea has played an enormous role in transforming the gardens of the estate to the floral heaven that is adored by our guests today. Dorothea says that her greatest achievement in her time here has been the restoration of two of Dromoland’s walled gardens. ‘It was infested with briars but we hand-dug every inch of it,’ she remembers.
Today the gardens are cherished by all who visit- ‘My favourite was the walled garden made more beautiful by flowers blooming and the leaves and grass as green as possible. There was a cottage and a greenhouse as well as trellises and unique wire artworks throughout.’
Guests can enjoy guided walks from Dorothea herself and learn of the history of the gardens. However, it is not only guests who have enjoyed guided walks from Dorothea over the years, former First Lady Laura Bush herself as pictured below, also took the time to admire the gardens during her visit to Dromoland Castle in 2004.
Despite being one of the longest standing members of the team at Dromoland Castle, Dorothea’s dedication and passion for Dromoland Castle is as remnant today as the day she first joined, ‘That magical drive up the avenue, the air; the light, the remarkable setting, the people- it’s heaven to me.’
