Address by President Michael D. Higgins at the Official Opening of Bloom
Dublin, Thursday, 30th May, 2013
Is cúis áthais dom, go deimhin, an seachtú féile bhliantúil de chuid Bloom a oscailt go hoifigiúil. Cé gur seoladh Bloom in 2007, go príomha mar mheán chun an ghairneoireacht thaitneamhachta a chur chun cinn, agus chun sárthaispeántas plandaí gairdín, dearadh gairdín agus thionscal an stoic phlandlainne a sholáthar, tá sé tar éis méadú as cuimse thar na blianta. Is é Bloom príomhthaispeántas Bhord Bia do thomhaltóirí agus tá sé ar cheann de na buaicphointí ar fhéilire sóisialta na hÉireann.
[It is indeed a great pleasure for me to officially open the seventh annual Bloom show. Whilst Bloom was launched in 2007 primarily as a promotional vehicle for amenity horticulture and to provide a showcase for garden plants, garden design, and the nursery stock industry it has expanded hugely over the years. Bloom is now Bord Bia’s main consumer show and it has become one of the highlights in Ireland’s social calendar.]
Eighty thousand people attended the event in 2012, despite particularly wet weather and it is expected that this figure will be matched or exceeded this year given favourable weather conditions. In addition to being a world class garden show, Bloom has become a celebration of the best of Ireland’s food and produce, and those who attend can enjoy a veritable feast.
This year Bloom will showcase 28 exquisite show gardens from the very best of Irish landscape gardeners and designers. Amongst the large, medium, small gardens and concept gardens will be an assortment of design styles and budget points. There will be examples of what can be achieved with a limited budget and gardens which reflect some of the issues facing gardeners today and the new approach to horticulture, ecology and sustainability in garden design.
For the first time Bloom will host a number of postcard gardens designed and constructed by passionate amateur gardeners. These provide an opportunity for garden clubs and societies to demonstrate their abilities and to inspire other non-professional gardeners to experience the joys and benefits of gardening.
We are of course very fortunate in Ireland, surrounded as we are with a breathtaking landscape. Included in our landscape are the many magnificent natural parks along with man made parks and heritage gardens.
The location of Bloom within the Phoenix Park and incorporating the recently restored Ashtown Walled Garden gives us a sense of the ideal. The garden with its formal box parterre, lavender hedges, double row herbaceous border, fruit and vegetable area provides an opportunity for the public to reflect on the link between us and our environment and hopefully will encourage us to take positive action to conserve, restore and maintain our beautiful landscapes and environment.
As a current resident of this magnificent 707 hectare Park, I fully appreciate this valuable amenity and the excellent work of the Office of Public Works in managing this as a National Historic Park. The Park which was established in 1662 has been open to the public since 1747. The herd of deer based in the park were originally introduced when the park was established and have continued to prosper. Over the years many buildings and monuments have been added to give the Park its current facilities which attract increasing numbers of users every year.
Experienced designers have been joined by some new Bloom designers with an exhibition of botanical art profiling the work of over 20 of Ireland’s top botanical artists. Organisations such as Concern, Jack & Jill Foundation, and the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland have teamed up with garden designers to create gardens with powerful messages around social and cultural issues. For instance this year Concern have had a garden designed with financial support from the Kerry Group. ‘Out of Africa’ will be used to highlight the hugely important work of Concern in Western Zambia which focuses on the first 1000 days of nutrition of a child (pregnancy and first 2 years) where great strides are made in reducing stunting. This work is supported by Kerry Group, and Bloom will be used to celebrate the success achieved to date and to remind the public of the important work that needs to be done to alleviate world hunger.
Bloom 2013 has been dubbed ‘the gathering of gardeners’ and many additional international visitors are expected at the show. Working with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, Bord Bia has reached out to UK gardening families and the Irish online community of Bloom fans, which now amounts to 20,000 gardeners. They have been encouraged to use Bloom as the ideal event for a gathering of friends and family. To ensure that the international visitors have a memorable experience Bord Bia have commissioned an Irish plant breeder to supply a Bloom memento, a new Irish Primrose called ‘Innisfree’. All those who travel from abroad will receive this as a free gift. These unique plants will be accompanied by a book mark plant label printed with Yeats’ poem ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’.
Ireland is recognised for producing some of the best food and beverages in the world. The quality and excellence of our food is being appreciated by more and more countries. To provide visitors with the best possible food experience, Bloom 2013 will host “Bord Bia’s Food Village” where the many aspects of the Irish food and drinks industry will be presented in one central feature area. The Food Village will provide visitors with the opportunity to see wonderful displays of fruit and vegetable production and to view, taste and purchase a wide range of artisan food and beverages.
The Food Market has become an established feature at Bloom where it provides a true showcase for the finest artisan foods Ireland has to offer. It offers visitors an unparalleled food shopping experience with 60 Irish artisan producers. The market stalls are run by the producers themselves which provides a unique opportunity for visitors to learn first-hand about the products on offer and how best to prepare them. The Meat & Fish Market will also display and retail a range of top quality locally produced meat and fish products. These will include Bord Bia Quality Assured beef, lamb, pork and poultry as well as fish products.
Bord Bia will also be highlighting their ‘Best in Season’ promotional campaign for local seasonal fresh produce. The ‘Best in Season’ fresh produce market will display and retail top quality locally grown fruit, vegetables and potatoes.
The timing of Bloom coincides with the time of year, when a full range of locally grown produce is just coming into season and is increasingly available throughout the country.
The biggest new feature at Bloom 2013 is Bord Bia’s Origin Green Experience located at the heart of the Food Village. This feature will highlight and explain the importance of sustainability for Irish agriculture and for the Irish economy. It will explain the role of the Origin Green charter and the work of Bord Bia with regard to sustainable food production. The feature will include a number of interactive, high impact elements that help to make the complex issue of sustainability accessible and interesting to young and old, rural and urban. A 12 metre diameter giant dome at the centre will be used to show in dramatic style the Origin Green story on a 360 degree screen.
I mbliana, den chéad uair, beidh ionadaithe ag an Rannóg Talmhaíochta agus Tuaithe den Choimisiún Eorpach ag an bhféile Bloom. Is chun bheith i gcomhthráth le hUachtaránacht na hÉireann ar an Aontas Eorpach sa chéad leath den bhliain seo atá sin amhlaidh. Beidh gníomhaíochtaí agus beochaintí ar sheastán an Aontais Eorpaigh agus iad ag díriú ar cháilíocht bia, ar an gcomhshaol agus ar théamaí a bhaineann le forbairt tuaithe.
[This year for the first time the European Commission, Agriculture and Rural Division will have a presence at Bloom. This is to coincide with Ireland’s presidency of the EU in the first six months of the year. The EU stand will have activities and animations focusing on food quality, environment and rural development topics.]
All of what you will see at Bloom could not have happened without the huge effort of numerous people and organisations. I would first of all wish to acknowledge the huge effort by Bord Bia and the event organisers in bringing the show to fruition.
The support of the Office of Public Works and the provision of 70 acres at the heart of the Phoenix Park have been of critical importance in facilitating the development of a show of this scale. I would wish to thank all the State Departments, Semi State Organisations, the Dublin Local Authorities and the many voluntary organisations for their contribution to the smooth running and safety of all those attending the event.
I would also wish to thank all the sponsors without whose financial support it would not be possible to run such an event. I know that despite the financial pressures they are experiencing they have rallied behind this show recognising its importance to all those who contribute, participate and attend.
Finally it only remains for me to wish everyone associated with the show every success and I hope along with the organisers that the weather will stay benign and that at the end of this bank holiday weekend we will be able to say that this was the best ever Bloom.