One year after the opening of the restored Formal Gardens at Birr Castle in Co Offaly, the Earl and Countess of Rosse who occupy the castle are throwing their home open again, this time for a reception to mark the unveiling of a sculpture made from wood collected in the garden.
The oak piece, sculpted by well-known Spiddal-based wood-turner Liam O'Neill, will be unveiled in the castle next Tuesday.
The piece is being presented to the seventh Earl and Countess of Rosse, Brendan and Alison Parsons, by tobacco manufacturers Gallagher (Dublin) Ltd to mark the restoration of the demesne's Formal Gardens, renamed the Millennium Gardens. The tobacco company provided £100,000 towards the restoration project and the work was carried out under the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme, an initiative of the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation.
The gardens, designed around a 17th century plan, contain the tallest box hedges in the world - they feature in the Guinness Book of Records. They were designed by the present earl's mother to mark her marriage in 1935.
Rated with five stars in the official list of Gardens of Outstanding Historic Interest in the Republic, Birr Castle Demesne extends to over 100 acres. It has one of the world's greatest collections of trees and shrubs grown from seed collected as far away as China, Chile, Mexico, Guatemala and the Himalayas.
Ms Alicia Parsons, manager of the demesne and a daughter of the Earl and Countess of Rosse, explained that the gardens are in a 33-year lease to a charity called the Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation.
The demesne is open to the public all year and attracts up to 30,000 visitors annually. Further information can be accessed at: wwww.birrcastle.com