Irish Cultural Garden’s 2009 Annual Review
2009 marked the 70th Anniversary of the original dedication of The Irish Cultural Garden. We commemorated the anniversary in fine style with a rededication ceremony on October 3rd. The culmination of the efforts of the past two years was celebrated with the rededication and the inauguration and blessing of the new Recognition Court.
Consequently, I think I will present the year in review in reverse. The Irish Garden Club founded in 2007, is the primary fundraising organization that supports the Irish Cultural Garden. We are extremely grateful to the founders of the Irish Garden Club for their efforts in the restoration of and reinvestment in the garden. As well, to the 60 years of support from the Ladies Ancient Order of the Hibernians and for 32 years of support from the Murphy Irish Arts Center.
December 12th our email Christmas greeting was sent to a list of over 300 friends and volunteers of the Irish Garden.
Fall clean-up in the garden was aided by the extremely warm and dry October and November.
October 3rd: ‘Twas a fine soft day in the garden. After a week of heavy thunderstorms we had an overcast day with a bit ‘o sun peeking out from the clouds. With Irish music echoing down the boulevard and an abundance of fall color in the garden and in the canopy of the trees, some 400 people gathered for the event. The celebration began with a morning reception at The Western Reserve Historical Society, sponsored by The Irish American Archives Society. The Pipes and Drums of The Cleveland Police kicked off the ceremony, marching to the center circular lawn panel. We were honored with Fr. Jim O’Donnell’s blessing and proclamations from the city and the state. Presentations by Senator George Voinovich, Representative Dennis Kucinich and Cleveland City Council President Martin Sweeney concluded with a keynote address by Dr. William Golden of Galway University in Ireland. Master of ceremonies Edward F. Crawford and Sheila Murphy Crawford together cut the ribbon on the rededicated Irish Garden. Representatives from The Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation and the many Irish organizations in the city attended. Fortunately the garden, with its centralized location, historical significance and its universal appeal, created a singular celebration for all of Irish descent in Greater Cleveland.
In the month previous to the re-dedication ceremony, construction of the Recognition Court, designed by James McKnight and Associates, began with a new retaining wall and walkway in the north end of the garden. Great care was taken to match materials and workmanship in the construction of the Recognition Court. The Irish Garden was originally conceived as a ‘green space’ – park like and contemplative- without the features and ornamentations of the other cultural gardens. In the 1960 a singular bust was installed. We are now quite proud to have honored writers & poets of Irish decent with etched portraits on the seven new granite pillars of the Recognition Court. Plans are underway to continue to add writers, poets and musicians as the garden expands.
In preparation for the rededication, the Irish Garden participated in CWRU’s Day of Service in September. We were grateful to have 9 volunteers clean up the wooded slope south of the garden, weed the entry to the garden and before they left, plant 200 miniature daffodils bulbs. Volunteers from several area landscape companies also pitched in on this final clean-up before the festivities.
The ‘Irish Volunteers’ came monthly to the garden throughout the summer to weed and deadhead the perennial gardens. They also planted orange and white impatiens in the center of the garden in May that provided color all season. The perennials installed in the fall of 2008 were an ongoing show of color throughout the year.
For the ‘Irish Volunteers’ the spring clean-up was their first visit to the newly renovated Celtic Cross Gardens (fall of 2008). The design and installation met with overwhelming approval. Many of these long time volunteers in the garden recounted stories of an overgrown and unmanageable garden strewn with trash and enthusiastically re-committed to the maintenance of the garden.
March 2009 the garden began to wake from its slumber. Newly installed plants from the previous fall started to unfurl and reveal the rich palette of textures and the forty shades of green.
Char Crowley, Irish Cultural Garden