Floral carpets the centrepiece of tullamore festival

Flower enthusiasts from across the country are set to descend on Tullamore this weekend, September 4/6, for the Tullamore Flower Festival, the centrepiece of bicentenary celebrations at St Catherine’s Church.

The island of Ireland’s finest floral artists will be turning St Catherine’s into a riot of colour with 42 arrangements each with a different theme, with renowned Wexford floral arranger Fergus Hemmingway co-ordinating.

If that wasn’t enough parishioners Alan Wallace and Meike Scholte have been busy creating what are sure to be spectacular 52-foot-long flower carpets down the aisles of the church.

Almost 6,000 flowers were ordered for the carpets alone and with a design based on the colours of the rainbow, they will be worth the admission fee alone. The hard-working duo have also created a 12-foot-wide flower circle for the church’s sanctuary.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent, Alan, whose wife Barbara is the main organiser, said that preparations for the event have been going on for months with parishioners of all ages doing their bit to ensure that the weekend runs as smoothly as possible.

Alan says that he came up with the idea for the flower carpet after reading on the internet about a similar event that had taken place in Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand.

“What we are doing with the flower carpet will probably never be done in Tullamore again.”

In addition to the main event in St Catherine’s, on Saturday afternoon there will be a flower arranging display in Charleville Community Centre by Bloom 2015 gold medal winner Richard Delmer, while his fellow Bloom winner Adrienne Thompson will be giving a display on Sunday afternoon. There will also be a crafts display in the community centre and light refreshments will also be served there.

In order to entice as many people as possible from across the country, the organisers of the flower festival are putting on a free pick-up service from the train station for people travelling to the event by public transport from out of town.  50% of all funds raised will go to SOSAD and Living Links,

For more information or to arrange a lift from the train station, call 086 6051400. Admission will be €10.