Treasure hunting, lots of plots and green fingers

THE HILLS of Bohernabreena welcomed another instalment of the Friarstown Allotments Open Day for the ninth year this past weekend, welcoming the green-fingered types from all over South Dublin.

Plenty of treats were in store throughout the day, including a vast array of home-baked goods to accompany the hundreds of cups of tea that were downed by young and old.

An estimated 200 people made their way to the site on Saturday, including SDCC councillor Mayor Francis Timmons, who is no stranger to gardening, having spent hours at the Clondalkin Global Garden, as well as Cllr Yvonne Collins and Cllr Róisín Mannion.

There was plenty on the agenda for the day, including competitions to judge the very best of an array of vegetables and the several allotment plots.

Last year’s competition winners were invited back to this year’s Open Day to judge the line-up of prizeworthy allotment plots alongside judges from South Dublin County Council.

A raffle was also held on the day, thanks to the generosity of local businesses in the area who provided each of the spot prizes.

Keeping the children entertained was also a top priority, with a very special allotment treasure hunt put together by the organisers, as well as an arts and crafts corner for the creative types.

Providing a day of fun for all the family is important to the organisers, as the allotment project itself is community-based, as echoed by the chairman of the Friarstown Allotments, Pat O’Rourke: “Probably the most important thing of all is the actual gettogether itself.

“We have one day every year where we get to meet most of the plot holders – it’s a chance to get a community together and after all, our plan is to build a community.”

Thankfully, the recent streak of good weather continued for the day as the rain held off once again, but a shower would be welcomed by many, especially the vegetables.

“We desperately need rain – the whole place has dried up and unfortunately, the vegetables aren’t at their best, but that doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t have a competition,” Pat added.

The committee members were incredibly grateful for the help of their volunteers and sponsors who ensure, every year, that the Open Day goes off without a hitch.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme