L-R: Theresa Dempsey, Nicola Bowes, Paula Sharkey from the Celtic Eye Art Group, with Kerrie Gardiner, Bord Bia Bloom Show Gardens and Horticulture content Manager)
A collaboration of the Celtic Eye Art Group, the Karst Farming Network (Regenerating The Rocks EIP), St. Hilda’s Services Athlone, the Irish Wheelchair Association Athlone, Athlone’s Men’s Shed, and primary schools in Taughmaconnell and Castlesampson, are participating at Bord Bia Bloom 2026.
They are exhibiting in the Postcard Garden section with their design “Yellow Meadow Kingdom”, celebrating the yellow meadow ant present in the Karst landscape of South Roscommon.
The project represents community management spanning counties Roscommon, Westmeath and Galway. Groups came together in a positive and creative way to highlight a magical hidden gem. Their garden and art design is a celebration of the unique Karst landscape, focusing on biodiversity, ecosystem engineers, native plants, mythology, heritage and community.
The Celtic Eye Art Group are delighted to continue their work with the Karst Farming Network (Regenerating The Rocks), who were awarded a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) in 2025. The farmers who have worked this landscape down through the generations are the true artists of this landscape, and continue to enhance and protect the unique Karst landscape of South Roscommon.
Members of the Celtic Eye Art Group, Nicola Bowes, Paula Sharkey, Rosemary Carty and Theresa Dempsey, recently attended the Bord Bia Bloom welcome event hosted by Tirlán Country Life in Co. Kilkenny, sponsors of the Postcard Gardens. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet other 2026 Postcard Garden participants and special guest Bláthnaid Treacy.
Ann Hill, a member of the Celtic Eye Art Group, said that she is “honoured to be with this group for the last five years in highlighting the importance of protecting our landscape, our Culture and our heritage.”
The Celtic Eye Art Group featured their first Postcard Garden design in the 2024 Bord Bia Bloom, in collaboration with the Uí Máine Kingdom Group, St. Hilda’s Services Athlone and the Irish Wheelchair Association Athlone. They are delighted to feature again in 2026 with these organisations, and it is even more special to have the local schools involved too.
