Drumlish garden party continues to be a resounding success for Longford Hospice

In aid of the Longford Hospice, Paddy and Mary Gillooley hosted their 25th open garden party on Saturday, June 7. The event turned out to be a massive success with donations up to €5,000 from those who attended.

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A delighted Mary Gillolley explained, “Hundreds of people come; no charge. It was whatever you wanted to donate. My best friend sat at the gate, greeting people. I do the tours. Around twelve to fifteen people on a tour. People always come to meet in the garden. I always wanted it to be hospitality first, then the garden.”

With help from the local Tidy Towns committee, which Mary is the secretary of who provide the canopy, and the Men’s Shed to help set it up, which Paddy is a part of, the garden party was all about community spirit for a good cause. Paddy also helped with the digging in the vegetable patch, as Mary commented that all the food there was homemade.

The girls from the Community Games also stopped by, having won the All-Ireland U-13 indoor soccer title.

As to how it first started, Mary said: “ It was in the millennium year. It was a big exciting year because everyone wanted to do something. A friend suggested opening the garden for charity. “My Happy Place”, a book with 30 people featured with their happy places, gives more information. That’s how it started and it has evolved. Many gardens, all hidden in secret places. We compost our own compost. Everyone gets homemade goods. All my family bake and help from the family; wash the dishes, cutting the bread. Plenty of hospitality.”

The turnout has once again gone towards a good charity. All the effort behind it was voluntary. With 25 years of doing this, Mary concluded that she would love to continue, as she and Paddy are healthy, but they are growing older. She said that Hospice Homecare helps a lot of people, hence why the garden party is an important part of the calendar.

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