Biologist and broadcaster Éanna Ní Lamhna will be the special guest speaker for the official launch of this year's Clew Bay Garden Trail.

The launch event takes place at 11am on Saturday, 24 May 2025, the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

The Clew Bay Garden Trail is an annual open garden initiative organised by a group of voluntary gardeners in the west Mayo area. 

It provides a wonderful opportunity each June and July for visitors and locals alike to explore a series of unique gardens, many of which are private gardens not usually open to the public.

Visitors get to see and learn about the different gardens and the gardeners have the opportunity to share their work and methods with fellow enthusiasts.

Gardeners and members of the public are welcome to come along to the official launch of this year's Clew Bay Garden Trail - which will be held in the award-winning and biodiverse gardens of Turlough Park. 

The launch will take place in the Courtyard of Turlough Park House with a talk by Éanna Ní Lamhna and an opportunity to learn and hear more about the gardens featured in this year's trail.

The event will include some light refreshments. 

This is a free event starting at 11am on Saturday, 24 May 2025. No booking required. 

Learn more about the Clew Bay Garden Trail

About the speaker

Éanna Ní Lamhna qualified as a scientist in the 1970s and did her post graduate thesis on the ecology of sand dunes and saltmarshes, which was published in the Journal of Life Sciences. She set-up the Irish Biological Records Centre in 1974 and is responsible for the original distribution maps of mammal and insects.
She lectured postgraduates on sustainability for 20 years in TU Dublin. Her publications include a series of five studies on Irish Air Quality, nine books including Wild Dublin and her most recent – The Great Irish Biodiversity Book.  She was President of An Taisce from 2004 – 2009 and more recently President of the Tree Council of Ireland. She is a judge of Environmental initiatives undertaken by local groups on a county level such as Pride of Place and Love Where You Live. She is a highly respected radio and television broadcaster on environmental issues. She writes the weekly Eye on Nature column in The Irish Times. She is a Co. Louth woman with three children and seven grandchildren. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in Science by the University of Galway in November 2024 – the first Irishwoman to be awarded a D Sc. by that university.