National Botanic Gardens (Ireland)
| National Botanic Gardens | |
|---|---|
| Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus | |
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| Type | Botanic Garden |
| Location | Glasnevin, Dublin |
| Coordinates | 53°22′19.20″N 6°16′22.80″W / 53.3720000°N 6.2730000°W |
| Area | 19.5 ha (48 acres) |
| Created | 1795 |
| Operated by | Office of Public Works |
| Status | Open all year |
| Website | www.botanicgardens.ie |
The National Botanic Gardens (Irish: Garraithe Náisiúnta na Lus) are located in Glasnevin, 5 km north-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland. The 19.5 hectares are situated between Prospect Cemetery and the River Tolka where it forms part of that river's floodplain.
The gardens were founded in 1795 by the Dublin Society (later the Royal Dublin Society) and they have grown to hold 20,000 living plants and many millions of dried plant specimens. There are several architecturally notable greenhouses. Today the Glasnevin site is the headquarters of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland which has a satellite garden at Kilmcurragh in county Wicklow. The botanic garden participates in national and international initiatives for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. The Director, Dr. Matthew Jebb, is also Chairman of PlantNetwork: The Plant Collections Network of Britain and Ireland. It is Ireland's seventh most visited attraction, and the second most visited free attraction.
The poet Thomas Tickell owned a house and small estate in Glasnevin and, in 1795, they were sold to the Irish Parliament and given to the Royal Dublin Society for them to establish Ireland's first botanic gardens. A double line of yew trees, known as "Addison's Walk" survives from this period. The original purpose of the gardens had been to advance knowledge of plants for agriculture, medicine and dyeing. The gardens were the first location in Ireland where the infection responsible for the 1845–1847 potato famine was identified. Throughout the famine, research to stop the infection was undertaken at the gardens.
Walter Wade and John Underwood, the first Director and Superintendent respectively, executed the layout of the gardens, but, when Wade died in 1825, they declined for some years. From 1834, Director Ninian Nivan brought new life into the gardens, performing some redesign. This programme of change and development continued with the following Directors into the late 1960s.
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