Activity garden is situated on St John’s community hospital complex in Enniscorthy
Jennifer Murnane O’Connor T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, and James Browne T.D. for Housing, Heritage and Local Government, in the stead of Minister for Rural and Community Development Dara Calleary due to a bereavement, officially opened the garden to great acclaim.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Browne recollected on how much has changed on the site since he attended the sod-turning ceremony.
“It is wonderful to see it come to fruition and it is great to see such a crowd out and that is what this is all about. It is about the community – St John’s does fantastic work. Everyone here in Enniscorthy is proud of what is done here in St John’s. I think part of what this development does is bringing St John’s into part of the town – it cements itself as part of the centre,” he said.
He also made sure to acknowledge the trojan work of Wexford County Council and the local representatives in following through with the development from start to finish.
The go ahead was given for the garden in January 2024, while work has been progressing on the site since August of last year.
Minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor and Housing Minister James Browne at the official opening of St John’s Community activity garden at St John’s Community Hospital.
“It is also great to see a quiet area. I think a part of modern life unfortunately is that it is so busy. It is so noisy. Whether it is doomscrolling on social media or the television stations – everything has gone so fast. And we now really have to find opportunities to take a moment and actually have that quiet moment and to decompress for ourselves and for our families and friends.”
“I think the message that it sends out to remind us all to slow down a little bit at times,” he added.
The funding for the garden, which amassed to €234,000, came from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
Minister Browne emphasised the great work the scheme has done, with over €180 million awarded to various projects across the country, with €9.3 million allocated to Wexford alone.
“You can tell, you know that the people who worked on this project put their real heart into it,” he said, commending Monageer Contracting Ltd, S&N Granite, Camolin and the council engineers.
Minister O Connor also thanked the staff and residents for the lovely welcome, as well as the chance to meet with the local disability service and described the garden as a “beautiful facility for everyone to enjoy”.
The fruit of this development will serve to enhance the character of the existing campus at St John’s and to further integrate St. John’s into the community while being sympathetic to the character of the original St. John’s Hospital building (former Union Workhouse).
The official opening of St John’s Community activity garden at St John’s Community Hospital.
Most importantly, connection to the services provided within the St. John’s Community Hospital Campus will be a central aim of the proposed new Community Activity Garden, and will cater for activities and therapies that currently take place indoors to be facilitated outdoors when weather permits to enhance the wellbeing of patients.
Councillor Joe Sullivan said the results on the day was a testament to the strong community spirit in Enniscorthy.
“The garden is a place-making development which has reimagined the green space at St. John’s Hospital into an engaging space for all and is testament to the power of collaboration, vision and community spirit and it marks another significant step in enhancing the vibrancy and appeal of Enniscorthy,” he said.
Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District added that it would benefit the groups of musicians currently adding colour to the town.
Staff were joined by Cllr Joe Sullivan, Chairman of Wexford County Council at the official opening of St John’s Community activity garden at St John’s Community Hospital.
“We have this wonderful community garden and this wonderful amphitheatre that could be such a real benefit, not just for the people of this part of Enniscorthy, but in the entire town and district. We could have concerts, dances and all sorts of events here on this space and we could all enjoy it.”
Also in attendance was Senator Cathal Byrne, Malcolm Byrne TD, Cllr Aidan Byrne, Cllr Pat Kehoe, Cllr Trish Byrne, CEO of Wexford County Council Eddie Taaffe, Director of Services Carolyne Godkin, Senior Engineer Neville Shaw, and staff of Wexford County Council, as well as staff and patients at St. John’s Community Hospital, who will greatly benefit from the garden.
Prior to the official launch, the large crowd were treated to stellar entertainment, courtesy of Inis Córthaidh CCÉ and the Enniscorthy Men’s Shed.
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