The Shackleton Garden in Clonsilla has been restored and opened again to the public.

Fingal County Council has been working to restore the Garden since 2017, which included rebuilding large sections of the garden walls, upgrading paths and restoring garden buildings under a €400,000 investment from the Council and Fáilte Ireland.

The Garden officially opened to the public today, Monday 20 September, following a launch last week.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh was on hand to launch the new-look gardens on Friday 17 September. She was joined by Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, TD, Fingal County Councillors, Oireachtas members, Volunteers and members of the Shackleton Family.

Speaking at the launch, The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh, said: "Fingal County Council, the Shackleton Garden volunteers and our contractors have worked tirelessly over the past few years in order to restore these beautiful gardens. It is an absolute delight to be here today and to see the massive amount of work that has gone into this project. I am so glad to be able to officially open The Shackleton Garden today and I look forward to seeing Fingal residents and visitors enjoying this wonderful addition to the Dublin 15 area when it is opened to the public."

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The Gardens, which are inside a 1.5-acre walled garden, are home to a wide range of rare and exotic plants including an important collection of herbaceous perennials, grown in large flower borders.

During the 1980s, the Gardens were included in The Good Gardens Guide and were awarded two stars. This is the highest accolade awarded by the Guide and reserved for the very best gardens in the British Isles.

The history of the Shackleton Family and their connection with the Garden is also of significant public interest. The Council will continue to use the detailed 1994 plant list compiled by the Shackleton Family as a baseline for the continued management of the plant collection.

Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, added: "I am delighted to see The Shackleton Garden open officially today. The Garden will provide a fantastic tourist attraction for Dublin 15 and will be an excellent addition to the Liffey Valley Trail in Fingal. I want to congratulate everyone who has worked on this project over the past few years, you have done yourselves, the Council and the Shackleton family proud. It is an honour to be at the official launch today and I look forward to sharing this beautiful space along with its extensive plant collection with the public."