Landscaping companies Peter Donegan MI Hort and the Donegan Landscaping team have been presented with two national awards by the Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland (ALCI) on Friday October 19 at Citywest Hotel.

The award of Merit in the best private garden category (over €13,000) and the overall award for best private garden maintenance was presented to Peter Donegan MD of Donegan Landscaping Ltd as both designer and contractor and Veronica and Paddy Campbell for the restoration and rebuild of the historic 16th century estate of Brackenstown House.

The national awards presented are the result of work carried out on the five acre private estate and gardens of North County Dublin, a project which has taken over two years to complete.

Formerly known as Brackdenston Demesne it was previously owned by The Burnell Family (16th Century) but it was not until Chief Baron Bysse's daughter married Robert Molesworth (17th century) that a profound effect would be brought upon Irish landscaping. Molesworth was left bankrupt via his dreams of the "ultimate" landscape in Brackenstown and whilst infrastructures where put in place the grounds were never completed. The next 350 years of Ireland's own troubles ensured his dreams would not see completion until now.

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On winning the award Peter Donegan said: "I am very honoured to accept this award on behalf of the entire Donegan Landscaping team. This estate is very much a part of Ireland's history and it is an honour to have been chosen by The Campbell Family to design and rebuild an estate of such significance. The award is recognition for over two year's hard work rebuilding and restoring a landscape that has finally completed its original founders and present residents intended journey."

Accepting the award from Trevor Sargent Peter he went on to say that: "As a landscape designer it was a great honour to work on something as unique as Brackenstown House. The garden had an amazing overall layout which had to appear as if it remained untouched yet well maintained, and whilst its natural landscape plays a great role, the retention of the old walkways, sunken lawns and buildings within the grounds now still tell a wonderful history. The finished gardens have resurrected this once neglected 17th Century site into an icon of landscaping for the future."

The brief for the landscaping at Brackenstown House was to restore the garden to its former glory. The look of a 17th Century garden was to be maintained but had to be adapted to modern procedures, planting and costs. Divided into three parts, the garden includes a hidden garden, a main central garden and a kitchen garden. Sunken lawns, orchards and hidden walkways were also features of the garden that had to be restored.

Peter O'Toole, Chairman, ALCI comments: "At ALCI our aim is to raise the standard of landscaping at all levels - from small private gardens through to commercial, Public Authority and sportsgrounds projects. The industry is growing at a very fast pace and the importance of landscaping for residential and commercial projects is finally being recognised. I'm delighted to see such high standards of design and build being achieved by the winning entries this year."

According to a survey by Bord Bia the landscaping industry has grown by 42% over the past 3-5 years. The ALCI works to improve and maintain high standards of landscaping throughout Ireland for both the private and public sectors. Judgement of the Awards is based on original concept and design, standard of work in hard and soft landscaping, integration, suitability, efficiency and overall presentation.

(GK/JM)