Devised
by Colonel William Hall-Walker (later Lord Wavertree), and
laid out by the Japanese Tassa Eida and his son Minoru.
The Garden is planned to symbolize the 'Life of Man' and
is of international renown and is acclaimed as one of the
finest Japanese Gardens in Europe. The garden portrays and
traces the journey of a soul from Oblivion to Eternity.
Eida lived at Curragh House, Tully, until 1912. He died
on his intended return journey to Japan and no more was
heard of him or his family until Brian Eida, a son of
Minoru turned up as a tourist to admire the work of his
grandfather Tassa.
The garden at Tully is a living monument of eastern
culture meeting western culture in a western setting. The
garden attracts over 100,000 visitors a year.
St Fiachra's Gardens
The Irish National Stud has created an Irish garden to
celebrate the Millennium. The garden is dedicated to St.
Fiachra, the Patron Saint of Gardeners. It was officially
opened by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, in June
2000.
This garden, designed by Professor Martin Hallinan, a
landscape architect, seeks to capture the power of the
Irish landscape in its rawest state. The garden is within
a natural setting of woodlands, wetlands, lakes and
islands. It features monastic cells of fissured limestone
surrounded by water, plants such as ferns and orchids and
is lit by fibre optics.