01.09.2017
Festival of Flowers Marks 200 Years of Nun’s Cross Church, Killiskey
Nun’s Cross Church’s bicentenary celebrations continue this weekend with a festival of flowers. The historic Ashford church and its grounds have been transformed by an abundance of stunning floral arrangements on the theme ‘Through all the Changing Scenes of Life’.
The festival was officially opened this morning (Friday September 1) by Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture, Andrew Doyle. He was joined by pupils from fifth and sixth classes of Nun’s Cross National School. The festival continues until Sunday evening concluding with a Songs of Praise Service at 7pm.
Declaring the flower festival officially open, Minister Doyle praised the efforts of the flower arrangers and said the experience provided a feast for the senses. “You give people a theme and what comes out of their creativity is art. This is a celebration of life, harvest and spring, the products of the earth, which we all depend on to survive,” he said.
He noted that this was a particularly significant year for Killiskey Parish and commended the festival coordinator Lesley Rue on the work she put into the festival.
The Revd Ken Rue thanked all involved in bringing the flower festival to fruition including the arrangers and the pupils of Nun’s Cross School who contributed to decoration of the church. He also thanked all who would ensure the smooth running of the event throughout the weekend.
He paid tribute to the late Fergus Hemmingway for the advice and support he provided in the early stages of planning the festival and to Freda Yague and Hilary MacDonald for assisting Lesley in organising the event.
The festival is open until 7pm this evening, from 10am until 7pm tomorrow (Saturday) and from 12 noon until 6.30pm on Sunday. Entry is €10 per person or €8 for groups of 10 or more. The ticket includes teas and two for the price of one entry into nearby Mount Usher Gardens. All are welcome to the Songs of Praise Service on Sunday evening at 7pm.
