The John F Kennedy Memorial Arboretum in Co. Wexford celebrates its 50th birthday this year with a series of events to mark the occasion.
Visitors can enjoy a new 50th anniversary interpretation centre packed with information about the internationally important plant collection at the garden, established in memory of the US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The current President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, has also visited the Arboretum to plant a tree as part of a day of tours, talks, workshops and special anniversary events at the park, ending with a gala dinner.
JF Kennedy could claim Irish ancestry, as his great-grandfather was born in nearby Dunganstown, Co. Wexford, in 1820. The President’s visit to Ireland in June 1963, just months before his assassination, forged strong links between the USA and the people of Ireland, and after his death a number of Irish-American societies, supported by the Irish government, founded the memorial forest as a living tribute to him. It was formally opened by Irish President Eamon De Valera in May 1968.
The 252 hectare (623 acre) garden, visited by some 100,000 people each year, covers the southern slopes of Slieve Coillte, climbing up to its summit at 271m (890ft) and offering panoramic views over Waterford Harbour and the Comeragh Mountains.
It is home to about 4,500 species of trees and shrubs from all over the world, and has been closely involved with many research projects over the years, most recently into elm adaptability – part of an EU project on Dutch elm disease. They include 200 forest plots grouped by continent, as well as an ericaceous (acid-loving) garden with 500 different types of rhododendrons, azaleas and heathers and collections of plants for specific purposes in the garden including ground cover, conifers and hedges. The lake, at the heart of the Arboretum, is also a haven for waterfowl.
