Whitehouse Garden Castlefin Donegal – The Whitehouse Garden in Castlefinn, Co. Donegal is a project sanctioned by the Irish Government in conjunction with the Castlefinn Partnership Initiative. Based on the original White House garden in Washington DC it is hoped the garden will serve to strengthen the bond between Ireland and the United States.
The spectacular walled garden, which will also double as a venue for cultural happenings and ceremonies, is due to become a space designed for tourists and locals alike.
The garden will be identical to the one in the grounds of the White House and will be designed by Diarmuid Gavin. The former Chelsea Flower show winner has cited the late Irish architect James Hoban as his inspiration for the design.
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Hoban won a design competition in July 1792 with the prize on offer being the chance to design the White House. In collaboration with the first President of the United States – George Washington – Hoban designed the original White House.
The Whitehouse Garden in Castlefinn is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors each year.
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Michael Carlin who is the head of the White House Garden project said that: “This project encompasses tourism, history, genealogy, culture, tradition but most of all it gives hope for the future.”
The project is expected to further strengthen relations between the North West of Ireland and the United States of America. The North West has played its part in shaping the landscape of the White House throughout history. James Knox and James Buchanan, the 11th and 15th Presidents of the United States respectively, both have lineages which trace back to Donegal.
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Taoiseach Enda Kenny will present plans for the Whitehouse Garden to Barack Obama, on St Patrick’s Day 2013.
The public will be welcomed into the Whitehouse Garden in Castlefinn for the first time on Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th May 2013 as it hosts the Northwest Garden Show, which attracts over 20,000 visitors each year. The official opening of the Whitehouse Garden will be on Friday 28th June to coincide with the 50 year anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s speech at the Dail Eireann.
It promises to be a spectacle worth savouring.