Mountrath Brigid in Bloom event wins heritage award for Laois

Committee members, Thelma Farrelly, Marian Naughton, Chris McRedmond, Louise Smullen, Trudi Lalor and Helen Moorhouse with Cllr James Kelly at the Class of 1990 project. Photo: Alf Harvey

placeholder image — Committee members, Thelma Farrelly, Marian Naughton, Chris McRedmond, Louise Smullen, Trudi Lalor and Helen Moorhouse with Cllr James Kelly at the Class of 1990 project. Photo: Alf Harvey

The Class of 1990 are over the moon with the win

The Class of 1990 are over the moon after being announced as the winners of the 2024 National Heritage Week County Award for Co. Laois.

The Mountrath based group scooped the award for their day-long Brigid in Bloom event which took place on August 23.

The Heritage Council proudly recognises outstanding local Heritage Week events with their annual County Awards, celebrating the top events in each Local Authority Area as nominated.

According to the Heritage Council, “These award-winning initiatives excelled in raising awareness of local heritage, engaging their communities and promoting the importance of heritage preservation.”

Speaking on behalf of the Class of 1990, the organising committee said; “We are over the moon that our Brigid in Bloom Day was such a success and we’re thrilled for our work to be recognised with a National Heritage Week Award. We want to thank the National Heritage Council; Thomas Carolan, Heritage Officer, Laois County Council and David Broderick from Creative Laois for their support and encouragement; everyone involved in Bloom HQ; the Mountrath Community Forum; the Brigidine Sisters; the entire Class of 1990; and, most of all, everyone who came along and enjoyed the day! It was a pleasure to host, and it’s an absolutely huge honour for us to win”.

The Class of 1990 Restoration Project is a group of past pupils of the Brigidine Convent, Mountrath who work voluntarily to raise funds and awareness to help further restoration of their old school as the unique community resource that is Bloom HQ. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

Marian Naughton with her artwork based on St. Brigid’s cloak at the Class of 1990 project event.

During Brigid in Bloom, the Class of 1990 delivered a series of completely free booked-out events hosted by past Brigidine pupils. This included a kid’s art workshop hosted by primary teacher Marian Naughton where local children aged 6-10 created a stunning collage of St Brigid and her Cloak which is now on permanent display in Bloom HQ. A Gardening Clinic took place where local gardeners enjoyed one-on-one chats with Noranne Scott of Scott Landscape Design and received expert advice on how to make the most of their outdoor spaces.

Novelist Helen Moorhouse hosted a Creative Writing workshop where budding writers worked through the first steps of writing a novel. And the day finished with a concert hosted by singer and performer, Trudi Lalor, featuring up and coming talent Effie Neill and local hero Shawn Cuddy in the convent’s former chapel. Throughout the day, free teas, coffees and snacks were available thanks to Thelma Farrelly. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

Trudi Lalor welcomes everybody to the Class of 1990 project, hosting the Brigid in Bloom Concert at Bloom HQ Mountrath during Heritage week.

This Brigidine-centric celebration of the arts, heritage and legacy of the Brigidine Convent in Mountrath served to bring together community members of all ages and interests while also showcasing the incredible achievement to date that is Bloom HQ and to generate interest in future plans for the remainder of the old convent and school complex.