Wicklow County Tourism

Rhododendron Week @ Kilmacurragh - April 12th to 19th
2021-04-13 - 2021-04-19
An online event brought to you by the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh and the Office of Public Works
In early April the Gardens at Kilmacurragh are marked by the splendour of their two centuries old Rhododendron collection bursting into flower. The significance of these venerable trees is down to the site’s long association with the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin. The Acton family, who built Kilmacurragh, established a long and fruitful friendship with David Moore and later his son Sir Frederick Moore, successive curators at Glasnevin. From the early 1850s, the Moore’s advised the Acton family on gardening matters and suppled the latest introductions of the great plant hunters, particularly from the Himalayan range. For over 70 years a regular exchange of plants resulted in Kilmacurragh becoming one of the best stocked private gardens in these islands. Today the collection boasts 180 species of Rhododendron and over 420 varieties. Since taking over the management of the site in 1996, the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland have both restored, and greatly expanded the collection. Rhododendron Week will become an annual event in the calendar, when we can showcase the highlights of the collection and explore the stories behind them. This year we are delighted to be collaborating with the RHS Rhododendron, Camellia & Magnolia Group. We have a series of video stories and online talks to be launched every day of the week, with keynote speakers Dr Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, Seamus O’Brien, Head Gardener of the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh and Richard Baines, Curator of the Logan Botanic Garden, Scotland. Wherever you live, we are delighted to be able to bring this event to you all online.
Bookings are now open for the online talks on Eventbrite, while our video stories will be available on our Youtube channel from Monday 12th April.

Wicklow’s Garden Birds Online Talk
2021-02-16 19:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London)
Tuesday 16th February @ 7 pm Wicklow’s Garden Birds by Niall Hatch, Birdwatch Ireland
Join the ever knowledgeable Niall Hatch from Birdwatch Ireland as he takes us on a tour of the birds that are likely to visit your garden in county Wicklow , with identification tips and lots of advice on how you can make your garden more inviting for our feathered friends all year round, from Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
To book your place click HERE
Spending time in nature is good for us and good for our biodiversity! As the year springs into life, so does our wildlife. Now is a great time to observe seasonal changes and to take small steps to encourage wildlife on our doorsteps.
The Heritage & Biodiversity Office of Wicklow County Council and Wicklow Library Service have teamed up to bring you a programme of online talks to help you ‘Spring into nature’. The talks are free and will take place over zoom. Please register to secure your ticket.

K2Alpacas Mini Christmas Market 2020
2020-12-12
December 5th-6th, 12th-13th, 19th-20th: 2pm to 6pm each day.
With the uncertainty created by Covid; K2Alapcas are not able to attend any Christmas Markets this year. Instead K2Alpacas are holding our own Mini Christmas Market on our Alpaca Farm and Stud in County Wicklow.
The market will showcase our amazing alpaca fibre products. Some are made exclusively for us in Peru. These include handmade soft toys, slippers and hats made from alpaca fibre, soft luxurious scarves & pashminas.
We have a lovely range of socks, duvets, toppers and pillows made from K2Aplacas own flock of alpacas!
We have Alpaca Christmas sweatshirts and a range of Alpaca tee shirts.
The highlight of the market will be a ‘live nativity’ alpaca style with Mums their cria (babies) waiting for you to hand feed. Teas coffee & hot chocolate will also be available.
WHERE ARE WE: K2Alpacas CallowHill Upper, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow. A63 DX08.
VISIT OUR ONLINE SHOP at: www.k2alpacas.ie

Irish Landscape Painting Live Stream
2020-11-07 14:00 - 16:00
Join us for a live interactive stream from Mount Usher Gardens by kind permission of Konrad and Katherine Jay on Saturday 7th November from 2pm to 4pm.
The Tutor Susan will sit by the river and show us how, to capture the glorious autumn colours in paint using Acrylics on canvas.
Join us in the magnificent, well known Mount Usher Gardens in Ashford.
We will stream simultaneously through Vimeo, Youtube, Facebook and our website.
Write in your questions in the chat box as we stream and Susan will respond live.
To watch this livestream click the below link:
https://vimeo.com/472391780
Broadcast by the Irish School Of Landscape painting,
For more information on future classes click the link below,
https://www.irishschooloflandscapepainting.com/
For our your new about us Irish School of Landscape Painting page:
We are the Irish School of Landscape Painting, established in 1957. We have taught over 8,000 classes in the last 60 years. We have brought all of this experience, combined with Susan’s as the Irish Art Expert filming with Channel 4’s Watercolour Challenge to re-invent the School in keeping with our current times as an on-line live-streamed experience. We still maintaining the personal touch, helping each participant as an individual realise their painting potential.
Feeling that creative spark? Not sure where to start? Let us help.
Feeling blocked? Let us help re-establish that creative flow.
Paint in your own space, in your own time.
Be a part of the journey on our interactive livestreams, join our chat, send in paintings, (by photograph or what’s app), for review, by email or on the livestream.
