The Kilkenny Sunflower Field will open this weekend.
The fundraiser across the road from Kilbride graveyard in Callan (coordinates here) is in aid of Talk to Tom TaxiWatch.
Following on from the sunny faces that danced in Carlow (details here), Kilkenny too will shine from this Saturday.
Hopes had been high for a July opening but due to unforeseen circumstances organisers were hit with delays.
Derek Devoy’s been telling KCLR News “We were actually waiting on the insurance to come through and everything, AXA jumped in and saved the day which is brilliant so we’re opening next Saturday the 14th from 12pm to 7pm and Sunday from 12pm to 7pm and then every weekend after that, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 12pm to 7pm until the sunflowers are gone so it’s really exciting and thank God, a lot of effort and a lot of work went into this, people can come out, they can come into the field, plenty of parking, pick whatever sunflowers they like and donate money to Talk to Tom Taxiwatch Suicide Prevention”.
The venture was initially hit with some issues as Derek explains; “We were misfortunate, we had weeds grow up through it, we had bad weather, we had everything; everything kicked us but look we never gave up and there’s an awful lot, I think there’s about 80,000 sunflowers in the field so there’s plenty for people to pick so they can just come in make a donation if they want, if they don’t want to they don’t have to but they’re still welcome and they pick a few sunflowers and take them home”.
But now that it’s full steam ahead for this weekend he adds there’ll be an offering for a younger audience too, noting “We’ve also potted 1,000 sunflowers for people, for kids, if kids want to come and take them home and replant them in their own gardens so they can watch them growing at home, that’s what we thought would be a good idea, so there’s a 1,000 of those, that’s all we have”.
