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Upcoming Horticulture Open Day in Kildalton
- 01 May 2017
A Horticultural Open Day will take place at the Teagasc Kildalton horticultural college in Piltown, County Kilkenny, on Thursday, 18 May, starting at 10.30 am. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit the college, view the horticultural units and explore the variety of courses available.
Andrew Doyle, TD, Minister of State for Food, Forestry, and Horticulture will officially open the event. Potential students, industry stakeholders, past students and the general public are all welcome to Kildalton College to view the facilities and talk to staff on the day.
Kildalton is the largest land based college in Ireland and has been providing courses in horticulture since 1972. Speaking in advance of the upcoming Open Day, College Principal, Paul Hennessy said: “The horticultural courses offered have changed over the years but the ethos of teaching students’ through practical experience has not. To enhance this, the horticultural unit at the college has developed and grown over the years.”
The college has invested in a new horticultural mechanization facility and is currently re-developing the food-producing unit. The college also boasts commercial fruit and vegetable production units, a nursery, sports turf facilities including greenkeeping facility, cut foliage production, extensive landscaped grounds, and a wide variety of horticultural machinery big and small. The landscaped grounds at Kildalton include an extensive collection of ornamental plants including trees that are over 200 years old.
The horticulture courses offered at Kildalton include part-time as well as full-time and range in length from one to three years. We provide courses for school leavers, those looking for a change of career as well as those actively working within the horticultural industry. Kildalton also has a long established relationship with Waterford Institute of Technology in providing the Level 7 Bachelor of Science in Horticulture. Level 5 and 6 courses in horticulture are offered on a full and part-time basis for those working within the horticultural industry.
Grainne McMahon, Assistant Principal Horticulture at Teagasc Kildalton said: ”In addition to a tour of the horticultural facilities we will be presenting the on-going research projects in the college in conjunction with our colleagues in the Teagasc Horticulture Development Department. Current research at the college includes work in the areas of fruit and vegetable production, cut foliage, cut flower production, nursery stock production and pest monitoring. Following a tour of the facilities, there will be samples of food produced at Kildalton Horticulture available for tasting.”
All interested in Teagasc Horticultural courses and the facilities at Kildalton college are welcome to come along to the open day on Thursday, 18th May at 10:30 am or contact 051 644400 for further information.
