Lily Champ
Lily Champ is an Irish writer on gardening, who has grown her own fruits and vegetables for over 50 years.[1] She writes a weekly column on her kitchen garden for the Irish Farmers Journal,[2][3] and has a long-standing gardening column in Irish Country Magazine.[4] She has lived near Portarlington in County Laois for her entire life,[5][6][4] and has been called a "legend" of Laois gardening by Laois Today.[6]
Champ grew up on a farm which was nearly self-sufficient for vegetables and poultry.[2] Her own garden has been noted for its diverse flora and fauna, including a lily-of-the-valley tree which is the only one of its kind in Ireland.[1]
She and her garden have been featured on RTÉ One programmes including Ear to the Ground in 2010,[1] and Nationwide in 2021.[7] Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Champ regularly appeared at the annual Bloom Festival in Dublin,[4][6] and gave demonstrations at the National Ploughing Championships.[5] She was a featured speaker on growing your own food at the opening of the Stradbally Community Allotment in 2012,[8] and provides free gardening tips to local allotment owners.[1] In 2021, she was interviewed on Midlands 103 for The Open Door with Ann-Marie Kelly.[5]
Champ was a contributor to the Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA) Book of Home and Family (2013), which was nominated for best Irish published book at the National Irish Book Awards.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "RTÉ One Highlights Week 49 (04 December – 10 December 2010)". RTÉ Press Centre. RTÉ. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ a b Sargent, Trevor (2012). Trevor's Kitchen Garden: A week-by-week guide to growing your own food. Dublin: Orpen. pp. 93–94. ISBN 9781871305395.
- ^ Hussey, Aisling (31 May 2017). "Lily Champ talks gardening ahead of Bloom". farmersjournal.ie. Irish Farmers Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Heron, Klara (26 May 2020). "Lily Champ reflects on her lifelong love of gardening". irishcountrymagazine.ie. The Agricultural Trust. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "The Open Door – Lily Champ". Midlands 103. 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2022 – via SoundCloud.
- ^ a b c Miller, Steven (24 May 2017). "Laois gardening legend Lilly Champ features in Bloom video". laoistoday.ie. Laois Today. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ "NATIONWIDE WEEK 35". RTÉ Press Centre. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "Green shoots at Stradbally allotments". Leinster Express. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
- ^ Tracey, Michael (18 February 2014). "Laois ICA Ladies Contribute to ICA Household 'Bible'". Laois Nationalist. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
External links
[edit]