Welcome
The Association of Irish Floral Artists (AOIFA), which was founded in 1973, is the official organisation of affiliated Floral Art Groups and Flower and Garden Clubs in Ireland.
2021 Virtual Poetry Competition
The results of the 2021 Virtual Poetry competition hosted by Bridget Morley are as follows:
1st Place: Emma Champ, Naas Flower & Garden Club
2nd Place: Nicola Desmond, Kinsale Garden & Flower Club
3rd Place: Mary Cowhig, Owenabue Flower and Garden Club
“Wait till I tell you what’s been going on,”
he slumps in his nest of a chair,
clutches the cigarette, places the lighter in his lips.
The goings-on are from forty years prior,
but I still want to hear them.
Time shared multiplies, and I’ll take all I can get.
Shades of him pepper my habits now -
cold coffee forgotten on the mantlepiece,
appreciation for a good woollen jumper.
Waning comprehension of the world beyond,
but still understanding me better than anyone.
My name is lost to time, my heart is not.
- Emma Champ, Naas Flower & Garden Club
Wait till I tell you what's been going on,
In the last 18 months all normality's gone.
Instead, our lives have become very strange,
The Covid pandemic has caused such a change
When the virus arrived, in a rather odd caper
Some people began bulk-buying loo paper.
Though grocery shopping was once a chore,
It's more entertaining than before,
For since Covid-19 came
It's turned into a guessing game.
Since most people wear a mask,
What was once a mundane task
Has become weekly puzzle,
"Name the face behind the muzzle!"
In a life without Covid, 'would be my first task
To go out and burn this thrice-cursed mask.
I'd place it on top of a funeral pyre,
Then gleefully watch the flames leaping higher,
In the last 18 months, I've become it's despiser,
How I long for a time without this damned visor!
Mary Cowhig - Owenabue Flower and Garden Club
Wait till I tell you what’s been going on….
So, let’s go back it won’t take long, a little adventure we did take and off to India we did make
On return oh what a surprise to be greeted by hand sanitiser and masks alike
Confined to our homes, no clubs could meet, Eileen O’Brien online sure no one could beat,
Then the call came no show, in the field we can’t go, get the classes together and online we will go
We’ve zoomed in and out, gone live and recorded, but without doubt our friendships survived it.
So, the vaccines delivered the doors are reopened, were back to the meetings the dems and the teachings
So, lets rally the troops from Malin to the Old Head and descend on the west and do what we do best.
- By Nicola Desmond, Kinsale Garden & Flower Club
Autumn 2021 Newsletter
Photograph: Near Blessington Lakes, courtesy of Turlough Kinane, Blessington
There is nothing nicer than watching the colourful autumn leaves falling from the trees and feeling the crunch underneath your feet as you walk through them. We have had a very mild autumn and there is still plenty in the garden to surprise us. If you have not sown your bulbs for spring, maybe now is a good time to do so. I have been known to put some in pots in January and was delighted with blooms later in the season.
On Saturday 16th October 2021, the AOIFA heats of Floral Artist of the Year and The Inter-Club competitions were held in Conna and Dunboyne. Well done to all who took part. A huge thank you to Geraldine O’Leary and her team, Conna and District Flower and Garden Club, to Mary Ronayne and Dolores O’Leary and their team, Dunboyne Flower and Garden Club, and Elizabeth Murray, Navan Floral Art Group, for all the hard work they did to make the day a great success in both venues. Also helping to make the day a success were our Judges Una Fleming and Eileen O’Brien who were in Conna, Margaret Ahern as Staging Steward, Bridie Terry as Judges Steward and Mary O’Brien who was the AOIFA Representative. In Dunboyne, Bríd Kelleher and Diane Gallagher were judging, Margaret Murphy Staging Steward and Paula Dowling Judges Steward, all their help and expertise was very much appreciated on the day. We were also lucky to have two photographers, Kaye English who looked after Conna and Liam Foster who was in Dunboyne. The photographs were then sent to Emma Champ (AOIFA website manager) for uploading. A huge team effort! Thank you to each and every one of you.
We are now looking forward to The Council Meeting on Thursday 4th November with a meeting in the morning and a Demonstration, “It’s a Gift”, in the afternoon by Melanie Harris which will launch us into the Christmas Season. The forms are on the AOIFA website. You can contact Elizabeth Murray aoifatreasurer@gmail.com. Please be mindful that we are now working off a waiting list and it is essential that you contact Elizabeth to enquire about availability at the venue.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Council Meeting.
Christine
Results of Floral Artist of the Year and Interclub Competition Heats
Floral Artist of the Year
Conna
Qualifiers
Kathleen Barrett - Newcastlewest Flower Club
Eva Holmes - Kilkenny Flower Club
Sandra Jackson - Conna and District Flower & Garden Club
Reserve 1
Malcolm Kitt - Cobh Flower and Garden Club
Reserve 2
Helen Mullany - Cork Flower Club
Dunboyne
Qualifiers
Adrienne Thompson - Naas Flower & Garden Club
Karen Robinson - Wexford Flower Club
Harumi Langford - South Dublin Flower Club
Sharon O' Sullivan - Sutton Floral Art Group
Candy Holten - Ardee Flower Club
Lorraine O' Brien - South Dublin Flower Club
Reserve 1
Maeve Duke - Doddervale Flower Club
Reserve 2
Maureen Fagan - Maynooth Flower & Garden Club
Interclub Competition
Conna
Qualifiers
Clonakilty Flower Club
Cork Flower Club
Kilkenny Flower Club
Reserve 1
Wexford Flower Club
Reserve 2
Owenabue Garden and Flower Club
Dunboyne
Qualifiers
South Dublin Flower Club
Maynooth Flower & Garden Club
Reserve 1
Navan Flower & Garden Club
Our Spring Programme on AOIFA Facebook Page
"Inspired by" Teaching Demonstrations by AOIFA Teachers
Favourites through the Gardening Year by Bríd Kelleher, Sutton Floral Art Group
Spotlight on some AOIFA Clubs who have managed to negotiate Lockdown and stay in touch with their members online