Gáirdín an Ghorta

Gáirdín an Ghorta is a National Garden of Remembrance located in Newmarket, County Kilkenny. The path through the garden is a metaphor for Irish history. The journey along the path is synonymous with the journey of the Irish people from pre-famine era to the future.

Gáirdín an Ghorta remembers the Great Famine. In the decade 1841 to 1851 Ireland changed dramatically. Two million people disappeared, one million died and one million emigrated. 1851 marked the end of the potato blight, however, disease and destitution remained. The Garden honours those who died of fever, hunger and starvation in their own homes and work house as well as people who emigrated and those who held onto their meagre holdings and passed them down to generation after generation.

The garden was opened by President Mary McAleese on 15 October 1999. It is open all year round and admission is free. Conducted tours may be given by prior arrangement. The area in front of the thatched Heritage House is known as Garraí na bPrátaí (The Potato Garden). It doubles as a picnic area and is a very popular venue for photographs.