The death has taken place of one of Ireland’s best-known horticulturalist, Seamus O’Brien.
Mr O’Brien (55) was head gardener at the National Botanic Gardens’ Kilmacurragh Estate in Co Wicklow and was credited with transforming the gardens and their famed rhododendron walks for public enjoyment after the grounds had fallen into neglect in private hands.
Earlier this month, he welcomed news that the abandoned 17th-century Kilmacurragh House, around which the historic gardens were built, was to be restored.
He said the rebuilding of the house, along with the planned opening of an additional 50 acres of restored parkland and formal gardens next year, would return Kilmacurragh to the ranks of Ireland’s great estates.
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Mr O’Brien was also a lecturer and award-winning author whose expertise and writings were in demand internationally.
Combining his love of travel and fieldwork in his writings and presentations, he was awarded membership of The Explorers Club, whose alumni includes New Zealand mountaineer and explorer Edmund Hillary and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
Tributes were paid on social media by his colleagues in the National Botanic Gardens who said they were deeply saddened by his loss.
Garden designer and television presenter Diarmuid Gavin paid tribute, saying he was devastated by Mr O’Brien’s death.
“He has done the State and the gardening world much service,” he said. “He was Irish gardening’s greatest ambassador.”
Garden and nature writer Jane Powers added her sympathies, describing Mr O’Brien’s “infectious, effervescent enthusiasm”.
“It has been one of the wonders of Irish gardening to see him grow into an internationally respected expert and still to retain his generous spirit and irreverent sense of humour,” she wrote.
Mr O’Brien had vast knowledge of native and exotic plant species and was a passionate advocate of gardening for a changing climate and for the protection of nature.
His funeral details have not yet been announced.
