The Howth and Sutton Horticultural Society is pleased to announce that Ciarán Hyland has been awarded the HSHS Student Bursary for 2025. Ciarán is a native of Dublin and a Level 5 student at the National College of Amenity Horticulture at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin. He is a graduate of the TU Dublin School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology and holds a Masters in Tourism from the University of Limerick. Having worked professionally as a chef and in tourism, Ciarán decided to return to studying his first love – horticulture –in depth. The HSHS Bursary will enable Ciarán to spend eight weeks on placement in the famous Abbey Garden on Tresco, in the Isles of Scilly. He takes up his placement in the middle of March.
Conall O’Caoimh, President of the HSHS, congratulated Ciarán on his success and said ‘we look forward to hearing about your experience of the Abbey Garden, Tresco when you speak to the Society in the Autumn’.
The Bursary is an initiative to mark the HSHS 80th anniversary in 2024 and is an expression of the Society’s commitment to promote horticulture in all its forms.
The Bursary, which is worth €1,500, is awarded on a competitive basis to students undertaking the Level 5 Certificate in Horticulture or the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Horticulture at The Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture who meet the terms and conditions of the award. The purpose of the Bursary is to enable the student to deepen their knowledge of horticulture by spending time in a leading garden in another jurisdiction. The HSHS is committing to funding a bursary of the same amount in each of the next five years.
Ruth Barrington, Chair of the HSHS, thanked the members of the Society involved in promoting and awarding the Bursary and John Mulhern, Principal of the College, Deirdre Walsh Assistant Principal and Louise Jones, Lecturer for welcoming this initiative by the Society, for their advice on how best to direct and structure the Bursary and for their support during the competitive process.
The HSHS Bursary 2026 will be open for applications in October 2025.
HSHS web release February 2025
Photograph courtesy of Ciarán Hyland