'From horror to heaven'- Fairview Community Garden official opening

A site near Cavan Town's Fairview Estate described once as having 'become a land of dumping, decay and detriment', has undergone an incredible transformation, becoming a beacon of renewed community spirit.

The Fairview Community Garden is set to be officially opened this coming Saturday, July 29 at 2pm.
'What had once been, in historical times, the place were traders met to exchange goods under the watchful eyes of the now obliterated castle on the hill had become a land of dumping, decay and detriment. Local volunteers banded together to make this ground a place worth loving and creation of the Fairgreen Community Gardens ensued,' Daniel Downey of Cavan's Public Participation Network (PPN) told The Anglo-Celt.
The project saw the cooperation of PPN with numerous local bodies; Cavan County Council provided secure fencing, and Breffni Integrated provided an equipment container, and TUS workers at Breffni Park also pitched in. Together, with the work of the dedicated community, since 2012 they have assisted in creating a mini-Eden from which members of various cultures and backgrounds have increasingly begun to flock.
Growing a variety of vegetables and fruit on raised beds, locals also recently purchased a polytunnel.
'It's a place where our new Congolese communities can share, teach and learn side by side with the residents of Cavan Town, where older folks sit to take time out or to show the children taking part some of the life lessons they've gathered,' says Mr Downey, who has been invited by the local Fairview community to cut the ribbon on the garden's official opening. Mr Downey believes the community garden has now become a 'green jewel' at the heart of Cavan Town and a real opportunity for people to grow not just vegetables but community spirit and support.
Local resident Tereasa Walsh agrees, paying particular tribute to the input of Seamus Galligan from Breffni Park and Catherine Donohoe of Breffni Intergrated.
'Since we started out in the garden, friendships have grown and become stronger and stronger. ' says Ms Walsh.