The world has lost an extraordinary garden designer, John Dooley, who won the RTÉ’s Super Garden contest last week. Dooley, a Castledermot, Co Kildare native, bagged first place and showcased his impressive creation, named Past and Present, at the Bloom Festival alongside his wife, Liz. The Bloom Festival later stated that all constituents of his design would be donated to Castledermot National School.
During the third instalment of Super Garden, viewers saw Dooley create a low-maintenance, biodiverse, and sustainable garden for Daija – a Latvian woman who, along with her daughters Amanda and Amelia, has called Ireland home for over two decades. Daija, who suffers from scoliosis, expressed her joy at having someone design the garden, as she’d begun the task herself but couldn’t bring it to completion. The family wanted an entertaining space that would also be effortless for Daija to maintain.
Wednesday’s death notice for Dooley spoke of him being deeply missed by his beloved spouse Liz, along with a host of relatives, neighbours, and friends. His body will be laid in Dunne’s Funeral Home, Mill Road, Castledermot, Co Kildare, starting at midday on Friday and ending with a rosary at 8pm.
Saturday will see Dooley’s body moved to the Church of The Assumption, Castledermot, for requiem mass at noon, followed by a burial in the Coltstown Cemetery. In Super Garden, Dooley was labelled as, “A former farm manager with an enduring love for gardening”.
From cultivating meagre cabbage patches as a boy, he later constructed his own greenhouse after tying the knot, where he grew his own vegetables and salads and maintained an orchard. He cherished designing gardens for locals and even maintained the grounds of the local church.
Despite always holding a desire to apply for Super Garden, he lacked the bravery to do so. However, this year, his wife Liz applied for him in secret, leaving him grateful for her intervention. In the competition, each designer is allotted three weeks and a €15,000 budget to design and create a garden.
A flood of condolences have been pouring in on Rip.ie after the announcement of Dooley’s passing.