Centenarian rose in Dunderry

A 100 year-old rose growing along the wall of a house in Dunderry has astonished experts by having survived five times longer than its expected lifespan. The Alba rose at the home of gardener, James McConnell at Churchtown, Dunderry, is the oldest recorded rose of its kind in Ireland. It was planted by his mother's aunt, Kate Herbert, in 1911 outside her parents' home just before she married Joe Murray. The rare rose has been flowering every year since and is still in excellent condition. "It is disease-free and has never been fed," said award-winning gardener, Mr McConnell. He explained that it is a rare rose and would now only be available from specialist growers. The only other one he has seen was at Longleith Gardens in Wiltshire, England. The rose's botanical name is felicite parementier. He is unsure why the rose has remained so healthy and wonders if its location along the wall is significant. "The house has old clay walls and maybe that is a good environment for it," he said. The rose has now survived four generations of James's family, the 1916 Rising and even the arrival of the Black and Tans during the War of Independence. "A lot of roses have been destroyed over the last two years with the severe winters, but this rose has survived even harsher winters than the last two," he pointed out. "Kate's legacy has lived on and hopefully we will enjoy it for another few years yet," he added. The National Botanic Gardens said it was highly unusual for a rose to live so long. James McConnell has been gardening since he was seven and has won several awards for garden design, including one at Bloom 2010 and on RTE's 'Supergarden'.