UCD History of the Irish Diet in Plants

Sponsored by UCD Designers: Dr Caroline Elliott-Kingston, Dr Meriel McClatchie, John McCord, Ciaran Rooney, Hannah Johnston, Niamh Conlan

The UCD History of the Irish Diet in Plants concept garden is designed by UCD Assistant Professors Dr Caroline Elliott-Kingston and Dr Meriel McClatchie, together with third-year Landscape Architecture students John McCord, Ciaran Rooney, Hannah Johnston and Niamh Conlan. It visually illustrates changes in the Irish diet that resulted from key societal and historical changes over the past 8,000 years.

The garden is divided into five sections: section one represents the hunter gatherer diet of Ireland’s early settlers, who also relied on lakes as a food source; section two depicts the introduction of farming; section three shows the entry of imported crops and foods into our diet; section four refers to the impact of industrialisation and section five illustrates the expansive diet of today.

Along with fruits, vegetables and cereals, the garden includes pastureland to represent grass-fed animals (cattle, sheep and pigs) and ponds to represent early dependence on lakes for fish and plants.