A £1.5 million education and visitor centre at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin was opened yesterday by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
Mr Ahern described the gardens, which opened in 1800, as "one of the jewels of Dublin city" and said he had the warmest affection for "the Bots" since his mother brought him there as a child.
A 1992 management plan for the gardens involved an ambitious programme of works including the visitor centre, he said. The aim was to ensure the gardens met the needs of the community while preserving them for future generations as a living part of our heritage.
Mr Ahern said the centre "well exceeds those objectives" and he paid tribute to all involved.
Designed by architect Mr Ciaran O'Connor, the centre has a 150-seat audio-visual theatre, tearooms, information desk, display area, sales area and parking. The NBG director, Dr Donal Synnott, said the centre was the "penultimate phase" of the plan. "The centre is a vital part of what the gardens should be doing, becoming more user-friendly, extending our availability to the public and expanding our educational role within the community."
The next phase will involve a "faithful restoration" of the deteriorating Palm House, Ireland's largest greenhouse, a teak and wrought iron structure built in 1884. Restoration would take 2 1/2 years.
The gardens attract 130,000 visitors annually, and Mr Synnott said he expected that to increase with the opening of the centre and other developments.
Also attending yesterday's function was the Lord Mayor, Mr Maurice Ahern, and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ms Sile de Valera, who said the visitors' centre was part-funded by the EU through the Operational Programme for Tourism.
