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Prince Charles and Irish celebrity gardener want to fix Ireland’s ghost estates

Charles needs Irish invitation to visit with charity foundation

LAURA BRYN SISSON,

IrishCentral Intern

Published Wednesday, July 4, 2012, 7:34 AM

Updated Wednesday, July 4, 2012, 7:34 AM

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Prince Charles, the prince of Wales

Photo by Google Images

Prince Charles revealed to celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin recently that he’d like to apply the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community to the problem of Ireland’s ghost estates, the Irish Sun reported.

Gavin, of Dublin, told the Irish Sun that “Prince Charles wants to have a go at ghost estates in Ireland.”

“He is fascinated by that,” Gavin said.

The Prince’s Foundation, which has helped redevelop struggling towns in the UK such as Camp Hill, is currently expanding its focus beyond architecture to include gardening.

“He talked to me and my wife Justine about it at dinner at St James’s Palace,” Gavin, a television gardener, said.

“We have big plans, very big plans, in the next year,” Gavin said.

But for the Prince, an intention to help isn’t enough. Charles “needs to be invited,” Gavin said.

An official visit to Ireland hasn’t yet been planned for Prince Charles, a Buckingham Palace insider told the Sun.

“There’s not anything in the diary at the moment, and if he was going to do a visit it would be announced in the normal way,” the source told the Sun. “But if he has said he wants to go over, I’m sure the intention is there.”

There are around 2,800 unfinished and unoccupied housing developments in Ireland left over from the Celtic Tiger’s ghastly fall, IrishCentral previously reported.

The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community aims to create sustainable communities and preserve building techniques, through education, planning, and infrastructure improvement, according to the foundation website.

Nster.com

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peterson | Jul 06, 2012, 01:26 PM EDT

Good for the Prince !!

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IrelandNorth | Jul 06, 2012, 06:56 AM EDT

HRH's been here before in the late 1990's, visiting Trinity and green building in Eustace Street near old Quaker Meeting House Square. I prefer to take the positive take on this, accepting his bona fides. And look at it this way, Ulster unionists/loyalists/protestants on the Ulster/NI Housing Executive List could be offered accomodation in the 26 county republiquette. Now wouldn't that be deliciously ioronic. C'mon lads, the future's yours for the takin'. But - those British royals are a tad fond of donning British Army/Irish Guards uniforms.

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jimod4343 | Jul 05, 2012, 02:54 PM EDT

Well...the Irish went over there and built the motorways, bridges, tunnels, houses etc. Charles is a good guy, and is well aware of the injustices his predecessors did in Ireland, but, because of his role, can not express personal political views. Same goes for his mother. I'd say he should be given the opportunity to 'let actions speak louder than words'.

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ciaradexy | Jul 05, 2012, 11:43 AM EDT

Charles is well liked here. He seems like a decent man and hes meant to be a good laugh so come on over Charles!

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Murph46 | Jul 04, 2012, 07:15 PM EDT

Of Course he does,couldn't get all of Ireland by stealing it ,now wants to take over all "ghost property"

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pilib04 | Jul 04, 2012, 05:29 PM EDT

This is a joke, right? 800 plus years to get the Brits out and now we are supposed to invite Charles for a visit to discuss his investment. How about inviting Charles over to discuss REPARATIONS!!!

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merefalow | Jul 04, 2012, 05:00 PM EDT

non,not wanted,took to long to get them out to let them in the backdoor.

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aloistmartin | Jul 04, 2012, 04:51 PM EDT

It`s like an Open House warming ? Bono, and Gerry Adams, and Drew Nelson, Edna Kenny, Prince Harry, and Angela Merkel, and Alec Baldwin and his New Girlfriend; All get together over Whiskey and Cream, in these big old Georgian Estates, to discuss the Future of Ireland, at the peoples expence @?..! Das Kapital !

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NickOHara | Jul 04, 2012, 04:21 PM EDT

So, "...fix the Ghost Estates..." ? well now, Maybe let's start by looking into fixing the original micro "estates", the sturdy homes of those driven out by FOREIGN invasion, those invaders who occupied and smashed homes , driving out natives by starvation and theft? To be sure, yes there ARE ghosts. Ghosts that will never be quieted by a few cheap flats doled out from a foreigner and his horse consort.

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citizen69 | Jul 04, 2012, 01:37 PM EDT

@bushmanirish: Charles or indeed the Queen wouldn't have the power to hand over Northern Ireland. The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The elected Government of the UK holds the power and makes the laws not the royals. Besides it's up to the people of Northern Ireland & the Republic to decide if there is to be a United Ireland and neither country is asking for it.

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hybernia | Jul 04, 2012, 01:17 PM EDT

I agree, nice gesture. Come on over Charlie.

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JBRAFTREE | Jul 04, 2012, 12:50 PM EDT

Bonnie Prince Charlie has a couple million pounds to throw around, so let him invest in Ireland, invite him!

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slainte9 | Jul 04, 2012, 12:28 PM EDT

This would be a good thing. There's a lot of past to get over. The British and Irish people have very deep common bonds, in a good way, that need to be remembered. The British down deep are more Celtic than German. Maybe it takes a German aristocrats (the Prince and Queen) to help them get over it.

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bushmanirish | Jul 04, 2012, 11:44 AM EDT

I agree with @lakeisle; it is a nice gesture. His community foundation is worthy, very forward thinking. One has to wonder though if he will free the 6 counties when he becomes King. That'll be the true test of forward thinking.

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lakeisle | Jul 04, 2012, 10:30 AM EDT

I think it's a nice gesture from Prince Charles. He realises that he represents the country that invaded Ireland hundreds of years ago and was the cause of so much trouble, and so he personally wants to do something positive for Ireland. I think there are millions of English people nowadays that wish well to Ireland (whenever they happen to think about Ireland, that is)

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