Milltownpass grower continues winning ways with prize dahlias

Pat McGuire of Milltownpass has a record of winning prizes for his home grown produce, and he has continued it in 2020 despite the global pandemic.

Pat’s most recent prize is from the National Dahlia Society Affiliated Societies and it is a bronze medal for ‘best exhibit, Irish Novice Dahlia Championship 2020’.

The prize was won at the Naul Gardening and Flower Club event in early September, and it was just one of five that Pat won there.

He also took first and second prizes for his potatoes, as well as two other prizes for his dahlias.

Despite the intricacy of the prize winning exhibits, Pat says there is not too much work involved. The requirements are precise, just the same: “It has to be less that two inches (in diameter), and the three of them have to be the same,” he told the Westmeath Examiner.

“Underneath and in the middle, it has to be spot-on,” he said, adding that entrants are disqualified if the flowers do not meet the exact specifications.