Lily Champ
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lily Champ (born 1931 or 1932)[1] is an Irish writer on gardening, who has grown her own fruits and vegetables for over 50 years.[2] She writes a weekly column on her kitchen garden for the Irish Farmers Journal,[3][4] and has a long-standing gardening column in Irish Country Magazine.[5] She has lived near Portarlington in County Laois for her entire life,[6][7][5] and has been called a "legend" of Laois gardening by Laois Today.[7]
Champ grew up on a farm which was nearly self-sufficient for vegetables and poultry.[3] Her own garden has been noted for its diverse flora and fauna, including a lily-of-the-valley tree which is the only one of its kind in Ireland.[2]
She and her garden have been featured on RTÉ One programmes including Ear to the Ground in 2010,[2] and Nationwide in 2021.[8] Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Champ regularly appeared at the annual Bloom Festival in Dublin,[5][7] and gave demonstrations at the National Ploughing Championships.[6] She was a featured speaker on growing your own food at the opening of the Stradbally Community Allotment in 2012,[9] and provides free gardening tips to local allotment owners.[2] In 2021, she was interviewed on Midlands 103 for The Open Door with Ann-Marie Kelly.[6]
Champ was a contributor to the Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA) Book of Home and Family (2013), which was nominated for best Irish published book at the National Irish Book Awards.[10]