A garden designed for Mercy College Secondary School Sligo, Ireland by Dublin based Peter Donegan Garden Design has been shortlisted for the Pro Landscaper International Awards 2026, the only Irish landscape architecture practice to feature amongst the global finalists and, the first ever school garden to achieve such design recognition.
This remarkable achievement & global stage recognition makes it just 1 of 16 projects shortlisted for the Europe category in association with Boom & Bonheur taking place October at FutureScape 2025 at The ExCel London where landscape designers from across the continent will be showcasing their projects in front of a panel of esteemed judges.
The world finals takes place June 2026 at FutureScape Global in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with winners from The Middle East & India, North & South America, USA, Asia & Australasia and Africa.
“Ms Gorby and a quite amazing team of teaching staff wanted that the students came first, the designs allowed outdoor teaching, daydreaming and so very importantly, mental health. The Students Union ultimately became the client and their smiles mattered as much to the gardens future as those who would decide how it would be financed“, said Donegan.
“We worked closely with Peter to keep the garden as local to Sligo as possible“, continued Principal Anne. “And though some of his design techniques and materials specified meant we had to go outside of that, the design had to ensure without appearing so, that it actually became one of the most modern ’green‘ gardens ever, considered accessibility and as important that it was designed to last.“
Donegan will next present the gardens designs to a judging panel at Futurescape 2025 at The ExCel London in October at European level before travelling on to The UAE United Arab Emirates to present at the World Finals.
The garden features:
- A covered outdoor classroom based loosely on The Giants Causeway with varied height permanent seating, accessible spacing between and SUDS paving.
- A 3.49 metre tall, 4-legged Juicy Salif giant squid-esque structure. It’s head is elevated slightly, containing an anemometer and full weather station linked to the science classroom;
- Café Merci sited outside the Home Economics room, featuring the school’s logo with elevated culinary planting designed to allow students a place to sit and chat in an environment that encourages conversation.
- Planting of year-round interest, colour and scent that encourages biodiversity and nature and stimulates the mind.
- The courtyard garden is a daydream, backed entirely by equations and made only ever to appear like a daydream, designed for those who will most use and gain from it.
Peter Donegan MSGLD MAPL is an international landscape architect, garden designer and speaker based in Dublin, Ireland, named in The Top 100 UK Garden Designers 2024.
A registered member of The Society of Garden Designers (UK) and a Designer Member of The APL (UK), he is an international garden judge and speaker, master of ceremonies and garden design lecturer.
