Recently I had the pleasure of venturing out on a trip with a friend to the beautiful Bellefield house and gardens, located close to Birr in County Offaly. We arrived around noon, in the brilliant spring sunshine to a world quite far removed from our home County’s of Mayo and North West Roscommon. Bees and bumblebees were buzzing around, the birds were singing in all the trees and the ground was carpeted in exquisite snowdrops and cyclamen.