ROSE NAMED FOR BRIDE

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29055, 18 November 1959, Page 2

ROSE NAMED FOR BRIDE

Wedding Gift In Ireland I When a girl marries a famous rose specialist she can expect a wedding present of unusual charm, and Miss Maureen Me- ■ Call, of Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, will not be disappointed. Early in 1960 she will marry Mr Sam McGredy, of Portadown, County Armagh, whose name is practically synonymous with roses. He, being an Irishman, has had the charming notion to present his bride with a new rose which he is naming after her. The Maureen McGredy rose Is an entirely new variety, and its colouring will remain a secret until the day of the wedding which will take place in Derriaghy Parish Church, within sight of the magnificent public rose garden—claimed to be the biggest in Europe—opened by Mr McGredy in the charming little County Antrim village a couple of years ago. Naturally, roses will be worked into Miss McCall’s wedding gown. Sam McGredy, aged 27, is head of the firm of Samuel McGredy and Son, which has played a leading role in establishing Northern Ireland as one of the leading rose-growing countries of the world. The business is a family concern and was begun with 10 acres by Sam McGredy’s greatgrandfather, tjien the head gardener in a country house nearby. The firm’s first exhibition rose won the National Rose Society’s gold medal in 1905 and since then McGredy’s has won every major rose-growing award in existence; in fact, the official chain worn by the Mayor of Portadown, Mr McGredy’s native town, is made of gold medals won by the firm’s roses.