Laois gardener and newspaper correspondent retiring with big plans

A proud Laois man who is possibly the longest serving Leinster Express notes correspondent in our near 200 year history, is retiring from his post this month but is planning to be busier than ever.

Martin Lawlor has compiled the Durrow area notes for over 40 years to be printed weekly in the newspaper, ensuring throughout most of his life that the community activities in the village he loves were widely publicised.

Now a grandad of seven, Martin would be forgiven for putting the feet up as he celebrates turns 70 on July 13, but that is simply not in his genetic makeup.

A past active sportsman and runner who also was a manager and GAA referee, Martin’s bucket list includes getting more involved in sports and community doing a full marathon - despite having two artificial hips.

He has a plan to find the time because as well as stepping down as notes correspondent, Martin is announcing his “semi-retirement” from the family business, Lawlor’s Florist and Garden Centre.

He is determined to make the most of his free time.

“I am married to Mary Lowry from Camross for 46 years. We are still young enough that we can go away and enjoy ourselves. I’ve struggled just to take a week off this summer. I have seen it with people who work all their lives, when they should be enjoying themselves they kept working.

“I work seven days a week in the nursery, as we open on Sundays. I will still be involved now but I will be able to pick and choose.

“I want to get more involved with my grandchildren in their sports. I managed the Lions juvenile soccer teams for 15 years when my son was playing. Now my grandchildren are playing soccer and hurling and I want to be able to go and see them,” he said.

He is already working through an impressive active “bucket list”.

“I climbed Croagh Patrick for the first time this year. I ran my first half marathon in May in Limerick, with my son in law Pat Mason. It lashed all day. We ran and walked it and I ended up being the 17th fastest in my age group.

“I will be going to Medjugorje on a pilgrimage with Mary, and I hope to run the full Dublin City Marathon next year,” Martin said.

“Myself and Mary are very active, we walk at least five kilometres a day,” he said.

He is a veteran runner, having been a member of St Abbans AC for many years.

He is the son of legendary gardener Harold Lawlor, who turned 99 last Friday (pictured below with Martin and his wife Mary).

Harold is a famed champion vegetable grower, competition judge and horticultural advisor.
He began winning awards for his vegetables 87 years ago. In 2019 he was presented with the National Vegetable Society Fellowship Award for services rendered to the National Vegetable Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

He has his sights set on another trophy this year, Martin revealed.

“He is hoping to go to the Tullamore Show on August 14 to compete in the Collection of Vegetables section. It’s three years since the last show. He is busy growing his carrots, parsnips, broccoli and potatoes for it,” he said.

Harold is “in great form” reports his son.
He is enjoying some post lockdown freedom, visiting his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in other counties.
The family are still being very careful to ensure that he remains safe and well away from the virus.

Martin himself won the All Ireland Outdoor Championships for his dahlias last year. He will keep working to propagate and sell his award winning renowned dahlia plants.

“I’m fairly well known for the dahlias. I get reasonable sales from them all over Ireland. Since Covid a lot of people grow their own vegetables and plants from seeds now, they have the time.

“Since Brexit it’s been difficult to buy dahlias from Britain and that’s in our favour,” he said.

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Being a newspaper notes correspondent has changed greatly in the past four decades, as has his town.

“I took it over from Richard O’Rourke. In the old days a secretary of a club would come to you with a handwritten note. Now everything is done by email, though some of the older people still write them out.

Durrow has seen great changes too Martin said.

“For me, Durrow has changed immensely. We would have had lots of small shops. Now there are less and you see the Tesco and Dunnes delivery vans, everything is online.

“But we have more food places in Durrow now, we have five restaurants and hotels with very good food.

“They have brought more jobs to Durrow, they find it difficult to even fill those jobs after students go back to college each autumn.

“I went to the presentation school in what is now Castle Durrow. The town is growing in population but we also have a lot of nationalities now too.

The primary school opened a new block for children with special needs only last year.

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“For the next five or six weeks now Durrow will be booming with the scarecrow festival, it is a massive national attraction,” the gardener said.

He was born in Bagnelstown where Harold was the gardener for an estate house. The family moved to Durrow when Martin was four.

“My whole family have been involved in a lot of things in Durrow. I was in the Tidy Towns, the soccer club, as a referee in the GAA, and now I’m heavily involved in the church on the pastoral council. I am very proud of Durrow,” Martin said.