June 2026: "I have also won several awards for my garden and other garden projects"

Traveller Movement Trustee and keen horticulturalist, John McCarthy shares how he found his passion for gardening after receiving an award of recognition from the Mayor of Brent.

By John MCarthy

My name is John McCarthy, and I am an Irish Traveller.  

I have always liked flowers and gardens but growing up living on the side of the road and travelling from camp to camp in different places around the UK and Ireland it was not possible to get involved in gardening. Also, gardens and flowers were certainly not a priority in my upbringing. I had to do “manly” things like working, going out hawking, collecting scrap, tarmacking, driving lorries and other tasks and chores associated with my life as a Traveller man. The culture was a very male, chauvinistic driven environment and certainly liking flowers and gardens made me stand out from the crowd. How could I like flowers and gardening when my family and community hadn’t got the basics things in life like running water, no electricity or toilets and lacking every basic human rights? 

Among many other chores I had to do, one was to get churns of water.  This gave me an opportunity to experience gardens as the places I would go to get and fill the churns with water were cemeteries and crematoriums. Here I would get the chance to see lovely gardens and flowers and well-manicured gardens. I would often daydream and delight in this environment.  

I’m not sure what the mourners and crematorium staff thought seeing a rough looking Traveller boy (aged 14/15 yrs old) driving a pickup truck with at least 20 churns waiting to be filled with water. I got a real flavour for flowers from doing this task. 

I got the opportunity to fulfill my interest in gardening when I got a flat with a garden and it got me into doing gardening.  

Over the years I have visited many different types of gardens including the Royal Chelsea show, private gardens and national trusts gardens. 

I have also won several awards for my garden and other garden projects including a recent Award of Recognition from the Mayor of Brent, Councillor Ryan Hack. 

I have also set up a horticulture project for people who learning disabilities and often share my gardening knowledge with other Travellers. 

I would encourage all Travellers to get involved with gardening especially the men as gardening is for everyone.