World Daffodil Convention 2024 in Northern Ireland: 'We are all daft about daffodils'

That is because delegates from New Zealand, America and other far flung corners of the globe have come to Northern Ireland for this year's World Daffodil Convention.

David Hardy from the Northern Ireland Daffodil Group told the News Letter they have been welcoming guests from all over the world in recent days.

"This year it's being held in Northern Ireland so delegates have come from Australia, New Zealand, America and all over the world,” he said.

"And they have all come to look at daffodils and experience the hospitality that Northern Ireland has to offer."

But why daffodils?

Well, it turns out that Northern Ireland is a "hotbed" for the plentiful yellow bloom, he says.

"A lot of us have grown daffodils over here and we have shows every week.

"We've all got what's called ‘Yellow Fever’. I know when I first started, I just thought all daffodils were yellow.

"But when you start getting into it, then you realise that daffodils aren't just yellow and there's so much scope. It's all like a bit of a competition. So we take our flowers to show them compete against each other."

It turns out there are tens of thousands of different types.

"There's about 30,000 named different varieties, a lot of them around anymore, but there's lots and lots of them. Down in Omagh I myself grow over 800 different varieties."

The delegates enjoyed a weekend of daffodils with the World Convention Show at The Courthouse at Royal Hillsborough, as well as the Hillsborough Castle Gardens.

During this week they will tour across Northern Ireland to see daffodils being grown in various locations, as well as visiting many stately gardens and tourist attractions.

And this weekend is the national event, which is the Spring Daffodil Show at Malone House in Belfast, running from 27-28 April.

The people who make up the membership of the Northern Ireland Daffodil Group come from all walks of life and from countries as diverse as Latvia, Germany, Australia, Sweden, England, The US, New Zealand, Scotland and Holland.

Its members have a shared enthusiasm for all things involving growing, hybridising, showing or even just appreciating flowers from the genus Narcissus.

The group began in 1969 thanks to the eight leading Northern Ireland based daffodil breeders.

A meeting took place as the result of a paper presented by Mr CJW Nixon, who was then the Chief Horticultural Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, in which he suggested starting daffodil trials in NI.

At this meeting it was decided that a Steering Committee would try to locate a suitable venue to hold daffodil trials.

Eventually it was decided that part of the grounds at the new University of Ulster would be used, and should be known as The Guy Wilson Memorial Garden in memory of a renowned NI daffodil breeder.

From the meetings emerged The Steering Committee which began to organise annual show dates and venues.

But in short, the organisation is “totally focused around appreciating, growing, developing, promoting and exhibiting daffodils, that traditional and wonderful harbinger of spring”.