Mental Health Commission to Showcase ‘Future In Mind’ Garden at Bord Bia Bloom 2026

The MHC will showcase a specially commissioned show garden, Future In Mind, at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom festival, taking place over the June Bank Holiday weekend.

The garden tells the story of Ireland’s journey from institutionalised mental health care towards a modern, trauma-informed, recovery-orientated and community-based mental health system. Through a carefully designed landscape experience, the garden highlights the importance of accessible, regulated and person-centred mental health services in communities across Ireland.

The MHC is also marking its own 20th anniversary this year, alongside Bloom’s 20-year celebrations, as it looks ahead to an expanded role under the new Mental Health Act 2026 and the future regulation of community, and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

The Future In Mind garden – designed by 24-year-old designer, Joe Eustace, from Newbridge, Co. Kildare - reflects the ongoing transformation of mental health services in Ireland. A fractured concrete wall at the rear of the garden symbolises Ireland’s move away from institutionalised and isolated asylum-based care. Flowing through the landscape is a calming water rill representing a new direction for mental health services - one centred on dignity, community, accessibility and regulation.

At the heart of the garden is a restorative seating space surrounded by planting designed to reflect resilience, recovery and renewal. Native Irish planting, drought-resistant species and three multi-stem trees symbolise the new national standards currently being developed by the MHC for community mental health and CAMHS services.

Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission, John Farrelly, said: “As we mark 20 years of the Mental Health Commission, the Future In Mind garden provides an opportunity to reflect on how far mental health services in Ireland have come, while also looking ahead to the future. 

“The new Mental Health Act 2026 will significantly expand our remit, particularly in relation to community mental health services, and this garden represents our vision of a safe, accessible and regulated system of care that supports people in their own communities.

The Inspector of Mental Health Services, Jim Lucey, said: “The story this garden tells is one of progress and hope. We have moved steadily away from institutional care, and towards services that are more humane, recovery-focused and community-based. Regulation plays a vital role in improving quality and raising standards, and we are currently developing the first national standards for community mental health and CAMHS services to help ensure people receive the highest quality care wherever they access services.”

Chief Executive, John Farrelly, cautioned: “Despite the progress we have made, it should be emphasised that there is still a journey ahead of us to ensure people receive services in the community. The MHC will work to ensure that the standards we set honour the values of person-centred mental health care, and we will craft them by listening to people who have suffered with ill health, including young people and their parents.”

Designer of the Future in Mind garden, Joe Eustace, said: “As soon as I saw the brief for this garden, I knew I wanted to design it, and I put my heart and soul into the proposal. I was genuinely delighted, and I feel privileged, that the Mental Health Commission chose me to showcase the shift in mental health services in Ireland. Mental health has been, and remains, such an important part of our overall health service, and I hope that my garden will demonstrate to visitors that we, as a society, are moving towards more inclusive and accessible mental health services for all.”

The garden has also been designed with sustainability and legacy in mind. Elements of the installation, including planting and water features, will be repurposed and donated to a community setting following the festival to ensure its impact continues beyond Bloom.