''Rosa'' 'Dublin Bay' (aka MACdub) is a red, large-flowered floribunda climbing rose. The rose cultivar was bred by

Sam McGredy Sam McGredy refers to four generations of Northern Irish rose hybridizers. Sam McGredy I founded the family nursery in 1880. Sam McGredy II focused the nursery on roses in 1895. Sam McGredy III took over in 1926, and was the first to name rose ...

IV in 1969 and introduced into

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

by nursery, Samuel McGredy and Son.

History

McGredy roses

The Sam McGredy family represents four generations of rose hybridizers from Northern Ireland. The first Samuel McGredy (1828 –1903), established the family nursery in

Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of an ...

. Originally, the head gardener at a large estate, in 1888, McGredy moved his family to Portadown, leased 10 acres with a greenhouse and established a nursery with his son, Samuel II (1861–1926). The nursery sold a variety of plants, but they were best known for their fruit trees and show pansies. Arthur Bell by Roger

Samuel McGredy II began breeding roses in 1895. He submitted his first roses at the National Rose Society in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1905, where he won his first gold medal, the salmon-pink, "Countess of Gosford" rose. He produced many award-winning roses during his career as a rose breeder. McGredy was awarded the National Rose Society's Dean Hole Medal in 1921. The business passed to his son, Samuel McGredy III (1897–1934), after Samuuel II's death in 1926. Samuel III (Sam) expanded rose production at the company. He named many roses after family members. 'Margaret McGredy', named after his mother, was used, along with an unnamed seedling, to hybridize the world famous hybrid tea,

Rosa Peace The Peace rose, formally ''Rosa'' 'Madame A. Meilland', is a well-known and successful garden rose. By 1992, over one hundred million plants of this hybrid tea had been sold. The cultivar has large flowers of a light yellow to cream co ...

. The nursery's rose breeding program declined after McGredy's early death of a heart attack at the age of 38 and the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. His son, Samuel IV was two years old at the time of his father's death. Rosa_%27Eyepaint%27_McGredy_1976_01

When Samuel McGredy IV (Sam) (1931–2019) took over the family business in 1952, he knew very little about rose breeding. He sought out the renowned rose hybridizers at the time: Reimer Kordes from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Eugene Boerner from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and Niels Poulsen from

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, in order to educate himself on modern rose hybridization. Soon after, he created a new rose breeding program at the nursery. McGredy's first commercial success was his Gold Medal winner, floribunda rose, 'Orangeade' in 1959. During the 1960s, McGredy was best known for his hybrid tea and floribunda roses. In 1972, alarmed over the increasing political violence in Northern Ireland, McGredy and his family moved to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He transplanted his nursery stock and renamed the company, ''McGredy Roses International''. New Zealand's climate, ideal for plant cultivation, allowed McGredy to breed roses outdoors without greenhouses. He soon introduced a new series of what he called 'hand painted' roses, brightly coloured striped roses and roses splashed with two or more colours. Some of his most popular rose cultivars include ''Rosa'' 'Dublin Bay, ''Rosa'' 'Sexy Rexy', ''Rosa'' 'Olympiad' and ''Rosa'' 'Handel'. When McGredy retired in 2007, he closed the nursery. He died in 2019.

'Dublin Bay' rose

McGredy developed the new rose variety, 'Dublin Bay' in 1969 from stock parents, pink climbing rose 'Bantry Bay' (McGredy IV, 1967) and red climbing rose, 'Altissimo' (Delbard, 1966). The new cultivar was introduced into

by his nursery, Samuel McGredy and Son in 1975.

Description

'Dublin Bay' is an upright, climbing Floribunda rose, 8 to 12 ft (245–365 cm) in height, with a width up to 5 ft (150 cm). The rose has a large, double (17-25 petals) bloom form, and blooms in clusters from spring to fall. Bloom size is medium, and typically has an average diameter of 2-3 in (5-7.6 cm) with a mild, fruity fragrance. Bloom color is a medium bright red with a darker red edge.

Awards

*The Hague Gold Medal (1977) *New Zealand Rose Trials: Best Climber (1992) *Award of Garden Merit,

Royal National Rose Society The Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) (1876-2017) was a specialist horticultural organization in the United Kingdom dedicated to the cultivation and appreciation of roses. Founded in 1876 as the "National Rose Society", it was the world's olde ...

(1993)

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed

Dublin Bay Dublin Bay ( ga, Cuan Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dub ...

1975 introductions