Environment

The Committee of the Shannon Town Community Wetlands last week welcomed and worked alongside volunteers from SES Ltd, a local aircraft engine leasing company, based in a major practical conservation outing. Prior to Covid the company had been in touch with an offer of assistance, and their offer finally became a reality on a gloriously sunny April morning.  After initial introductions the group were welcomed on site by Olive Carey of the Shannon Town Community Wetlands gave a brief outline of the history of the project. Ruairí Ó Conchúir, Community Water Officer with the Local Authority Waters Programme also gave an overview of the importance of wetland sites and then gave outlined the planned work for the day, keeping in mind health and safety considerations. Working with Ruairí and voluntary members of the Shannon Wetland Committee a group of about 15 broke into work teams and set about a general site clean-up, including litter picking, removal of all materials from …

CONCERNS over the pressure of forestry and farming activities on the catchment of Lough Graney in North East Clare have prompted its selection for an EU-funded project.  The Lough Graney catchment, which is made up of eight water bodies, is to benefit, alongside five other catchments nationally, from inclusion in the Waters of LIFE project. The scheme was launched last week in Kilmallock, County Limerick, by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan.  Managed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the strategic project involves 16 partners including government departments, State agencies, local authorities, and local development companies, with an overall budget of €20 million.   The aim of the project, which will run until 2028, is to reverse the long-term trend of decline in Ireland’s “high status” waters. High status rivers are those considered to be in pristine condition and rich in biodiversity and Ireland is one of a small number of EU …

A SECOND phase of public and stakeholder consultation is underway in relation to the development of a long-term strategy and site masterplan for Ireland’s most visited natural attraction. The Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040 is being prepared on behalf of Clare County Council by a multidisciplinary consultancy team led by Haley Sharpe Design and is co-funded by Failte Ireland. A number of key concepts have developed from the extensive first phase of consultation with key stakeholders, local communities, organisations, businesses, and residents across Clare in 2021. The concepts, which are linked to the County Clare Tourism Strategy 2030 and the Clare County Development Plan, include rewilding large sections of the Cliffs of Moher destination site, providing cliff-edge panoramic viewing platforms, repurposing the existing visitor centre, developing a new access gateway building at the site, and embracing a strategic approach to traffic management through greater coordination and links with existing and new transport services. A series of stakeholder consultations in relation …

There were no exceedances for pesticides in the public drinking water supplies in Clare in 2021, according to Irish Water. However, the utility is urging domestic gardeners, farmers, grounds keepers and other users of pesticide products to consider the environment and whether pesticide use is necessary in the first instance. MCPA is still the most commonly detected pesticide in drinking water sources and is present in many commonly used herbicide products used to control thistles, docks and rushes. However it often ends up in drinking water supplies. Irish Water is asking users of any herbicide or pesticide products in Clare to consider the vulnerability of the water supplies to pesticide contamination and the importance of these supplies to the local homes and businesses in the community. Deirdre O’ Loughlin, Irish Water’s Regional Drinking Water Compliance Specialist said: “In Clare, there have been no exceedances for pesticides in the past year which is good news. “While our consultation with the HSE …

The unmistakable call of the Curlew was once commonly heard in the Irish countryside, writes Piaras Ó Giobúin. Its lonely cry has been heard by generations of Irish people, inspiring musicians and poets alike. However, we may very well be the last generation to hear the curlew as they return to their breeding grounds in spring. The national breeding population of Irish Curlew has suffered drastically, with the number of breeding pairs reduced by at least 96% since the late 1980s, making the Curlew Ireland’s only bird on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This drastic decline has brought Ireland’s breeding population from approximately 5,000 pairs in the late 1980s to just over 100 pairs today. At a local level this correlates to an estimate of only three nests in the entire Sliabh Aughty range in 2021, with only one known bird fledged. Researchers have estimated that if we do not lend a helping hand the Curlew will become …

In the latest of our climate change series, Tom Golden tells Bridget Ginnity that as a country we can look to our responses to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine for examples of a rapid and meaningful response to a crisis.   As well as working as an engineer with Analog Devices, Mohawk and ATS, I’ve been a youth worker, a builder and stay-at-home father. At one time I used to sell a few vegetables in Bunratty that I grew on a quarter acre, usually bringing one of the kids with me on the bike and trailer. I met and fell in love with a great woman, Ann. The priest at the wedding, our friend Seán Sexton, said ‘we took serious only the serious things’. One of those serious things is the climate crisis. It is core to how I live my life. Crisis, what crisis? I’ve a fridge magnet that says “No one will blame us for climate …

LANDOWNERS along the route of the proposed Greenway from Scariff/Tuamgraney to Limerick are being given an assurance that the development will follow best practice guidelines on consultation. Following a briefing for Oireachtas members last Tuesday, Deputy Michael McNamara said that a code of practice, which has been drawn up in conjunction with several stakeholders, including farming representative bodies, will be followed. “Waterways Ireland have stated that they will be using the code for the development of greenways,” he said. “That provides a reassurance that landowner concerns will be given due consideration at every stage in this development. The Scariff to Limerick Greenway is a very exciting project. I’m delighted that it is now progressing and that community consultation is currently underway. I pushed, in particular for the development of the Errina Canal element during my previous term as a TD.” The Scariff man also expressed hopes that potential issues in the area of Parteen Weir could be addressed, through negotiation …

WHILE the government managed to defeat a Sinn Fein motion looking to stop the introduction of new laws on fuel including a ban on the sale of turf, they remain under fire for the proposals. Plans to ban the sale of turf have been discussed for weeks now but there appears to be little support for the move around Clare, one of the counties where a significant percentage of people use it. Ryan responds that there are 1,300 deaths every year because of air pollution, compares the planned turf sale restrictions to the smoking ban, asks Doherty: 'What number of deaths should we tolerate?' pic.twitter.com/Q8VVxQUQOF — Rónán Duffy (@ronanduffy_) April 28, 2022 Clare TD Michael McNamara said that a degree of realism is missing from the Green Party’s approach to the issue. “The Green Party have correctly identified problems but I think their solutions lack reality. It’s all well and good to increase taxes on things like green diesel, ban …