Tag Archives: No Mow May

BIODIVERSITY measures introduced as part of Ennis Municipal District’s grass cutting operations have resulted in “excellent outcomes” the local authority have insisted following criticism of the service. Councillor Mary Howard told a recent meeting of the council she has received “numerous complaints ranging from grass not being cut to cutting done badly and grass not collected”. The council acknowledged receipt of two complaints relating to grass not being cut within contracted areas, saying these have been addressed. Contractors working on behalf of the Ennis Municipal District cut 75 acres of grass a year with a budget of €80,000 allocated for the task, with council officials describing the contractors as “highly professional”. Eamon O’Dea, senior executive engineer told the meeting that the contractors are “cutting continuously, they start at their first location and travel through”. He pointed out that the areas being cut are “public open spaces, they are not lawns or golf courses and if we want those standards then …

A REVIEW of ‘No Mow May’ , a policy where areas of grass weren’t cut last month to promote biodiversity is required before next year, last week’s meeting of Clare County Council heard. At the June meeting of the Council, Councillor Ian Lynch asked for the review , which he said is required “to develop a suitable policy that ensures public spaces and recreation areas are maintained to ensure the needs of residents and users”. In a report to the meeting, Senior Engineer with the Council’s Environment Department Cyril Feeney stated, “The ‘No Mow May’ initiative is part of the wider All Ireland Pollinator Plan. The plan’s main aim is to ensure that pollinators have safety from pesticide chemicals and have food and shelter. “The plan is not a prescriptive series of must-do actions but instead provides guidelines which require us to manage amenity areas and the countryside in a slightly different way. It is not about abandoning the landscape …

CLARE County Council’s policy of leaving grass to grow long on public land during May, might be a boost to biodiversity, but not everyone is wild about it. The council has signed up to ‘No Mow May’, leaving lands in its charge largely untouched, to allow pollinating plants and weeds to flourish and offer a helping hand to bees. The policy has not gone down well in one Kilrush estate however, which has seen its children’s play area become overgrown and unusable. James Coughlan, who lives in Island View estate, said he did not have a problem with pro-biodiversity policies, as such, but a more nuanced approach was necessary. “I’d understand if we were in Manhattan or some other concrete jungle and we had to preserve some areas for the bees, but we’re in west Clare, there are thousands of acres of fields all around us, we have a big park close by as well. “Children’s play areas need to …