A Wonderful Focus on grassroots Climate Action projects in Galway City

I was honoured to be one of the presenters at the recent 'Giob Geab'/Chit Chat evening hosted in the Mick Lally Theatre.
Organised by a great proactive team of Tiaran McCusker, Paula Kearney and Fergal Cushen in Galway City Council and with actor/musician Andrias de Staic doing superb as MC, the event had 16 presentations on a selection of sustainability projects happening across Galway city & environs, primarily being led or involving community volunteering or local enterprise groups.
The project themes covered the full spectrum- ranging from native honey beekeeping, beach cleanups, youth climate assemblies, a nature-based solutions innovation hub, urban labs, the setting up of a Green Market, campaigning to protect a rural landscape in the suburb of Knocknacarra, to home energy retrofitting.
I myself gave a presentation entitled "Creating a Rainforest in the Heart of the City", on the community campaign origins in the 1990s and ongoing development of Terryland Forest Park.
Photo (L-R). your truly(!), Tiarnan McCusker (Galway City Council's Community Climate Officer), Aindrias de Staic (MC) and councillor Eibhlín Seoighthe

'Nature without Borders'- North & South Ireland unite to Restore Native Ecosystems

In a fine example of cross-border cooperation to tackle the Biodiversity Crisis, the 'Friends of Little Woods' in Fermanagh and the Tuatha of Terryland Forest Park have partnered together to create native wildlife habitats.

We gave this all-island initiative the title of 'Nature without Borders' as an encouragement to others to follow suit and to recognise that only humans put in the artificial barriers that disconnects humans and the rest of nature from each other.

The initial contact between both volunteer groups and the subsequent monies received as a result of our application under the Community Climate Action Fund were only made possible thanks to the involvement, advice and encouragement of Tiarnan Mc Cusker, the hardworking and visionary Community Climate Officer at Galway City Council.

Chris Hillcox of the Friends of Little Woods last weekend generously hosted a delegation from the Tuatha to take part in conservation activities (making bird boxes & setting up a Wildlife Observation Post) as part of the programme to develop a wet woodland in the Clogher Valley area of county Fermanagh.

It is hoped that this long-term rewilding project will provide a suitable habitat to facilitate a gradual migration of flora and fauna across the locality that are traditionally native to the area including endangered species such as pine marten and red squirrel.

 

Photo shows (L-R) Tobias, Mike and Ruth from the Tuatha with Chris of the Friends of Little Woods at the bog site in Clabby county Fermanagh.