Three community organisations in Galway city are part
of an ambitious scheme to integrate the environmental, heritage, learning and
neighbourhood aspects of the Terryland Forest Park in order to provide a Greenprint for its future development and that of other natural heritage areas
across Ireland. Click here for an outline of a local community plan for the park's regeneration as unveiled a few months ago.
The ‘Conservation Volunteers Terryland Forest Park’,
Cumann na bhFear and the Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic Garden are appealing
for your help in securing a membership of 100 volunteers who will each give a few
hours per month to get involved in park based events designed to increase
public footfall within its perimeters and protect biodiversity.
‘Conservation Volunteers Terryland Forest Park’ want
to establish a permanent presence in the park every weekend, with each
volunteer that is working onsite wearing a identifiable jacket or badge, thus
encouraging the general public to use and to enjoy what is officially known
as the Citizen’s Park and the Green Lungs of the City.
Activities include planting of trees, weeding in an
organic garden, reconstruction of drystone walls and hedgerows, building a
wildlife pond, litter clean-ups, repair of vintage (touring) bicycles, participation
in guided nature walks and heritage cycle tours.
Exciting opportunities and support mechanisms now
exist for transforming this man-made natural heritage resource into an asset
even more important to the people of Galway than the Phoenix Park is to the
population of Dublin.
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| Illegal Dumping |
A fleet of High Nelly bicycles for park touring, a 7
castle Greenway trail, school-created arts murals, community willow sculptures,
the restoration of traditional drystone walls/hedgerows, the installation of
park-wide information signage, the development of a Poet’s (Cuairt)woodland and
a corps of volunteer park rangers are amongst some of the proposals that should
come to fruition over the next year.
When it was first planted in early 2000, it was the
largest urban neighbourhood forest project in the history of the Irish state. Initiated
as a result of years of campaigning by local community groups, 120 acres were
zoned by Galway City Council for a new woodland and riverine park.
Over a five year period, approximately 100,000 native
Irish trees were planted by the people and schools of Galway city, thus
creating an expansive natural habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna
located not far from the city centre that connects into the vast Lough Corrib
waterways, one of the most cherished areas of biodiversity in the country.
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| River Corrib wetlands near Terryland Forest Park |
Within its grounds or on the park’s periphery, lies a
rich fabric of our city’s history that includes working farmlands, the ruins of
medieval castles, forgotten canals, the remains of a Georgian garden and WW2
urban allotments, Victorian railway lines and engineering waterworks.
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| Abandoned Victorian Waterworks, at entrance to Terryland Forest Park |
A few months ago, a multi-sectoral steering committee
was re-established to help promote community engagement and to develop a long-term
strategic plan for this wonderful green resource. Under the auspices of Galway City
Council, it includes representatives from the City Parks’ department, Galway
Education Centre, OPW, HSE, An Taisce, Galway City Community Forum, GMIT and
NUIG.
In the early years of its formation, a programme of
family picnic days, outdoor theatre, art workshops, community tree and school
children bulb planting days took place in the park that often attracted
thousands of participants.
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| 'Off the Beaten Track' Heritage Cycle Tour group, Castlegar Castle |
2012: A Year of Progress
‘Conservation Volunteers Terryland Forest Park’ want
to offer such activities once again to the students and pupils of our local
schools as well as to the general public. Already, by working with other groups
such as Cumann na bhFear (aka Men’s Shed), Castlegar Connect, GTU, Galway Civic
Trust and the Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic Garden we held an initial
series of events in 2012 that included heritage cycling tours, a multi-cultural
picnic, nature detective walks, tree plantings, organic gardening digs and a
harvest festival. Most notable was ‘Slí na gCaislain’, which is a pioneering pedestrian
and cycling Greenway connecting Terryland Castle to six other castles that has
the potential to become a world-renowned amenity to be shared by tourist and
local alike.
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| 'Off the Beaten Track' Heritage Cycle tour group near Cloonacauneen Castle |
Trees are mankind’s best friend. They provide us with
the oxygen for sustaining life on Earth and by absorbing the man-made carbon
emissions that are the main factor in global warming today. They also act as a
haven for a myriad of wildlife. A single oak tree for instance can be home to
up to 450 different types of species, from fungi to large mammals.
Forests: Reclaiming Our Celtic Heritage
Ireland today has only 10% woodland cover, compared to
an average of 40-45% in the rest of Europe. Yet before 16th century British
colonisation destroyed our native forests to provide the raw materials for the
English ship-building, iron and pipe staves industries, these habitats were an
integral part of Irish culture and religion as well as of the physical landscape.
Our mythology shows that the ancient Celts revered nature; the druids used oak
groves to hold religious ceremonies; many of the early Christian saints had a
close affinity with creatures of the forest such as wolves and deer. The Ogham alphabet,
that was our first form of writing, was based on different varieties of native
trees. Under Brehon law, trees even had a honour price that had to be met if
cut down. The English invaders referred to the Gaelic warriors as ‘wood kerne’
(soldiers of the woods).
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| 'Leafless Tree Detective' tour with Matthew O'Toole |
In the process of nurturing this developing forest
park, young people and the general public will have the opportunity to become ‘Citizen
Scientists’ through a programme of nature studies, climate change reduction projects,
tree planting days, biodiversity enhancement and annual wildlife monitoring
schemes such as the ‘National Wildlife Atlas’ survey of mammals.
Scientific studies by experts such as Richard Louv in
his book ‘Last Child in the Woods’ has shown that alienation from nature has
caused diminished uses of the senses, serious concentration problems and higher
rates of emotional and physical illness in children.
By expanding the woodlands area and overcoming
habitat fragmentation, caused by an infrastructure of fast roads, through
developing a network of cyclist/walker friendly botharíns and the building of
‘Green bridges over motorways (such as those that exist in the Netherlands
where presently 800 are located), we can restore via the Terryland Forest Park
a better quality of life to urban dwellers whilst at the same time protecting
endangered indigenous species.
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| Ballindooley Lough |
A Green and Pleasant Land
So we have the pleasure of involving children and
adults in re-creating an ancient landscape that will introduce the joys of walking
through woodlands; of experiencing the sights of meadows populated with a vibrant
cornucopia of insects, animals and birds; of hearing the natural sounds of the
countryside; of cycling along rural laneways; of drawing portraits of wildlife
in their natural settings; of picnicking in a park with friends; of downloading
an apps to journey along a local nature trail; of planting trees and hedgerows as well as in repairing traditional
stonewalls.
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| Spellman's Botharín, Castlegar |
Much needs to be done on issues such as signposting
of woodland trails, combating illegal drinking in public green spaces, litter
dumping and habitat fragmentation by roads.
Wetlands along Terryland Forest Park
But these challenges can be
overcome by a unity of purpose from all sectors of the local population. The
Park can finally become a Green Jewel and a vital Ecological Corridor for the wildlife of Galway City.
Draft Terryland Forest Calendar for 2013
February: Willow Planting and Harvesting (Ballinfoile Mór
Community Organic Garden)
Commencement of weekly Clean-Ups of park
March: Community Tree Planting Day
Classic Bikes Repair workshop
April: Drystone
Wall Repair (with Cumann na bhFear); Schools’
Mammal Survey (with Dr. Colin Lawton NUIG); Inauguration
of Cuairt Tree Planting Fest (with Galway City Arts Office)
The Big Spring Clean-Up Day
May: Dawn
Chorus (with Birdwatch Galway); Classic
Bikes Rental launch scheme for Terryland Forest Park (Cumann na bhFear); Mammal
Detective trail (with Dr. Colin Lawton NUIG): Eco-Art Mural of park container by Galway schools(with Galway City Arts Office)
June: The
Seven Castles Cycle Trail(Slí na gCaislean); Completion
of Online 7 Castles Cycle Mapping
July: The
Seven Castles Cycle Trail(Slí na gCaislean) (with Cumann na bhFear)
Wildlife Pond Construction (Ballinfoile Mór Community
Organic Garden)
August: Drystone Wall Repair (Cumann na bhFear)
September: Harvest and Heritage Festival Ballinfoile
Mór Community Organic Garden
Scarecrow exhibition (by schools)
October: Leafless Tree Detective Walk (with Matthew O’Toole): Schools' Bulb Planting Day
November: Winter Wonderland Photographic and Arts challenge for Galway schools
December: Exhibition 'Poster Art of Terryland Forest 2000-2005' by artist Lol Hardiman, City Hall
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