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Whether you’re a fan of wild landscapes or something more manicured, there’s an Irish park to suit. Ben Webb talks to the guardians of our green spaces. Photographs by Steve Ryan. ucked away in a huge eerie of twigs and small branches, high in the windswept wilds of Killarney National Park in Co Kerry, are two fluffy balls of downy feathers. They are white-tailed eagle chicks and in Irish conservation circles they are both stars. “They are the summer highlight in the park,” declares a delighted Frank McMahon, the district conservation officer. “We hope they will fledge and help increase the eagle population.” As the first white-tailed eagles to be born in the wild in Ireland for over a century, they’re the result of six years’ hard work. More than 100 young birds have been imported from Norway, carefully nurtured in Killarney National Park and encouraged to breed. Ireland’s national parks, however, are about a lot more than saving birds of prey. Each of the six parks – Killarney, Ballycroy in Co Mayo, the Burren in Co Clare, Connemara in Co Galway, Glenveagh in Co Donegal, and Wicklow – is a fantastic resource that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, both recreational and educational, every year. A pair of hiking boots
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– and some suitably effective rainwear – is all you need to discover Glenveagh’s mountains and moors or Ballycroy’s blend of Atlantic blanket bog and rolling hills. Some of these landscapes are unique to Ireland. The Burren is almost lunar in appearance but bursts into life in summer. “Alpine and Arctic plants grow next to Mediterranean plants and acidloving plants grow in lime-rich soil,” says Emma Glanville, the conservation ranger. “Nowhere else in the world has this unique mix of plants.” The parks are also fertile places for the imaginations of the thousands of visiting school children. Clare Bromley, head of the nature education team at Glenveagh, says it’s not just pupils who learn something either. “Teachers often say we’ve brought the school curriculum alive for them as well as the children,” she says. “And parents tell us their child’s visit triggered conversations back in the family home about wildlife.” Ireland’s rich cultural heritage is also allowed to flourish. Traditional crafts such as horse-shoeing, harness-making, horse ploughing and threshing are still carried out on Killarney National Park’s farm and,
to help keep other parts of traditional Irish life alive, a replica schoolhouse from the 1950s is soon to open. Outside the national parks is a wide variety of other inspiring green spaces. The Iveagh Gardens in Dublin city, for example, is a hidden gem. “It is a unique place,” explains Donal Raynor, head gardener of the park that was designed by Ninian Niven in 1865, “a quirky blend of English, Italian and French designs. Bring a picnic, take a walk and enjoy the atmosphere. That is what the gardens are all about.” From the city centre to Ireland’s most remote outposts in the west, there is a park for everyone. Every day people enjoy hiking and running, cycling and kayaking, fishing and hunting, driving and climbing, camping and orienteering ... and, of course, birdwatching. “It will be exciting to watch the parents try to scoop a fish from the lakes as they hunt to feed the youngsters,” Frank says. “It will also be exciting to see the newly fledged chicks come to terms with the prevailing winds and take their maiden flight.” For more information on Ireland’s national parks visit npws.ie.