Duhallow News
Rockchapel On The Feale The Rockchapel Development Association, together with the Rockchapel Heritage Group, are delighted to announce that we have been successful in a recent funding application to the Community Water Development Fund. A sum of €3,000 has been awarded to fund our community project which seeks to bring about improvements in water quality and raise public awareness of its importance. Both the aforementioned community groups recognise the importance of celebrating the river and its ecological importance, and have partnered up with both local national schools and preschool in a significant collaborative community effort. All three schools are to partake in an Aquatic & Biodiversity Engagement Programme. The premise of
The River Feale 10
The group puts their kick sampling skills to use the programme is to increase awareness of river corridor ecology and water quality, help reconnect the community with the river catchment, discuss best practice, and promote community initiatives on the River Feale. Signage outlining local river biodiversity is planned for the village itself. The River Feale rises in the Mullaghareirk Mountains in north west County Cork and rushes towards its maiden municipal encounter; the sleepy village of Rockchapel! It moves quickly, tucked behind dwellings and trees and reveals itself almost sheepishly for fleeting moments within the village itself. At either end of the village, the Feale is exposed to the wilds and ruggedness of hill and valley. The river is famed for its trout and salmon spawning pools, and along the river corridor it supports various birdlife. Alas, one such winged creature, the Dipper, finds its nesting spots compromised, where once it nestled in the cracks and crevices of stone constructed bridges, it now finds that most are inhospitable due to their rendered facades. To alleviate the Dipper’s woes, some simple drainage pipe constructs will be installed at local bridges. These nesting spots will be routinely monitored and hopefully will provide some
cheerful account of this shy bird. In 2021, a group of Rockchapel residents took part in the IRD Duhallow Water Biodiversity Training Course. After many months of online modules and a number of in-person fieldwork White Clawed Cray Fish days, the course culminated in the drafting of the River Feale Biodiversity Action Plan. Atlantic Salmon Fry This plan provided the basis for the grant application and compliments recent tree planting endeavours. The action plan has been developed to provide the knowledge, skills and capacity necessary to make a difference to the local water environment.
DiscoverDuhallow@irdduhallow.com
Issue 66 June 17th 2022
Signed Rockchapel Development Association & The Rockchapel Heritage Group
