Ministerial visit to Clough'
A decade of restoration at Scohaboy Bog
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Some of the gathering at the event - from left: Daithi De Forge, Coillte Forest; Cllr JP O’Meara, Ryan O’Meara, TD; Jim Casey, landowner and Cloughjordan Heritage Group; Gearóid Ó Foighil, Cloughjordan Community Development Association; Greg Whelan, community volunteer; Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan; Áine Lynch, Regional Manager, NPWS; Cllr Michael O’Meara, Albert Austin, landowner; Arthur Ó Dywer, Ballymackey Environment Group; John Flanaghan, Gurteen College. Not in picture: Roisín Costello, Cloughjordan Tidy Towns; Gillian Armitage, Cloughjordan Street Market Group; Brendan Sheehan and Rachel Vaughan, Cloughjordan Heritage Group.Image 2 of 2
Standing with the Scohaboy ‘pop-up’ poster: Minister O’Sullivan, Cllr JP O’Meara, Ryan O’Meara, TD and retired local councillor Jim Casey.On November 27, the Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, visited Scohaboy Bog SAC outside Cloughjordan to see first-hand the successful community supported rewetting programme at the internationally important Natura 2000 site. The event was organised by Deputy Ryan O’Meara.
Representing Tipperary County Council were Councillors JP O'Meara and Michael O'Meara and all attending were welcomed by Gearóíd Ó Foighil on behalf of the Cloughjordan Community Development Association who gave an overview of the restoration story to date.
Celebrating a decade of restoration, Scohaboy has seen three major peatland conservation works projects to date, beginning with Coillte Forest’s EU/LIFE in 2015 and followed by two large scale NPWS funded rewetting efforts over the winters of 2021 and 2022 to bring close to 90% of Scohaboy’s 1500 acres under conservation rewetting measures. Scohaboy is Tipperary’s leading peatland restoration project and is regarded as the most successful community supported ‘for climate, nature and people’ project of its kind in Ireland today involving an award-winning collaboration of the Cloughjordan Community Development Association, NPWS, Coillte Forest and 52 private landowners! Boardwalks as part of the Loop of Laghile and Loughaun National Trail installed by the CCDA allows safe visitor access to the site for nature, amenity and well-being pursuits. Adding in the adjacent woodlands of Laghile and Sopwell, creates an approximate 2000-acre natural heritage landbank.
Over hot drinks, scones and snacks provided by Gillian Armitage, the minister met with community group reps, landowners, site neighbours, members of Coillte and NPWS and learned more about the different project phases, the next steps, the community engagement history and the agency and community collaborations that have made Scohaboy such a leading conservation success story. Amongst others the Minister met with John Flanagan, Deputy Head of Gurteen College who spoke about their conservation planning at Nahinch Lake and Bog to the North of Scohaboy, Daithi De Forge, Coillte’s Head of Recreation, spoke about local amenity provision with much needed news concerning boardwalk upgrade at Scohaboy by next Spring, Arthur O'Dwyer from Ballymackey Environment Group spoke about their efforts to progress conservation actions with Woodville/Brownstown Bog, site neighbour Albert Austin spoke about traditional cutting practices, memories of days gone by at Scohaboy and the bogs importance to many families locally.
As the ‘community partner’ in the restoration programme since day one, the CCDA have developed a very successful collaborative relationship with both NPWS and Coillte. A relationship that has seen key national conservation objectives being met and local trails and visitor amenities developed. Current planning with Coillte Forest includes a new ‘Close to Nature’ project for Knockanacree Woodlands on Cloughjordan’s Northern edge and a new ‘NeighbourWood’ Scheme for Laghile and Sopwell Woodlands which will see a significant increase in native tree planting along with new walking trails.