Article first published in:
Wicklow Mountain Views – The Newsletter of the Wicklow Uplands Council.
Issue No. 30 – Summer 2019
SUAS Demonstration Event in West Wicklow
A demonstration event which includes a site visit to a nearby commonage, has been organised by the SUAS Pilot Project to take place during the National Heritage Week on Tuesday, the 20th of August.
Beginning at 11am, the event will commence in the Hollywood Community Centre where Declan Byrne, Project Manager of the SUAS Project and a number of other speakers, will give an overview of the project and the positive impact it is having to upland commonages. An exhibition from the National Rural Network on the EIP AGRI projects in Ireland will also be on display for all to enjoy.
The assembled group will then travel by bus to the nearby Granamore Commonage, which is one of the locations that was included in the first round of the SUAS Project.
Granamore Commonage
The lands which are now within the boundaries of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, were formerly part of Lord Waterford’s Estate in County Wicklow and contain a number of interesting features such as old turf cutting banks, a small hill of blanket bog, a Mass rock, and the Douglas River and other water systems. The commonage area is being managed by ten shareholders, participating in the SUAS Project through a formal commonage group structure.
Those attending the event will be guided to four stops on the site to observe demonstrations related to the land management activities being undertaken as part of the project. Presentations and discussion will include topics such as commonage management, roadway and culvert repair, gully planting and streamside vegetation, and vegetation management practices such as controlled burning and cutting. A number of speakers will contribute to the visit including representatives from NPWS, the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science and a number of the local farmers.
The free event is open to all interested parties and includes refreshments and the transfer to Granamore by bus. Appropriate clothing and footwear will be required for the site visit and due to transport logistics, advance booking is required. Please RSVP on 01-2818406 or info@wicklowuplands.ie
For further information on the event, please CLICK HERE.
Newsletters Available Online
This newsletter and many of the previous publications are available online to view and download as PDF files directly from the Wicklow Uplands Council website.
CLICK HERE for this issue – Summer 2019.
CLICK HERE to view the full selection of newsletters dating back to 2006.
