In another instance of the series of blogposts about our 2023 Skerries Eco Festival, Eithne O’Connell writes about the folk singing session hosted by Dónal Kearney and Sara Dennedy of the Skerries Folk Club.
On Saturday, 2 September 2023, as part of the Skerries Ecofestival, the Skerries Folk Club held a special singing session upstairs in Joe May’s pub at the harbour. The event ran from 4pm to 6pm and was hosted by two of the Club’s founders, Dónal Kearney and his wife, Sara Dennedy. In keeping with the designated special theme of the Ecofestival, which was ‘Water’, the session was entitled ‘Songs of the Sea and the Sirens’.
The Skerries Folk Club hosts a regular singing session at the same time and in the same venue on the last Sunday of each month so this extra session attracted some familiar voices as well as some newcomers. About 40-50 attended and visitors included people from the Dominican Republic, Poland and Lithuania, now living in Ireland. There were sea shanties and accounts of shipwrecks and drownings, references to ferries and seaweed, old ballads and new songs from Ireland, England and Scotland, some obscure and others very well known, at least to people ‘of a certain age’.
Anne McGough from Red Island, a Folk Club regular and fine singer, treated us to ‘The Grey Funnel Line’. Bob Laird, a great supporter, with his wife Anne, of eco initiatives in Skerries popped in for the first hour to reprise the rousing ‘Holy Ground’ before hurrying away to another festival event. The ballad was made famous internationally by Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers as well as the Dubliners in the 1960s and the chorus as always ‘made the rafters roar’. Later, Green Fingal County Council Councillor, Karen Power’s young daughter Olivia lifted our hearts with a beautiful version of ‘You are my sunshine’.
One of the session organisers and a member of Skerries Sustainable Energy Community Initiative (SSECI), Eithne O’Connell, went out on a comic limb with a ditty she had penned herself for the occasion just an hour earlier. Delivered to the tune of ‘Will you come to the bower?’, it made some serious environmental points with simple rhyming couplets.
As always, some of the real musical highlights were provided by the Folk Club organisers. Dónal sang about maritime links between Newry and Scotland alternating between Scottish Gaidhlig and English while Sara treated us to ‘Willie Taylor’. Versions of the English song about a young woman taking to the sea in the guise of a young sailor date back to the early 1700s. It’s a song full of adventure, betrayal and danger with a remarkably contemporary feminist twist and got more or less everyone present joining in for the chorus.
The Findhorn Eco Community in Scotland maintains, ‘If it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable’ and those in attendance at the singing session had plenty of watery themes to consider that afternoon while they certainly also had fun.
In the first of a series of blogposts about our 2023 Skerries Eco Festival, Leo Carroll writes about the Biodiversity Walk with Marion und Charlie Heasman.
The Saturday Biodiversity Walk with Marion and Charlie Heasman began that afternoon, following the hustle and bustle of the farmer’s market. We started congregating next to the windmill flower beds bursting with colour and pollinators of all varieties. The purple phacelia blooms in particular seemed to be a fan favourite of the bees, with Charlie and Marion noting that every species of bumblebee currently found in Skerries had been spotted on the flowers; including some more elusive species such as the ever beloved large carder bee.
We made our way down to the coast, the bright sunshine and clear skies providing the perfect setting to admire the wildlife around us. After reaching the main promenade we split into small groups to walk along the dunes and learned about the fascinating plants and animals in the area, especially that of marine birds like black headed gulls and the iconic roseate terns of Rockabill Island. We learned about the flying motions of some species as well as the vast variety of plant life scattered about. Although there were a few unwanted visitors in the form of invasive species, there was plenty of life to be found, with grasshoppers and large tortoiseshell butterflies flitting between the vivid greens of marram grass and vibrant yellows of wildflowers such as birdsfoot trefoil.
We eventually gathered together again near the base of the dunes to have a discussion about the biodiversity along the Skerries coast and decisions we could make to reduce our impact on the beach, with issues such as razor clam farming being brought up.
We took our time on the walk back to admire the duck pond while discussing the handling of relief water in Skerries and its surrounding area. The water’s surface rippled as though there was a light rain overhead, a closer inspection revealing hundreds of diving beetles gathering small bubbles of air before diving back down to their aquatic abodes. Overall the walk was a wonderful experience and provided insights into Skerries’ biodiversity that I’ll take with me every time I go for a stroll around town.
Our call for images with a water theme was met by a wonderful collection of entries – see all of them in this video – and then our exhibition curator, David Diebold of Skerries News, had the hard job of selecting ten to make up the Skerries Eco Festival Water Picture Exhibition. During the opening night, he shared his thoughts on each of the selected ten images – and he agreed to share them with you here now!
If you were at the festival, by the way, please send us your feedback now!
David Diebold’s Comments on the images he selected
EITHNE LAIRD (railings)
A man-made structure that blends seamlessly into the natural environment, the sea beyond and the seemingly infinite horizon. And something finite, fleeting — shadows of railings stamping their silhouette into the concrete. A single boat representing our reliance on the sea in so many ways. The infinite and the finite. I can’t think of a better way symbolize humankind’s complex, often dysfunctional relationship with water and the natural world.
CORMAC O’LEARY (big clouds)
The ominous beauty apparent in this image is so perfectly apt in trying to wrap our heads around the sheer power of nature. Interestingly, the entire cycle of water is almost represented here – sea to vapour to rain and back to sea.
Ultimately, it’s just a bloody beautiful photograph.
TOM BALCOMBE (happy dog)
It feels like we’re in deep with this dog when we look at this photo, and it could easily be interpreted as representing the rising waters of impending doom – in fact, I think this dog is in his happy place.
What’s beautiful about this photo, in which water is everywhere, is that I was able to zoom right in and appreciate every fibre on that dog’s head and drops of water frozen mid splash, all in crystal clarity. Outstanding.
MIRIAM CARROLL (springers)
Rushing waters, action, urgency – nothing speaks to the potential for imminent environmental catastrophe quite like the tide consuming a man-made structure. What’s interesting is how that movement contrasts so nicely with the calm sea beyond, as though it’s all spilling over the edge of a bowl, and there’s the life buoy standing out so stark in the middle of it all.
Look how the horizon dips on one side like the whole image is a sort of sinking ship. It’s a familiar place to most of us, yet sort of scary in this context. Nice work.
RICHARD MARSH (rainbow)
One of the best rainbow shots I’ve seen – and I’ve seen a lot, second only to photos of sunrises and sunsets when it comes to Skerries – yet this image is phenomenal.
Sand sea, islands, horizon, mist, clouds and sky, layer upon layer of sumptuous detail and colour, all tied together by this perfect ark that in any language says hope, change, renewal, themes that chime so well with what this festival and what the Sustainable Skerries group espouses. A fine photo.
JULIE BLUNDEN (blue sand)
The blue of this image is so rich and deep, like a cold blue light in the dawn of a new day at low tide, green seaweed on the rocks emerging from the wave-textured sand.
For the colour contrast alone this exhibition needed this image, but the way it is structured and how it brings our eyes from bottom to top and into the skies beyond the island is ingenious if it was intentional, or it was a very lucky, beautiful accident. Well done.
ERNESTINE WOELGER (Ladies’ Mantle)
I didn’t want seawater to predominate this exhibition, when fresh water is so vital to the living environment on land.
I thought this image, again a strong addition to the palate of the overall ten, perfectly encapsulated how precious fresh clear water is, whether this is rain or dew, and also the simple beauty that is the very fragility of the life that water sustains.
MARY COURTNEY (clothes pegs)
Not a great day for drying. But I loved the simplicity of this shot, and how the photographer saw something interesting, even beautiful in its own way in these three old fashioned wooden clothes pegs – hanging on, which I think would be a good title, amid the drips of rain.
It’s an image that almost holds its breath waiting for one of those drips to drop.
EUAN O’DONOGHUE (reflection)
A moment of reflection, literally. I’d be a fan of John Ford’s statement, so perfectly characterized by David Lynch in Spielberg’s Fabelmans, horizon at the top, interesting, horizon at the bottom, interesting, horizon in the middle, boring. But I’d certainly disagree with that sentiment here.
The perfect split between sky above and sea below has the eye trading off and comparing beauty with beauty. The calm silence in this image of seaweed floating on the surface. Frozen clouds. The blood red meridian.
Another photo that seems to hold its breath.
ANNA POPOVICH (sunset)
Like I say, sunset photos are no rare thing around these parts, but this one is truly something special, reflected in a sea that feels like we’re up to our necks in once again.
Simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. Rather like nature itself.
The Skerries Eco Night: Water (Sat 7.30 pm, Skerries Mills) is taking place as part of the 2023 Skerries Eco Festival. It will give individuals and members of groups & associations the opportunity to first learn more about water and environmental issues as they relate to us here in Skerries, and then to explore together what we can, and should, do with that knowledge.
If the first two Eco Nights are anything to go by, you’d be well advised to secure your space soon on our Eventbrite page!
Two presentations will set the context:
We are delighted to have won Karin Dubsky of Coastwatch Ireland. The well-known environmentalist will talk about “Coastal Biodiversity and the Importance of Enhancing and Protecting It” – those who have heard her before know what a treat is in store for us.
Féidhlim Harty, environmental consultant, writer, and director of FH Wetland Systems, will then talk about his observations on water management and Skerries, “Between Floods and Droughts” – in our changing climate, both occurring more than they used to. (Féidhlim also leads a talk & walk about water in Skerries in the afternoon, highly recommended.)
After a quick break for refreshments, everybody will then have the opportunity to explore in detail what we in Skerries can do for coastal biodiversity, and to mitigate the current changes we’re experiencing.
As with the previous two Skerries Eco Nights, we are hoping for interested individuals as well as representatives of neighbourhood groups, clubs, organisations, associations and businesses to come together in the congenial surroundings of Skerries Mills.
Karin Dubsky is a German-Irish marine ecologist working in Trinity College Dublin, notable as an environmental activist, the coordinator and co-founder of Coastwatch Europe, an environmental NGO and a member of the European Environmental Bureau.
Féidhlim Harty is an environmental consultant and writer. His company, FH Wetland Systems, established in 1996, offers designs and guidance on waterway repair and rewilding, eco-friendly wastewater treatment training and education, and holistic landuse management for catchment protection and regeneration.
When the sirens called, you did not want to hear it.
If their song caught your ear, it lured you to your doom. There was no way to avoid catastrophe once you heard those intoxicating strains. The sirens’ melodies rang out so beautifully as to drive the listener insane. Invariably, seafaring men were their target.
Unfortunately, sirens put an end to many the sailing voyage. We know the culprits thanks to those surviving boats that returned to shore unscathed. Local crews would witness their friends and relatives perish from a safe distance (out of earshot). Forever more, certain rocky shorelines were doomed and sailors took a wide berth.
These spots would trigger alarm bells and boats were warned not to approach in local stories, folklore and songs. These lessons were learned the hard way in port towns and fishing villages over many cruel centuries, after countless tragic deaths at sea.
To this day, our relationship with the sea remains complex. If we listen, we may still hear alarm bells ringing, but these are not due to supernatural melodies or mythic creatures. Rather, it is a cry for help.
The seas are suffering.
On our planet, water supports all life forms. Every human society needs clean water to survive. With an unprecedented global population of 8 billion people, we need more clean water than ever before.
However, the impact of the climate crisis on our water sources today is concerning. As droughts become increasingly frequent across the world, the process of water conservation becomes more urgent. With extreme rainfall and storms leading to more frequent and devastating floods, we face increasingly difficult questions about our relationship with water. The amount of plastic in our seas is a well-documented crisis and affects the complex and delicate ecosystems that nurture our oceans and our coastlines – including coastal towns like Skerries.Inspired by the global climate action movement and icons like Greta Thunberg, local volunteers will host the inaugural Skerries Eco Festival on 1st – 3rd September 2023. This will involve environmental workshops, live music and family fun and together we will celebrate the fact that “Water is Life”. The intention of the festival is to bring together the local community, as voters, citizens, consumers “to give ourselves the space to see what is happening, to explore together where we could go.”
One of the groups getting involved in the festival is Skerries Folk Club, founded in 2022 by musicians Sarah May Rogers, Sara Dennedy and Dónal Kearney. They usually meet upstairs for a free singing session in Joe May’s on the last Sunday of the month, but they’re hosting a special session for the Eco Festival at 4pm-6pm, upstairs in Joe May’s, on Saturday 2nd September. Singers and listeners of all ages are welcome – please come prepared with a water-themed song!
Traditional Irish folk songs boast a wealth of sea lore about emigrant boats, war ships, fishing wreckages, and the various creatures that inhabit our coast lines; the maighdéan mara (mermaid), the selkie (half-seal, half-human), and the sirens of Greek mythology.
There is much to learn if we listen to the old songs. There is a reason folk songs survive for generations – they have something important to pass on. As we listen carefully to the songs of the sea during Skerries Eco Festival, there is no doubt we will hear the wisdom within.
You are invited to listen with us.
—
Skerries Folk Club will host “Songs of the Sea and the Sirens” at 4pm-6pm on Saturday 2nd September 2023. For more information about Skerries Eco Festival, visit sustainableskerries.com/skerriesecofestival
Guestpost written by Dónal Kearney, Director of Ecojustice Ireland – ecojusticeireland.org
Send in your best water pics! Water in all its facets is the theme of this year’s Skerries Eco Festival (1-3 September), and Sustainable Skerries are inviting everyone in Skerries to send in their best one, two, or three water photos. No matter if they show our coast or a puddle, floods and droughts, water butts or a drop of water… as long as they were taken in Skerries.
We are delighted that Dave Diebold of Skerries News and the wonderful Skerries Photographers’ Calendar has agreed to be our judge. He will pick the ten best images, which will then be printed on 8×12 blocks and form a temporary exhibition which will be displayed during our festival. All photographs will also be feeding into a slideshow that will be shown during the festival (e.g. before events), and may be used in our Skerries Eco Festival publicity.
The photographers whose photos are chosen for this exhibition will receive their printed pic at the final event on Sunday!
There may also be prizes for the best three and runners-up… watch this space for announcements, and if you’re in a position to sponsor one of these prizes, do contact us at sustskerries@gmail.com !
Participation rules:
- The photographer must be a Skerries resident.
- Photographs must be taken in Skerries.
- The theme is water.
- Each photographer can submit at most 3 images (i.e. can send in one, two, or three) in total.
- Photographs must be between 2 and 8 MB in size.
- The photos must be emailed to sustskerries@gmail.com and must reach us by the end of 15 August 2023
- By sending in their photographs, photographers agree to their being published by Sustainable Skerries and Skerries News, online and / or in printform (with the name of the photographer).
Recently, we asked on the “Chat for Sustainable Skerries” WhatsApp group for food-waste-reducing ideas, and this is what the group came up with!
Watch an Eastern European peeling potatoes and the bare amount of skin comes off. Watch most Irish people do the same and half the potato is hacked off. The answer? A decent potato peeler, not a kitchen knife.
Have a meal planner and work around best before dates.
Make soups from veg that are past their best. Make veg stock from vegetable peelings. Make stock from chicken carcass. Stale bread used to make bread and butter pudding or scrap bread pudding. Make bread and slice while fresh and freeze in slices. Then take out the amount needed. Slice lemons and freeze.
Use leftover meat or veg in curries or stews.
Keep “empty” peanut butter and honey jars. Rinse with hot water and use for stews, curries etc 😋 Similarly: Use the finished peanut butter jar to make peanut satay sauce for noodles (add soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, ginger , lime juice etc to the jar)
Only buy what you need! Shop with a list, or take a photo of the inside of your fridge and store cupboards before you go to the shops. Have a list ready on the fridge and bring it when shopping.
When making baby foods for weaning, after pureeing , put in ice cube trays and freeze so small amounts can be defrosted at a time.
Clear your fridge once a week before shopping and make a soup of wilted vegetables. Boiling the carcass of a roast chicken is great for the stock of such a soup
Use your freezer more-freeze bread, veg, meat that you won’t get to while they’re fresh.
Use food bag clips (you can get them in IKEA, Flying Tiger, Amazon), they are good for resealing bread, wraps, crackers, biscuits etc.
Ordinary clothes pegs will seal off any bag to preserve freshness. Old bread ( not mouldy) can be crumbed, frozen and used later to ‘top’ a fish, veg or any savoury pie. Keep a few tins of Chickpeas, Cannellini, Mixed or Butter Beans in your cupboard. When you have very little left in the fridge, a tin or two will turn very little into a very good meal. ( I know that the dried variety are more economical, but the canned ones are quick when needed in a hurry!) Chop eating apples that are past their best and cook into savoury dishes.
Make banana bread from over ripe bananas or freeze them for smoothies. Make jam from over ripe fruit.
Store washed lettuce with a wet piece of kitchen roll and it keeps it fresher for longer.
On the topic of bread, chop up and add garlic and herbs and cook in oven for home made croutons. Or make breadcrumbs to use for goujons or home made burgers or meatloaf
Have loads of good storage boxes and jars.
Another suggestion is not to plate up food but let people serve themselves from the centre of the table. Only eat what they want and that means that any leftovers (untouched in serving dishes) can be reused ( put in the fridge) for another meal later or the following day. Another option is to put leftovers in the freezer.
Bring containers when eating out to bring home any leftovers.
Use Rice and Pasta measures … we used to always cook too much of these staples but not anymore 😁
Download the handy guides / PDFs from stopfoodwaste.ie including the seasonal calendar (see their Resources section)
Seek out the reduced food produce in supermarkets – save some money and avoid food waste! Lidl, SuperValu, Tesco and others have seriously improved their ways of dealing with fruit, veg etc that is close to its sell-by date.
And what to do with a glut either in your garden or cheap seasonal offers – e.g. Darina Allen’s Grow Cook Nourish has super tips. Or just google “What to do with too many apples” etc.
Use food-waste apps
Do you have more ideas? Share them with us! Send them to sustskerries@gmail.com and we’ll add them to this list.
It’s that time of year, Tidy Towns judges are visiting everywhere in Ireland.
And as you probably know already, “Tidy Towns” is not about towns being extremely tidy (though an absence of litter is still a huge pro)… the focus is on making our town as attractive a place to live in or to visit as possible, in keeping with the overall goal of sustainability.
We recently asked Maeve McGann, chair of Skerries Tidy Towns, what we all here in Skerries – each group / committee / neighbourhood – could do to maximise our chances in the national Tidy Towns competition, apart from picking up stray litter…
This is what Maeve answered:
The judges go into every nook and cranny.
They expect kerbs to be clear of growth. This is extremely difficult to achieve.
All businesses need to be well presented. If possible to have good window displays.We would really appreciate if residents and businesses could help by keeping their own area of kerb free of growth. This is particularly important where there are cobbles or limestone kerbing as these are heritage features in the town.
The formally planted perennial beds need to be well maintained.The judges like a balance between formal planting and rewilding areas.
Read More
All residential areas are visited and any extra work undertaken in these areas is noted.
At our recent Skerries Eco Night: Biodiversity, we explored a number of questions related to biodiversity in our town. The small groups / tables reported back to the plenary session, and most of their rapporteurs also sent in their report by email.
Here are those reports. There are a lot of nuggets in them – let’s make most of the insights and use them to fertlise our work!
Front/ back gardens Group 1
(on food waste: need for vendors in shops and supermarkets to consider the requirements of single or elderly people who may need to purchase smaller quantities of food to avoid waste)
1 No mow May
The group thought this was a good idea but it could be problematic in that it could annoy neighbours. Having signage, telling people that the apparent neglect of lawns and gardens is actually deliberate, and designed to help the bees etc. could be a good way to go.
2 The group were very impressed by Fingal County Council’s work and were surprised by the cumulative effect of many small interactions across the whole county.
3 It was inspiring to hear how quickly the powers that be within Fingal County Council and local people can change their attitudes to mowing and come to support the idea of mowing much less. It shows that things can change for the better- very quickly once people understand the ‘why’ and buy in to the changes needed.
4 The group suggested that housing estates might agree amongst themselves to leave the front verges or gardens to grow. If there were agreement in advance, this could remove pressure and stigma.
5 Need for more estate groups to link up to the overarching skerries neighbourhood WhatsApp
6 Important to encourage people to think through their actions more consistently.
For example, the local hardware shop is advertising a device to frighten away birds. Presumably this is intended to frighten off seagulls but what would the consequences be for ordinary garden and song birds if such devices were used throughout Skerries?
Front/ back gardens Group 2
1) Encouraging Large Carder Bee and other insects/more wildlife to our gardens
Don’t be tidy – insects like hiding places (as do slugs, unfortunately – but do we want to kill hedgehogs with poisoned slugs??)
Select open flowering plants, ie single flowers like strawberries, not full ones with lots of petals, bees find it hard to get at the nectar if there are too many petals)
Plant perennials rather than annuals – it is also cheaper, as they come back year after year, many seed themselves:
Bumblebees love blue and purple flowers, ie: foxgloves, lupins, delphiniums, lambs’ ears, purple toadflax, echium (can become invasive, but is easily controlled in a garden setting)
All plants with umbelliferous flowers (lacelike flowers like wild carrot) ie flowers of Alexanders and hogweed are very good for pollinators, including hoverflies
Ivy is a perfect multipurpose plant: it provides nesting spaces for birds, its flowers feed pollinators and its fruits feed birds late in the year
Hedgehogs cover large territories, to allow them into your garden, you need to provide a hole in the fence (they are excellent in the fight against slugs – never use pellets, as hedgehogs eat the dead/dying slugs and get poisoned)
2) Be aware when buying plants, even if it is just for window boxes – buy bee friendly. Many traditional “bedding plants” are not. Watch out for labelling.
3) Tidy Towns need an image change, as tidy is not desirable any more (see above).
Their work includes many biodiversity actions, but this is not reflected in their name. Needs to be made more attractive to young people. We need a change in what is considered beautiful – some countries have prizes for “untidy”, “brown” (rather than green grass in times of drought) etc
A number of needs were discussed:
– Balancing act between letting the garden go vs maintaining it so that it’s pleasing to the eye
– The group see the importance of the garden for a positive mental state linked to how they feel when they are in the garden space
– Different generations have different needs and styles relating to gardens
– The need for action was seen as stark – particularly with the shocking stats which were presented in the earlier
– Often the issues are about two different mindsets which need to find a space in the middle as many people do want to see a change but don’t now how to go about it or think they can make a difference as individuals
A number of solutions were also discussed:
– Communications were seen as key to progress but need to be many-pronged to meet different people with different communication preferences e.g.,
o Newsletters for some – not always getting into the full email list for Sust Skerries so one to check
o An app for topic based discussions – perhaps WhatsApp needs to move on to a more intuitive form as it can be hard to search historically
o A problem page – with questions and answers relating to gardens
o Word of mouth should not be underestimated – a skills and knowledge exchange would be beneficial for those who want to know and understand more where they are matched with others who can share advice – informal channels also work well
– Tree Week – a suggestion was to swap out silver birch for fruit trees for example
Christine also noted she is conducting a study on biodiverse gardens as part of her Environmental Psychology Masters so anyone with ideas should feel free to get in touch on christine@repyschable.com
Schools Table Feedback
- Triple AAA Approach
This is an approach framework to help tackle the biodiversity crisis. Raising Awareness of the relevant issues, developing an understanding of these issues which helps nurture an Appreciation of nature and then initiating Actions needed to protect and enhance our biodiversity. This helps create a coordinated approach with real ownership and ‘buy-in’ by the main stakeholders.
- Green Schools
The An Taisce Programme has been adopted by many schools at primary and secondary level and more recently includes third level colleges and other organisations. The current programme covers a variety of areas such as recycling, water conservation, litter, energy conservation and biodiversity. The programme has seen a wide variety of initiatives developed and implemented across the country. Given the urgency of the biodiversity crisis and that all the main themes sit within biodiversity there is a very strong case to be made to adapt the traditional programme to focus more effectively on tackling the biodiversity crisis in every participating school, institution, and organisation.
- Skerries Outdoor Nature Classroom
Learning in the outdoors. Given the proximity of so many schools to the Town Park / Biodiversity Corridor there is real potential to create an outdoor classroom and nature trail which could be used by primary and secondary school students to gain an immersive experience of nature as well as an opportunity to learn in an outdoor setting.
- Biodiversity Mindset
Young people have an innate connection with nature which can be nurtured in an educational setting. The initial spark is often ignited in school and goes on to light up a lifelong interest in the natural world. Young people also can create a ripple effect in their school, family, local community and beyond.
- Travelling to School
Walking bus is an initiative that would help reduce traffic congestion in the town and would have another benefits to students such as exercise, social interaction and connecting with their local environment both natural and manmade.
- School Campus
The school buildings and grounds should have an integrated approach which visibly highlights the importance of protecting and enhancing biodiversity. This could be incorporated into facilities management and the day to day running of the school to ensure sustainability. Wildlife gardens, nest boxes for birds and bats, recycling, water and energy conservation are some examples.
- Discuss with An Taisce the criteria for Green School accreditation and increase the importance of biodiversity in that scheme
- Create opportunities for children to connect with nature, appreciate its importance and take action to help
- Simple things like nesting boxes and bug hotels that do not need maintenance during school holidays
- Create an outdoor classroom within the town park that all schools could avail of an book (? through the community centre)
- Promote walking buses to school (for lots of reasons – exercise, mental health, connection with nature, as a social activity)
- Try to remove the expectation that all the school grounds will be kept neat and tidy (this will need to involve parents as well as school staff)
- Create projects for transition year students that increase awareness of biodiversity and the food chain
- Promote the Herb Patch Project for schools
Public Open Spaces
This theme was the central focus of the two presentations on the evening. Charlie Heasman’s talk spoke to the fact that for wildlife to thrive we need to allow growth which means less cutting, mowing and flailing and where feasible additional planting and sowing. Aileen O’Connor’s presentation outlined the scale of the job being managed by Fingal Operations. Aileen made it clear there is change underway that FCC are on a journey in that regard but that it will take some time.
For wild flowers to thrive, cut grass must be removed to avoid the soil becoming too fertile which favours grasses. Removal of cuttings is a challenge as the question arises of where they should be put and there is significant added cost in doing so.
In Ardgillan a local farmer cuts and removes grass for use as silage. However grass in smaller areas such as in urban areas (estates, smaller parks) is not of sufficient volume to interest farmers and is very often contaminated with plastic and metal litter, often shredded by mowers into small fragments. No farmer wants to feed cattle plastic and metal. It was suggested that volunteers like TidyTowns could litter pick grass areas in advance of mowing but this has been discussed previously and TT can’t scale or commit to cover the 26 or so grass areas currently cut by FCC in Skerries.
The idea of bio-digesters for large volumes of cuttings was mentioned.
We discussed the idea of community groups purchasing or hiring their own cut and lift machinery to manage meadow areas on public land. Aileen said the cost of insurance cover (for millions of euro) would be prohibitive.
It was pointed out that while for a biodiversity-friendly audience reduced cutting, mowing, flailing is desirable other parts of communities take opposing views and want everything cut back for a “neat” appearance. It was also pointed out that unmanaged hedges and trees can lead to “anti-social behaviour” in such areas. Charlie pointed out however that trees do not cause such behaviour but merely provide cover for it.
In Balbriggan a pilot project has been started where community groups like Balbriggan TidyTowns were able to nominate grass areas for a reduced mowing regime. This got off to a bumpy start when areas were mowed regardless but it is hoped that won’t happen again. This project will inform grassland management in other parts of Fingal.
In the context of Skerries it was agreed that the forthcoming ecological study of the town park by Dr. Niamh Burke from Coisceim Consulting would greatly help in agreeing a plan for mowing, cutting and flailing of hedges and stream banks and possible new meadow creation.
FCC have a strong preference for working off written plans, especially plans with the widest possible community buy-in.
Actions:
- All interested parties to give input to Dr. Niamh Burke from Coisceim Consulting for ecological study of town park in Skerries.
- Skerries stakeholders should await the outcome of Balbriggan mowing pilot and FCC grasslands management plan.
- SuSk and STT should have an agreed list of areas for reduced mowing, cutting, flailing and suggested areas for “rewilding” / meadow creation.
Actions for individuals
Citizen science should also mention CoastWatch and Explore Your Shore.
It would be great if people with gardens could take at least one action in the Gardening for Biodiversity booklet each year. The more actions people take the better. https://laois.ie/wp-content/uploads/Garden-Wildlife-Booklet-WEB-17MB.pdf
https://pollinators.ie/gardens/
Actions for groups
I think the links I have shared from the NBDC / pollinators.ie are really useful. Biodiversity is of course not just about pollinators but actions for pollinators will help other wildlife too.
https://pollinators.ie/sports-clubs/
https://pollinators.ie/schools/
https://pollinators.ie/farmland/
https://pollinators.ie/businesses/
https://pollinators.ie/communities/
- How can SuSk engage these audiences to promote biodiversity or as importantly sustainability more broadly?
Further resources / websites
1. What can we do in our front / back gardens / on our balconies to improve biodiversity? https://pollinators.ie/gardens/ as well as Gardening for Biodiversity – Create a Haven for Wildlife | Fingal County Council
2. What residents’ associations / neighbourhood groups do to improve biodiversity? https://pollinators.ie/communities/
3. What can schools do to improve biodiversity? https://pollinators.ie/schools/
4. What can sports clubs / community centres do to improve biodiversity? https://pollinators.ie/sports-clubs/
5. What can farming / food production / our consumer choices regarding food do to improve biodiversity? https://pollinators.ie/farmland/ & https://pollinators.ie/businesses/
National Biodiversity Data Centre
The National Biodiversity Data Centre’s website provides information on Ireland’s biodiversity and offers resources such as ID guides and citizen science projects.
Green-Schools Ireland provides resources and support for schools to become more sustainable and promote biodiversity through their programs.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/using-organic-matter.htm
Gardening Know How provides tips and advice on how to improve soil health and promote biodiversity in your garden through organic gardening practices.
https://www.epa.ie/irelandsenvironment/biodiversity/
The Environmental Protection Agency’s website offers information and resources on biodiversity in Ireland, including tips on how individuals can take action to protect it.
BirdWatch Ireland provides information and resources on Ireland’s birds and their habitats, as well as ways to get involved in bird conservation efforts.
National Parks & Wildlife Service
The National Parks and Wildlife Service’s website provides information on Ireland’s wildlife and protected areas, as well as resources for individuals and groups looking to get involved in conservation efforts.
https://www.irishwildlifetrust.ie/
The Irish Wildlife Trust is an advocacy organisation working to protect Ireland’s wildlife and habitats, and provides information and resources for individuals looking to get involved in conservation efforts.
Attention Skerries residents, businesses, organizations, and clubs!
Are you ready for an exciting and informative evening focused on biodiversity?
Join us at Skerries Mills on Thursday, April 27th, 2023, starting at 7:30 pm, for the second Skerries Eco Night!
This event is a unique opportunity to come together, learn, and explore what we can do for biodiversity as individuals, households, members of clubs, and associations.
We’ll delve into the existing and future biodiversity initiatives in our community and discover what they can offer your organization, business, group, club, friends, and family.
You’ll get to hear from two inspiring speakers during the first half of the event.
Charlie Heasman, the driving force behind the Sustainable Skerries Pollinator Plan, will share his wealth of knowledge on biodiversity action.
And Aileen O’Connor, Fingal Operations, will inform us about the progress Fingal County Council is making regarding biodiversity and how we can help them.
But the excitement doesn’t stop there! We’ll have an opportunity to explore and discuss biodiversity from different angles, including what we can do in small gardens or even just with a balcony, and the role organizations, businesses, farmers, and clubs can play.
Don’t forget to confirm your attendance by filling out this form https://forms.gle/9BkPVJWFsMiXeRQw6, as Skerries Mills needs to know the numbers for refreshments. And with only 60 spots available, sign up early to secure your place at this unmissable event!
We would like to thank the Skerries Community Association for their help in making this event possible. So what are you waiting for? Come along and be a part of this exciting evening focused on biodiversity and sustainability! See you on the 27th!
More:
- Skerries Eco Nights page
- Blogpost on the first Skerries Eco Night
- Carder Bee / Pollinator Action Plan
Sustainable Skerries 