9 March 2024
By Bryan McCarthy
bryan@TheCork.ie
Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North West Aindrias Moynihan has reiterated his call for the Gearagh habitat in Co Cork to be developed as a national park.
He made the plea as the ESB, which owns most of the land, considers a management plan for the inland delta of the river Lee.
The ESB confirmed to Deputy Moynihan that it is engaging with the National Parks and Wildlife Services ahead of the publication of the plan. It is anticipated this engagement will take place over the coming weeks.
Deputy Moynihan said: “The Gearagh deserves to be recognised as a national park. It is a hugely important natural habitat, an inland delta of the river Lee.
“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the area being flooded to facilitate the building of the two hydro-electric dams in Carrigadrohid and Inniscarra. The area needs to be protected and given the resources it needs.
“There are only a handful of national parks in the country, none of which are in Co Cork. The Gearagh is undervalued. If it was designated as a national park it would result in greater biodiversity. It would also be hugely important for boosting tourism but in a controlled manner.”
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien told Deputy Moynihan, in response to a parliamentary question, that the Gearagh is a privately owned site that has not been considered for national park status.
He said that the site “already enjoys extensive legal protections as a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and a designated Nature Reserve”.
“The site is owned largely by the ESB,” the Minister said. “I understand a management plan scoping exercise was undertaken by ESB International on behalf of the ESB in 2016/2017. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department contributed as part of the stakeholder group to the report produced as a result of that exercise. I understand that the ESB has now completed a draft management plan which is being considered by ESB management, and that the National Parks and Wildlife Service has offered to engage with the site owners in relation to the draft plan.”
He added: “The NPWS continues to engage with the ESB on the monitoring of this site.”