Heritage Events

County Monaghan is part of a large landscape of hills and wetlands extending into Northern Ireland.  The best known of these extend across the vast plateau of Sliabh Beagh, some smaller fens and transition mires to the north-east bordering Armagh and of course Kilroosky Lough Cluster outside Clones town.  But there are also small inter-drumlin degraded raised bogs and fens which if restored could contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation as well as our biodiversity.

World Wetlands Day

World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on 2 February, aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and planet. The theme for 2023 is Wetlands Restoration and highlights the urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration. Wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies, and more. It is urgent that we raise national and global awareness about wetlands in order to reverse their rapid loss and encourage actions to conserve and restore them. Types of wetlands include lakes, rivers, fens, bogs, marshes etc.

Why wetlands are important:

• Wetlands support biodiversity.
• Wetlands absorb & store water and provide protection from flooding.
• Wetlands store carbon.
• Wetlands naturally ‑ filter water, remove pollutants and boost the local water supply.
• Wetlands boost eco – tourism.

Project: FEASABILITY OF RESTORING A NECKLACE OF “PEACELANDS – PEATLANDS” ALONG THE EAST BORDER REGION

This project is part of the shared island initiative and will support one of the stated objectives of the Shared Island funding: conservation projects to support biodiversity or cross-border peatland protection. The vision of the project is to develop a project plan setting out where and how to restore wetlands and peatlands in the east border region; to deliver quantifiable GHG emission reduction targets and improve the ecological condition of degraded peatlands. The east border region includes counties Monaghan, Louth, Meath, Armagh and Down. The plan will set out how best to work with local communities and farmers on a cross-community and cross-border basis to conserve and improve the quality of peatlands and associated habitats, and the ecosystem services they provide including carbon storage, clean water, flood control and biodiversity. The result will be prioritised sites for peatland/wetland restoration forming a final investment project delivering benefits for biodiversity, climate and people.

 

Who’s involved in this project:

• Monaghan County Council (Heritage section)
• Louth County Council (Heritage section)
• Meath County Council (Heritage section)
• Ulster Wildlife
• East Border Region
• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
• Newry Mourne and Down District Council
• Ards and North Down Borough Council

Shirley Clerkin, Monaghan County Council Heritage Officer stated “For years now, Monaghan County Council has been conducting surveys on the extent and condition of our wetlands and peatlands.  We’ve also been able to access considerable EU funding to undertake important conservation activities in recent times.  The Shared Island initiative brings new energy to this work, with its focus on the island of Ireland as a single biogeographic unit, all of its environmental goods and services dependent on each other. World Wetlands Day is an important annual reminder of the significance of our wetland heritage, coming as it does at the start of the Irish spring and so close to St. Brigid’s day who’s crosses made from rushes present us with another wetland symbol.”

 

Slieve Beagh Special Area of Conservation

 

Submit your application via our online grants system by Monday 20th February 2023 at 5pm.

A zoom information clinic will be held for applicants on Wednesday, January 25th at 11:00am.

Register at
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zfe4hjWEQAmMOpp2ShgUVw  

The Heritage section in MCC is looking for applicants to compile “A review of literature and case studies to identify best practices regarding peatland restoration”.

All tenders must be submitted by email, subject line ‘Request for Tender for Research Services’ and addressed to shclerkin@monaghancoco.ie by closing date 23.01.2023 before 4pm.

See attached document for further information:

Request For Tender For Research Services

1. National Biodiversity Plan

The draft NBAP sets out a vision for an Ireland in 2050 in which biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored, and sustainably used maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.

https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/1566c-public-consultation-on-irelands-4th-national-biodiversity-action-plan/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/biodiversityplan/

There are 3 ways to get involved: fill in the online survey.

Send any comments by email to: NBAPConsultation@housing.gov.ie or send comments by post to:

4th National Biodiversity Action Plan Consultation, Biodiversity Policy, NPWS, 90 North King Street, Dublin 7, D07 N7CV.

The closing date for submissions is 9 November 2022.

 

2. Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss

A Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, with a total of 100 members including an independent Chairperson and 99 randomly-selected members of the public, has been convened to examine how the State can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss, and to bring forward proposals in that regard. To make a submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, you can use one of these three options:

Upload your submission via our online submissions form.  https://www.citizensassembly.ie/en/assembly-on-biodiversity-loss/about/

Email your submission to submissions@citizensassembly.ie or

Post your submission to: Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, 16 Parnell Square, Dublin 1

Submissions can be made by the public until end of November.

 

3. New strategy statement for National Parks and Wildlife Service

The first Strategy Statement for the National Parks and Wildlife Service will set out the core mission and values of the NPWS, together with key strategic priorities as an organisation for 2023-2025.  https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/858b3-public-consultation-on-a-new-strategy-statement-for-the-national-parks-and-wildlife-service/

You can read the consultation document, and then complete a more detailed online questionnaire.

If you prefer to email or post your responses to the consultation document, you can send them by email to: strategyconsultation@npws.gov.ie or post to:

Strategy Consultation, NPWS, 90 North King Street, Dublin 7, D07 N7CV.

The closing date for submissions is 9 December 2022.

CONNECTING NATURE

Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council seek the services of a small, suitably qualified and experienced ecological team to deliver an exciting initiative to help landowners and communities protect nature by restoring ecological corridors or nature networks.

The project will engage with farmers and communities to map habitat connectivity in pilot areas and to plan ways to restore broken nature networks.   It will support the identification of on the ground action by providing materials to improve or restore natural connections and train the communities and the farmers on how to do the works.

Please see the terms of reference and how to apply here

Heritage Week 2022 will take place from Saturday 13^th August.  The easy online registration system for events is at www.heritageweek.ie

We encourage you to organise an event at or about your Monaghan heritage site this year.  There are lists of ideas and suggestions on the heritage week website to inspire you.  The broad theme this year is “Sustainable Heritage and Biodiversity”. Organise an Event/Project | National Heritage Week 13 – 21 August 2022

Organisers are asked to consider the following when planning their activities:

• Sustainability: An invitation to organisers to consider how we can conserve our rich built, cultural and natural heritage and how that can contribute to developing a more sustainable future. How can we connect with the skills and traditions of the past and pass them to the next generation?
• Biodiversity: An invitation to organisers to encourage greater appreciation of the natural world, to look at the variety of plant and animal life in their locality, and conserve native species and natural landscapes.

But you can be as broad as you like with your event theme.

There is also the facility to upload projects to the heritage week online portal – so if you have short films, slideshows or websites to share, you can do that too.

Enjoy your preparations.  The Monaghan County Council Heritage Office will supplement the Heritage Council publicity for events in August as usual.

 

 

An initiative to help landowners and communities to protect nature in Monaghan by restoring a wonderful wetland.

We can all play a part in making Monaghan a more resilient place in this time of a climate and biodiversity emergency.  In Monaghan, we can contribute by restoring wetland habitats across the county – a natural resource which has marvellous capacity to store carbon, hold flood waters back, filter water and provide homes for wildlife.

We are seeking a wetlands ecologist to help us to deliver this initiative.  You can find out more information by reading the terms of reference document.  Expressions of interest are sought by the 29^th July 2022.

shclerkin@monaghancoco.ie

 

For more information click here: TOR_Wonderful Wetlands ecological services_June 2022