National Tree Week celebrated in Dromiskin

A number of local residents in Louth got a sneak preview of Siúl na Mánaigh, the new stretch of Greenway in Dromiskin that links the two Community Green Flag public parks in the village.

While this exciting new project won’t be accessible and officially opened for a few weeks, an informal event was held recently to celebrate National Tree Week, and pay tribute to the sponsors of the 35 trees that were planted to create a community orchard and biodiversity corridor along the greenway.

With this year’s theme for National Tree Week being Planting Trees - Growing Together, it provided the ideal opportunity to engage in a community project that sought sponsorship from local families to purchase, plant and stake a series of trees along the route, in an unusual but very successful approach to creating a community orchard, funded by the community who can monitor the progress of the trees as they grow together in keeping with the theme and spirit of National Tree Week.

Chairman of Dromiskin Tidy Towns, Pat Mulligan, welcomed all present and thanked sponsors for their generosity, noting that when a Facebook post sought sponsors for the trees, all 25 were sponsored within two hours, and such was the desire of local residents to become involved, that arrangements were made to plant a further ten.

_{Below: Walking the new stretch of the Dromiskin greenway}

Guest of honour at the event was Leas Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Councillor John Reilly, who was fulsome in his praise for the work carried out by Dromiskin Tidy Towns, and indeed, Tidy Towns groups throughout the county, who he noted played a crucial role in the environmental presentation, sustainability and biodiversity enhancement of local communities throughout the county.

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He noted that the greenway was funded by way of a grant under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and was delighted that Louth County Council was in a position to facilitate and recommend the grant that ensured the works could be undertaken. Councillor Reilly concluded his contribution by planting the ceremonial tree at the event.

Dromiskin Tidy Towns says it is very lucky to have a professional Landscape Architect, Kevin Halpenny, as a member. Kevin has been responsible for the design and project management of many, many hard and soft landscaping projects in recent years, with Siúl na Mánaigh being the most recent example of his work.

Hailing the planting of the Community Orchard as a great success, Kevin reminded sponsors that archaeologists advise that trees have been cultivated for fruit since Neolithic times, but in the last seventy years there has been a huge loss of orchards across Europe, and initiatives such as this help to redress the balance.

He also stressed that this type of orchard was multi-functional, as in addition to being a source of food it also provides a diverse habitat for pollinators, invertebrates, birds and another animal species so it really is a win win for all.

The way the greenway has been developed ensures that is a multifunctional amenity, in that it encourages and supports active travel, provides a safe route to school, creates a biodiversity corridor with the now added function of the community orchard - a practical example of how we can all play a part in improving our local environment.

The event concluded with light refreshments in the school where local residents had an opportunity to catch up with each other and make plans for even more exciting initiatives in the community. Dromiskin Tidy Towns says it is looking forward to the official opening of the Greenway very soon which will provide the opportunity to pay tribute to the landowners, funders and volunteers who collaborated to make what seemed impossible a reality.

More photos to follow