Latest news with #Brúnabóinne
Irish Times
01-07-2025
- General
- Irish Times
‘Great day' for Slane as long-awaited bypass and gets approval from An Coimisiún Pleanála
The long-awaited Slane bypass in Co Meath has been approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála. Planning permission has been given for 3.5 kilometres of N2 bypass dual-carriageway, 1.4 kilometres of realigned N51 national road and a bridge across the Boyne. Residents have for decades complained about the volume of traffic going through the village. There have been multiple road deaths in the village, which is accessed via a steep hill over the river. The original proposal to bypass the village was refused planning permission in 2012 because it was too close to the Brú na Bóinne Unesco world heritage site. An Bord Pleanála suggested a new route be chosen. READ MORE Meath County Council altered the proposed route and lodged another planning application with An Bord Pleanála in December 2023. It has now been approved. The bypass will skirt the south of the village from Johnstown and will link up with the N51 near Gallows Hill. In its ruling An Coimisiún Pleanála said the new route would have 'no significant adverse effects arising for the Brú na Bóinne Unesco world heritage property'. Instead, plans to improve Slane village as a result of the bypass would have significant 'positive effects arising for the architectural heritage of Slane village through public realm improvement and reduction in the volume and type (heavy goods vehicles) of through traffic'. Artist's impression of part of the proposed bypass around Slane village, Co Meath The planning authority said the new bypass would not have 'any unacceptable direct or indirect effects on the environment'. Meath County Council Cathaoirleach Wayne Harding, who is from Slane, said it was a 'great day for road safety and good news for the northeast commuters'. 'The announcement that the Slane bypass has finally received planning permission has been met with great excitement,' he said. Cllr Harding said local people had been campaigning for decades for the bypass and he said the refusal in 2012 caused had 'deep anger and frustration'. He praised the county council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland for going back to the drawing board on putting together an application that has now been accepted. 'This decision today is not just on the N2 north/south bypass, but will also see millions of investment in a public realm plan which will completely transform Slane,' Cllr Harding said. 'Today is an extremely positive one. In addition to the bypass progressing, the village will also see nine acres and a period house restored and regenerated as a village park, interpretive centre and craft studios. 'It will also be part of a much larger project of the Boyne Greenway, which will see the town of Drogheda connected to Navan by a pedestrian and cycle path.' Junior minister and Fianna Fáil Meath East TD Thomas Byrne said the commission's decision was a 'major breakthrough for safety, sanity and the soul of Slane'. Sinn Féin 's Meath East TD Darren O'Rourke said on X: 'Welcome news. Well done to Meath County Council and the local community for all their in getting it this far.'
Irish Times
21-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
How yellow rattle can inject new life into Ireland's green spaces
'Gliográn' means 'little rattler' – a clattery, tinkling thing – and it describes well the sound rippling across a field full of yellow rattle in late summer, around August, carried best on a dry day with a light breeze. The soft rattling noise comes from the dried seeds inside their papery bladder-like pods, which shake like tiny maracas. Years ago, a tinkling field told farmers it was time to make hay; they'd listen for the sound as their cue to take out the scythe and start cutting. Finding a large field full of yellow rattle isn't easy these days – it's often considered a weed , especially by farmers on high-yield grassland systems. But just last week I stood in a gently sloping Co Meath field filled with this yellow flower, with clover growing beneath, at the new 552-acre Brú na Bóinne National Park in Dowth, in the Boyne Valley. The park, which the State bought for €11 million in 2023, isn't yet open to the public (it will take a few more years). But the process of turning the high-nutrient grasslands into spaces for nature has already begun, led by the new park manager, Maurice Eakin. Dr Eakin has one goal: to bring life back to these lands. To begin the process, he sowed yellow rattle seeds in parts of the park last November. Often called 'the meadow maker' or 'nature's lawnmower', the yellow rattle is a handsome, striking plant with slender, toothed green leaves and sunlit yellow flowers shaped like snapdragon-style tubular bells clustered at the top of its stem. Above ground, the plant is all charm – a beautiful burst of yellow flowers swaying in the fields, as if butter wouldn't melt. Underground, though, it's quite the vampire and thief. As a seedling, yellow rattle sends out roots that latch on to those of neighbouring plants, especially grasses, and siphon off their water, minerals and nutrients. This parasitic habit weakens the grasses and slows their growth, and it's particularly effective against dominant grass species such as ryegrass. (This is why many farmers understandably dislike it since ryegrass is rich in energy and protein and is fed to livestock.) READ MORE By winning a war against dominant grasses, yellow rattle opens space for less competitive wildflowers to grow, such as oxeye daisy, buttercup, sweet vernal grass and common knapweed. The result is a diverse meadow with flowers that bloom at different times through the spring and summer, offering a steady supply of nectar and pollen for insects and somewhere to shelter and breed. As the wild plant conservation charity Plantlife says, yellow rattle is the 'single most important plant you need when creating a wildflower meadow'. Although it was cold and damp when I stood in the field with Dr Eakin, the hoverflies and bumblebees were out in numbers, landing on the yellow flowers in search of sweet nectar. As they moved from plant to plant, the bees brushed against the flowers' male parts and picked up dustings of fine, powdery pollen, each grain carrying the plant's sperm cells. When the bees visited the next flower, some of that pollen rubbed off on to the female part of the plant, fertilising it and allowing it to produce seeds. Just as the yellow rattle gets up to mischief beneath the soil, some bee species get up to tricks while feeding on its nectar. This sugar-rich liquid is buried deep inside the yellow flower, favouring long-tongued bees such as the garden bee, whose tongue can reach 20mm long. Shorter-tongued bees that arrive on the flower can't reach it, but that doesn't put them off. Instead of entering through the floral opening, they land on the side of the flower where the nectar collects, bite a small hole, and drink their fill. These 'nectar robbers' bypass the flower's reproductive parts, so while they get the sweet stuff, the plant gains nothing in return apart from a dose of its own medicine from one thief to another. [ Butterflies in free fall: 'It's really alarming because it shows that something significant is happening in the wider countryside' Opens in new window ] Dr Eakin says he is delighted with how the yellow rattle transforms the field from ryegrass-dominated grassland into a richer, more diverse meadow. His aim over the next few years is to restore life to this part of Meath, and his use of yellow rattle as a key tool in this process could inspire and guide urban park managers across Ireland. Injecting life into public green spaces – transitioning from mown grass to wildflower meadows – can help reverse insect decline and create healthier, more vibrant spaces for local communities. The impact of urban meadows can be significant. A study published last year by scientists at Warsaw University found that replacing regularly mowed lawns with wildflower meadows in cities leads to a high concentration of pollinating insects, making these urban meadows as valuable as natural meadows in rural areas. The outlook for pollinators in Ireland is bleak. Our butterflies are in free fall. Recent data from the National Biodiversity Data Centre reveals staggering, catastrophic declines in their populations between 2008 and 2021: the meadow brown down 86 per cent, the ringlet down 88 per cent, the green-veined white down 87.2 per cent. Like bumblebees, butterflies are homeless and starving, with little hope of recovery unless we urgently restore wildflowers to our landscape. [ Irish wildflowers: Growing your own mini-meadow isn't always easy but the results are magical Opens in new window ] In this battle, an gliográn – the yellow rattle – could be one of our most loyal and effective allies.
