The historic St Cronan’s Well is to be located within open space in the new council development off the Rathbeale Rd, council officials have confirmed. While the site of the holy well will be preserved, it is not clear if measures will be taken to preserve the water source or how the development will impact…
Building works for a new apartment block on Seatown Rd, Swords has uncovered the remains of what is believed to be a building dating back to the 1500s. Wall foundations and a patch of cobbled flooring have been exposed by builders and investigations are now taking place to get a better understanding of the significance…
St Columba’s Church has been given a €50k grant under the Heritage Structure Fund to preserve its stain glass and decorative internal joinery. The iconic Swords building, which was built in 1811, will have conservation works done on its leaded diamond pattern windows, spliced repair of the carved timber tracery and lime mortar pointing of…
Excess mud will be cleared from the paths around Ushers Lake in the Ward River Valley, over the next month. Investigation works to find the remnants of the historic Brackenstown Mill will also happen in this time. Paths in the area will be closed during the works and people are asked not to enter fenced…
The major investment in Holywell Park is taking shape with the council purchasing a number of items and currently working on the proposed layout which will be available in the next few weeks. A half MUGA, which is a basketball net and soccer goal, fitness equipment to add to what is currently in place and…
Assistant and Executive Biodiversity Officer positions for the Biodiversity team in Fingal County Council are currently being advertised. The roles are part of an expanded Biodiversity Team to implement the Fingal Biodiversity Action Plan. The plan has over 100 actions aimed at halting nature loss and restoring biodiversity over the coming decade. Some of the…
The old brick archway, which was part of a cluster of structures linked to an old mill, has been almost entirely restored. The archway was used as a bridge and was at risk of collapse last year when conservation experts started work to restore it. Now the structure, and works to restore the riverbanks around…
A recent ecological survey of the Ward River, as part of the Fingal Biodiversity Action Plan, has found evidence of otter, kingfisher, and dipper. Sadly, the survey failed to find evidence of salmon along the river from Knocksedan Bridge to Balheary, despite it appearing in previous surveys. A senior ecologist from Rivus Ecological Engineers, who…
Biodiversity projects, such as the Ward River Valley and Broadmeadow Estuary conservation work, have received €5.8m from Fingal’s capital programme. This allocation is the first phase of funding for a county-wide plan to halt biodiversity loss and restore nature in Fingal by 2030. This plan contains 100 actions and is one of the most ambitious…
Nesting boxes designed to lure the newly reintroduced Osprey to the Swords area are being considered as part of the Fingal Biodiversity Action Plan. Ecologists are due to assess sites on Fingal estuaries to see where would be the most approapriate place for the placement of osprey nest boxes. As this year an osprey from…