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About dermymcnally

Untethered Writing and Whining with poetry & puns by Dermy McNally. My writing has been in publication since 2001 in publications such as The Northern Standard, The Irish Times and TheJournal.ie. My writing is a mixture of short fiction, journalism, opinion pieces, poetry, radio plays and more.

Our Disappearing Hedgerows

Hedgerows Ireland Petition TD’s to Act

Have you ever rambled along a country road smelling the blossoms from overhanging trees and then reached in to the hedge to pick a few juicy blackberries? Or perhaps stooped down to the tar and gathered acorns where their little caps have popped off revealing a perfect oval nut? If so, then perhaps you’ll be interested in efforts being taken to protect Irish hedges. This week we look at a recent protest spearheaded by Hedgerows Ireland to highlight frustration with the inadequate protections and incentives for Irish hedges. During the protest the group handed over a signed letter and petition calling on the Minister to make immediate changes but first…


Who are Hedgerows Ireland?

Hedgerows Ireland are a broad alliance of interested parties that work towards the enhancement and protection of hedgerows in Ireland. The group is made up of landowners, farmers, nature lovers and more. Their website can be found at https://hedgerowsireland.org/ The group believe that hedgerows are key to solving or improving many of the challenges facing our countryside. These include:

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TM trip to Lough Muckno March 2022

Members of Transition Monaghan took a trip to Lough Muckno to hear from “Friends of Lough Muckno” who shared their concerns about Monaghan County Councils Vision for developing the area. The Vision created by external consultants would result in a huge impact on the landscape and risk damage to already weakened habitats and water quality.

A proposed enormous development threatens biodiversity at Lough Muckno
Liam Murtagh addresses the group and explaining the likely impacts of the “Vision”
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Farm Diversification Enhances Nature in Monaghan

The Barker home place near Derryvalley, Co Monaghan is enjoying a wonderful renaissance under the thoughtful stewardship of owner (and well known Toastmaster) Charlie Barker. A few intrepid members of Transition Monaghan took a visit to see and learn how diversification and respect for nature are paying dividends. Dermot McNally explains all.

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What will Monaghan’s Climate look like in the future?

On the 6th January, 1839, 175 years ago, Co Monaghan and the rest of Ireland experienced a hurricane. The 1993 book ‘The Big Wind’ by Peter Carr describes in detail the devastation caused. The  Northern Standard carried reports  in its first edition which was just published just four days later.  Our recent storms have not been quite as severe as the one in 1839. Nevertheless it has focused our attention on the type of weather that  climate scientists are predicting that we will experience  in the  coming years. 

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Why Keeping Honeybees is Now Needed More Than Ever

MEG member and novice beekeeper Liam Murtagh says that our ecosystem including many farm crops are at risk due to the decline in the number of bees, so he is encouraging more people to consider keeping honeybees.

bee

Top bar beehive with a removable viewing window cover

Have you seen many bees so far this year? Most likely you will have seen only a few bumble bees, as the weather has not been favourable for the honeybee. In fact many colonies of honeybees have not survived the winter and in my own case I lost one of my two colonies. Many fellow beekeepers in Ireland have had significant losses as have beekeepers throughout Europe.

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“Time to rejuvenate our hedgerows”

As Spring approaches and our hedgerows are about to burst forth into growth, experienced hedge layer John McKeon considers the value of our hedgerows and how we should look after them.  John is a committee member of the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland and he will be running a one day training course on hedge laying in Castleblayney on Saturday 8th February. Tel 087 1462790 for details.      

Eamon Mc Loughlin of the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland secures a newly laid hedge with traditional wooden gabhlógs at a hedge laying demonstration.

Eamon Mc Loughlin of the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland secures a newly laid hedge with traditional wooden gabhlógs at a hedge laying demonstration.

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Conference on ‘Climate Justice: What Can We Do?’

MEG member Liam Murtagh went along recently to a conference on Climate Justice hosted by Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and organised by the Drogheda based development education group ‘Development Perspectives’. While initially setting out the extent of the global challenges of climate change and climate justice and the lack of action to address them, the conference presenters went on to focus on some practical responses in the education field in Ireland.

Main speakers at the Climate Justice conference were l to r:John Sweeney, Climatologist, NUI Maynooth, Ann Cleary, DkIT Green-CampusCommittee and Elaine Nevin, Eco UNESCO.

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Sustainable Tourism – holidays that benefit the visitor, the local community and the planet.

During these early weeks of the January many of us make plans for a summer holiday.  Given the increasing awareness of the damage that certain types of tourism have on communities and on the planet, there is an emerging interest in ecotourism, responsible tourism and sustainable tourism. These alternative options are worth exploring,  whether we are booking our holiday in Ireland or abroad or if we happen to be a local tourism provider.           

Canoeing on Lough Muckno, Castleblayney on a sunny summer’s day in 2013. According to the Castleblayney Town Development Plan, the “special character and serenity of Lough Muckno derives from its combination of tranquil lakes, drumlin topography, wooded parkland and integral location within Castleblayney”. The lake and surrounding park, now a top coarse fishing destination, have considerable potential for a range of ‘sustainable tourism’ activities.

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