09 August 2016
22 parks and green spaces across the Republic of Ireland have received the Green Flag Award
Environmental charity, An Taisce Environmental Education, are delighted that 22 parks and green space across the Republic of Ireland have received the Green Flag Award.
Last year, there was an initial trail of the Green Flag Award Scheme in Ireland with a pilot run jointly with Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, and the Office of Public Works. This saw some of the capital's most significant landmark parks and estates being recognised for the quality of their recreational and historic green space.
A year later, more than 25 parks and green space have been awarded this international standard of excellence. First time winners this year include not only parks from urban centres such as Dublin, but also from across the Ancient East Region, including Gorey, Dundalk, Portlaoise, Mullingar, and Tullamore, and from locations in the west such as Turlough Park in County Mayo.
With more than 1.59 million overseas garden visitors recorded by Failte Ireland in 2015, the Green Flag Award is important to ensure that appropriate park standards are being adopted and maintained for all visitors. The Green Flag Award scheme has introduced a benchmark against which the quality of freely accessible public parks and green spaces are measured in many different countries across Europe and beyond.
In Ireland the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces has been enthusiastically received by park management as it delivers major wins for the delivery of quality green space by respective parks and park departments. These include:
• The promotion and reward for best practice management
• Creation of a plan for improvements and future works
• The building of a collaborative network of park management nationally
• The implementation of environmental sustainability within park management
Robert Moss, the Green Flag Awards for Parks Manager for the Republic of Ireland said: "The often unseen hard work of many park staff over many years has provided Ireland with a wealth of treasured parks, gardens, and green spaces. These important amenities provide us with a welcome refuge from the stress of urban life, and are major attractions for tourists and other visitors to Ireland.
"We have greatly benefited from working closely with our colleagues in Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the Green Flag fAward operator in Northern Ireland and also with the park operators in Northern Ireland and the international co-ordination at Keep Britain Tidy".
If you are interested in finding out further information about the Green Flag Award or other programmes run by An Taisce Environmental Education Unit.
