https___ancarn.org_projects-services_the-environment__lang_ga_1.xml
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Protection and enhancing our biodiversity The Association is committed to nature conservation and enhancing the areas rich biodiversity both directly and by encouraging others to do likewise. The jewel in the crown of our nature conservation activities is the Drumnaph Nature Reserve, a remnant of the ancient forest of Glenconkeyne and Killetra that once covered about 80 square miles between Lough Neagh and the Sperrin Mountains. This area was not a large homogeneous block of forest, but a rich tapestry of woodland, bogland, rivers and forest clearings used for grazing as well as rath settlements (three of which are located in the reserve). Whilst many of the vast forests of Ireland were lost in the early middle ages, this ancient forest survived into the seventeenth century thanks to some of the earliest known environmental protection legislation in Europe, the Brehon Laws. The laws helped to protect this landscape for almost 1,500 years until it was exhaustively exploited during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We are very fortunate to have a microcosm of this once dominant ecosystem that has miraculously survived until the present day. The richness of this heritage lies in the rich diversity of habitats: ancient woodland, seminatural woodland, hedgerow habitats, bogland, fenland, ancient grazing land and over a mile of an important salmon-spawning river containing fresh-water mussels. These habitats all survive in isolation in the wider landscape, but very few if any areas exist where these habitats are so closely inter-related and inter-linked. This allows our reserve to support a much more complex and interrelated ecosystem than exists in today’s wider landscape. In this sense the reserve effectively acts a repository of this complex interconnected ecosystem that could help reinstate and strengthen biodiversity in other valuable ecological ‘island’ sites in Mid Ulster. This diverse ecosystem is being maintained in the same way that it has evolved, through low-intensity seasonal conservation grazing of the various parts of the reserve. The reserve contains a conservation farm maintains the delicate balance in the reserve and also surplus meat is used in our community café, An Croí. There is a rich folkloric and historical record associated with Drumnaph Nature Reserve and Glenconkyne, both of which survive in the oral tradition and written records. Drumnaph, from Droim nDamh meaning “ridge of the stag”, is the setting for an important mythological tale, of the same corpus as the Giant’s Causeway story, which forms a valued local connection to a body of ancient European folklore heritage, the Fianna stories. These tales contribute an enlightening and intriguing dimension to the local heritage. Through our community events and activities we celebrate these stories and bring them to life for all generations to enjoy. Historically, the reserve was traversed with a network of pathways and local people have used it over the centuries to get to school, to reach the local town and to visit neighbouring townlands. The reserve holds a very special place in local oral tradition and heritage. In more recent folklore there is an itinerant scholar, handyman and labourer called McCartney who was known to live under one of the large oak trees in the woods that is still known as McCartney’s Oak. Our ancient folklore, Brehon law scripts, recorded historical events and oral tradition provide a rich narrative of Drumnaph and these help to animate and communicate the important heritage themes of this project. The association is actively working to strengthen the ecosystems in the reserve and to encourage local landowners to get involved in enhancing the biodiversity in the surrounding areas by promoting conservation knowledge and information about the range of incentives that are available to landowners to promote biodiversity on their lands. Further information on our environmental work can be obtained by contacting info@ancarn.org.
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Ár mbithéagsúlacht a chosaint agus a fheabhsú Tá an cumann tiomnaithe do chaomhnú an dúlra agus bithéagsúlacht shaibhir an cheantair a fheabhsú go díreach agus trí dhaoine eile a spreagadh an rud céanna a dhéanamh. Is é an tseoid is luachmhaire dár n-imeachtaí caomhnaithe dúlra Tearmann Dúlra Dhroim nDamh, iarsma de choill ársa Ghleann Con Cadhain agus Choill Íochtarach a chlúdaigh tráth timpeall 80 míle chearnógach tráth idir Loch nEachadh agus Sliabh Speirín. Ní bloc aonchineálach foraoise a bhí sa cheantar seo, ach gréasán saibhir de choillearnach, móinteán, aibhneacha agus réitigh choille a d’úsáidtí fá choinne innilte chomh maith le lonnaíochtaí ráthanna (a bhfuil trí cinn suite sa tearmann). Cé gur cailleadh cuid mhór d’fhoraoisí ollmhóra na hÉireann i dtús na meánaoiseanna, mhair an fhoraois ársa go dtí an seachtú haois déag a bhuí le cuid de na dlíthe cosanta comhshaoil is luaithe dá raibh san Eoraip, Dlíthe na mBreithiúna nó an Féineachas. Chuidigh na dlíthe an tírdhreach seo a chosaint ar feadh beagnach 1,500 bliain go dtí go ndearnadh dúshaothrú amach air le linn an tseachtú haois déag agus an ochtú haois déag. Tá an t-ádh orainn go bhfuil micreacosma againn den éiceachóras seo a bhí i réim tráth, ar míorúilt é gur mhair sé go dtí an lá atá inniu ann. Is é saibhreas na hoidhreachta seo ilghnéitheacht shaibhir na ngnáthóg: coillearnach ársa, coillearnach leathnádúrtha, gnáthóga fáil sceiche, móinteán, eanach, talamh féaraigh ársa agus níos mó ná míle d’abhainn atá tábhachtach fá choinne sceitheadh bradáin agus a bhfuil diúilicíní fionnuisce inti. Maireann na gnáthóga seo go léir ar leithligh sa mhór-thírdhreach, ach is beag ceantar ar fad, má tá ceantar ar bith ann, ina bhfuil na gnáthóga seo idirghaolta agus idirnasctha chomh dlúth sin. Ligeann seo dár dtearmann tacú le héiceachóras i bhfad níos casta agus idirghaolta ná mar atá i dtírdhreach níos leithne an lae inniu. Ina leith seo is taisclann é an tearmann don éiceachóras chasta idirnasctha seo a d’fhéadfadh cuidiú an bhithéagsúlacht a chur ar ais i réim agus a neartú inár suíomhanna ‘oileánda’ éiceolaíocha i Lár Uladh. Tá an t-éiceachóras ilghnéitheach seo á choinneáil an bealach céanna ar fhorbair sé, trí innilt chaomhnaithe shéasúrach ar dhéine íseal ar chodanna éagsúla an tearmainn. Tá feirm chaomhnaithe sa tearmann a choinníonn cothromaíocht íogair sa tearmann agus chomh maith leis sin úsáidtear feoil fhuílleach inár gcaifé pobail, An Croí. Tá taifead saibhir béaloidis agus staire ann a bhaineann le Tearmann Dúlra Dhroim nDamh agus Gleann Con Cadhain, a mhaireann beirt sa traidisiún béil agus sa taifead scríofa. Is é Droim nDamh láthair scéil thábhachtaigh miotaseolaíochta, den chorpas chéanna is tá scéal Chlochán an Aifir, atá ina nasc áitiúil luachmhar le cnuasach ársa Eorpach oidhreachta béaloidis, scéalta na Fiannaíochta. Tugann na scéalta seo gné léargasach agus spéisiúil don oidhreacht áitiúil. Trínár n-imeachtaí agus gníomhaíochtaí pobail déanaimid na scéalta seo a cheiliúradh agus a thabhairt chun beatha le go mbainfidh gach glúin taitneamh astu. Go stairiúil, bhí gréasán de chosáin trasna an tearmainn, agus tá daoine áitiúla á úsáid leis na céadta bliain le dul ar scoil, leis an bhaile mhór áitiúil a bhaint amach agus le cuairt a thabhairt ar bhailte fearainn in aice láimhe. Tá áit an-speisialta ag an tearmann sa traidisiún béil agus oidhreacht áitiúil. I seanchas níos deireanaí tá scoláire taistil, fear deaslámhach agus oibrí dar shloinne Mac Cartaine, arb eol dúinn gur chónaigh sé faoi cheann de na crainn mhóra darach sna coillte ar a dtugtar Dair Mhic Cartaine go fóill. Inár mbéaloideas ársa, scríbhinní dhlíthe na mBreithiúna, imeachtaí stairiúla taifeadta agus traidisiún béil tá aithris shaibhir ar Dhroim nDamh agus is cuidiú iad chun téamaí tábhachtacha oidhreachta an tionscadail seo a bheochan agus a chur in iúl. Tá an cumann ag obair go gníomhach leis na héiceachórais sa tearmann a neartú agus le húinéirí talaimh áitiúla a spreagadh le bheith páirteach i bhfeabhsú na bithéagsúlachta sna ceantair máguaird trí eolas a chur chun cinn ar chaomhnú bithéagsúlachta agus ar fhaisnéis faoin raon dreasachtaí atá ar fáil d’úinéirí talaimh le bithéagsúlacht a chur chun cinn ar a dtailte. Is féidir tuilleadh eolais ar ár n-obair chomhshaoil a fháil ach teagmháil a dhéanamh le eolas@ancarn.org.