Irishtown Nature Park, Dublin
Irishtown Nature Park is a small man-made park between Irishtown and Sandymount Strand in Dublin 4, Ireland that offers several kilometers of walking trails along the Poolbeg Peninsula.History
Development
The park was devised during a building boom in the 1970s, where rubble and waste was dumped in its current location. The Sandymount and Merrion Residents Association suggested turning the waste dump into a nature reserve. During the 1980s, Dublin Corporation, along with local residents, developed the park and planted seeds, trees, and tall grasses.Access
The nature park can be accessed in two locations. An offroad path located on the Beach Road, opposite Marine Drive, meanders across the edge of Sandymount Strand for 1.4 kilometers up to the park entrance. A second entrance is located on Pigeon House Road near the Poolbeg Generating Station.Environment
Fauna
Many species of birds including skylarks, linnets, dunnocks, stonechats, herons, and Brent geese visit the park every year. The park is also home to the Pyramidal orchid, red-tailed bumblebee, and a rare beetle, Oedemera lurida.Flora
The park is rich in plant species. Grassland species in the nature park have included Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra, Agrostis stolonifera, Cirsium arvense, blackberry plants, Prunus spinosa, Sambucus nigra and Fraxinus excelsior. Two exotic species are also present; Acer pseudoplatanus and Reynoutria japonica.
