Kerry’s Tralee Bay wetlands and Lough Gur lakeshore in Co Limerick are both winners in this year’s Green Flag awards.
Some 101 green spaces were selected for awards in Ireland out of a total of 150 across Europe, according to An Taisce’s environmental education unit.
Tralee Bay Wetlands Eco and activity park was the overall winner, and also the town winner in the Green Flag Pollinator awards.
Lough Gur Lakeshore Park and Visitor Centre in Limerick was one of two, along with Julianstown Community Garden in Co Meath, to receive special innovation awards.
Lough Gur installed 28 bee lodges to support solitary and native bees. The lodges were built by participants in the Probation and Linkage in Limerick scheme as part of the prison education programme, and were funded by Analog Devices.
An Taisce's Green Flag flying at Lough Gur Lakeshore Park and Visitor Centre in Limerick
Other coastal award winners include Garinish Island and Fota Arboretum and Gardens in Co Cork and Derrynane House and Park in Co Kerry.
Participating countries in the international award scheme are Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
Britain, where the green flag was initiated in 1996, is no longer in the EU but has 2,216 parks – the largest number since the scheme began 27 years ago – which can raise green flags this year.
Like its blue flag counterpart on coastlines, the green flag award benchmarks excellence in the management of spaces which are open and free to the public. In this case, it highlights parks, gardens, grounds and wildlife sanctuaries which have made special efforts.
An Taisce’s environmental education unit published the full list here
