Friday, December 15, 2006

Enjoying the hills

A proposed "Strategic Plan For The Development Of Outdoor Recreational Facilities in the area known as the South Dublin Hills" aims to link all existing and potential outdoor recreation components in the South Dublin Hills area over the 10 year period to 2017. The Strategic Plan is envisaged to include


  1. A vision for outdoor recreation in 2012 and 2017

  2. An account of the current status of outdoor recreation in the area

  3. An inventory of outdoor recreation infrastructure and facilities currently in place

  4. An audit of land that has potential for outdoor recreation use

  5. Address opportunities for development

  6. Address obstacles to development

  7. A costed Action Plan with short, medium and long-term targets

  8. Potential funding strategies

The plan will address the need to develop an integrated approach to the provision of outdoor recreation facilities and infrastructure; coordination of the aspirations of the different groups; urban development; transport; access; carrying capacity of the resource; education; conservation; management of the resource including a role for community involvement; security structures to deal with anti-social behaviour; marketing.


It is being commissioned by Coillte on behalf of themselves and various local authorities and interest groups.


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The island of ireland

Once upon a time, and for 15000 years, ice a mile high blanketed Ireland. When the lingering Ice Age finally released and the Irish ice departed it left a landscape scoured. Across land bridges linking Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe plants and animals arrived to colonise the new lowlands, mountains and valleys. The world’s ice continued to melt, the sea levels to rise, and some 8000 years ago Ireland became the island we now know, accounting for just 0.01% of the world's total land area and the most westerly point of Europe.

Though at Alaskan latitudes, the country's climate is tempered, due partly to the neighbouring waters of the Gulf Stream and partly the prevailing southwesterlies that veering and backing make landfall on our sodden coast. These offerings from the Atlantic mean it is never too hot, never too cold. But without doubt it is wet. Rain lingers year round, never far away, though is most frequent in winter, the western counties and, inevitably, on the day of your parade.