The story of the ugly ducking is a well known fairy tale. This little duckling was constantly rejected by its so called siblings and suffered abuse from all around him. But, much to his delight and to the surprise of the others, he turns out to be a swan – the most beautiful bird of all. “This is what I think a place like this is like”, said Michael Long of Cabragh Wetlands to the group of us who went there on the interconnectedness tour at the end of August.
Michael with some of the group – Cabragh Wetlands in the background.
Cabragh Wetlands, a few kilometres from Holy Cross Abbey and in the shadow of Devil’s Bit Mountain, is close to the site of one of the four Irish sugar factories, which most of us learned about during our school days. Over the years the off-flow from this Thurles factory contributed greatly to the existence of the wetlands.
Wetlands are considered to be of little agricultural value, so the temptation is to drain them in order to make them useful. However, as we are slowly realizing, over-draining natural wet areas leads to increased flooding in other parts – in this case Clonmel. To offset such moves, in 1992 a group of far seeing locals established the Cabragh Wetlands Trust, which now owns 50 of the 200 acres of wetland – the whole of which is an SAC (Special Area of Conservation).
Listening to Michael and Adam (the other volunteer with us that day) one gets that sense of hope, which practical efforts at awareness raising about our interconnected earth community engenders. Wetlands may not be valued agriculturally but they are a vital aspect of the overall health of the planet. Home to a range of habitats – reed swamps, hedgerows, river, ponds, woodland, and wild flower meadows – they provide for biodiversity. Rare birds, insects, plants and mammals all thrive in this place. All life is valued here, reflecting what some church person recently pointed out: the threat to planet’s biodiversity (due to climate change) is possibly the greatest pro-life issue facing us all today.
Observing the bee hotel!
Citing the example of the rich bat community in the vicinity Adam informs us that bats feed primarily on insects, displaying a voracious appetite as they feast on anything up to 2000 insects a night. The plants in these wetlands are home to huge numbers of such insects. Destroying the wetlands (by draining them) would lead to the ultimate extinction of the bat community in the area – the death of a species, and, as Thomas Aquinas put it, the end of a divine expression.
Adam and Michael are concerned that this SAC will become, in the fullness of its time (some 10,000 years in the future) an area of peat-land. As the reeds die back year after year they will eventually become peat. While such conservation is the ultimate priority there are also other aspects to the vision of the place.
The Trust sees the wetlands as a recreational resource for the local community. People come and experience the place, just as we did. More formal walks for such events as Tree Week, Biodiversity Day, Earth Day, and Heritage Week, are also organised.
Local volunteers are a crucial part of the educational aspect of the vision. They deal with the many school children of all ages that come, helping them, in an experiential way, to learn about the wealth of life in the various habitats. And the wetlands are used also as a field studies base for third level students.
Michael and Adam are keenly aware of their locality and of the people living there. A local Traveller group grazes its horses on part of the wetlands. This suits both the Trust and the Travellers, as Michael points out. The wetlands require a certain amount of grazing and the Travellers horses get fed. What’s more, the horses’ hoof-prints make spaces for ground nesting birds. The sense of a pragmatic interconnectedness is obvious.
The ambitions for the place are obvious also. A new two story extension is underway with lecture room, viewing balcony, workshop, exhibition space, and tea room facilities. It is hoped that it will become Tipperary’s environmental, educational and visitor centre. Yet such expansion of building is done with a keen awareness that taking from nature requires a return. It is all about balance.
We could have spent the day there but our schedule required us to move on to our next destination: Cloughjordan – the only example of an ecovillage in the country. This very different project has, at heart, the same core value: that all life is linked and that, as humans, we need more than ever to become aware of those links, not just for the sake of all else but also for our own sakes.
Walking through Cloughjordan ecovillage with Brenda our guide
In Cloughjordan ecovillage individuals and families, young and old, mostly from Dublin, have chosen to live more intentionally in their environment. Round houses, rectangular and square houses, flat-roofs and hip-roofs are to be seen. Our guide Brenda informs us that each residence is built to a high-performance green standard. At the same time she is keen to point out that the residents are not a bunch of radicals. ‘Our way is not so much to take a radical green approach’, she says, ‘it’s just that everyone is trying to be a bit more aware of their environment and to do something practical about that.’
But Cloughjordan ecovillage is not just about the green accommodation: community and biodiversity are also valued. The lack of boundaries around the houses is symbolic of their basic commitment to interconnected living as one resident points out to us. They meet on a regular basis and try to reach consensus on most things. Brenda mentions the need for good links with the existing Cloughjordan community, and points out that parents tend to send their children to the local schools.
The group with some of the eco homes in the background
Residents have also familiarized themselves with the heritage of the entire locality. A member brought our attention to the ruin of a famine era fever hospital – a reminder that our food supply is always fragile and ultimately depends on biodiversity.
We wander around their community farm – where a variety of fruit and vegetables is growing. Like many, they are trying to make some effort at growing their own, but not always successfully, as Brenda informs us. Yet it is all in the trying.
At the end of the day I was left with a sense of gratitude for these very different responses to the challenge of the ecological crisis. Whether it is those who are willing to risk conserving the ‘ugly duckling’ believing that the most beautiful bird will eventually win out, or those willing to embrace a different lifestyle by becoming part of an intentional eco-community, it is up to the rest of us to become aware of such efforts at developing community and enhancing diversity, and, of course, to support wherever we can.
Margaret Twomey
Southern Province
