Wheel of life

Lorcan O'Toole, General Manager of the Golden Eagle Trust puts forward his thoughts on developing a future for wetlands in the mid-Shannon area which could form a Wetland Wilderness Park

“Rotha mór an tSaol”, is an Irish phrase meaning the ‘big Wheel of Life’; suggesting that life in general has a funny wait of repeating itself – rolling on in a cyclical fashion. 

For several centuries low lying areas with shallow waters were deemed as wastelands. They were obstacles or barriers constraining the potential for arable or livestock production and food.  Our recent history is full of defined periods of concentrated ‘drainage’ works; ‘winning’ the fields from the blight of rainfall and the misfortune of being in flooded hollows and flatlands.  But if we look to the distant past, it was these wetland or coastal areas that hosted the earliest settlements in Ireland.  These sites were ideally placed to harvest the rich local food supplies and materials on the water’s edge.

In the modern era, we need to ask whether there are some sites where allowing wetlands to recover could be of significant benefit to local communities; in an era where our economy and society have a much wider set of priorities, above and beyond food production. The concept of creating a Wetland Wilderness on Mount Dillon bog, straddling the most ancient highway in Ireland – namely the River Shannon, has been recognised by several local communities over the past two decades. But now as the real opportunity presents itself and as the ‘decision time’ approaches – there is a need for a widespread public debate on the scale and ambitions of such a concept. This debate will primarily involve two to four neighbouring counties, but it also merits some national focus and consideration.

The array of stakeholders with a vested interest in the future of this State-owned commercial peat-harvesting mosaic reflects the spread of sinews that this site holds. And it seems that the optimum solution for such a unique landholding merits a very honest and frank discussion, which genuinely explores all the possible and sustainable options available in terms of future management. If a singular commercial, societal or environmental approach is adopted in terms of future management options for these bogs; we will have failed future generations and communities living on the periphery of these wetland areas.  For a variety of historical and political reasons; most Irish landscapes have been managed primarily on the basis of an economic, a societal or an environmental outlook.  

Marrying all three ‘spokes’ of the sustainability wheel together is far more complex than some simple ‘theory’ or catch phrase - often espoused on promotional material. As a consequence, all stakeholders need to be unusually honest and open in their evaluation and explanations of all the potential management options for this special land holding.  Because the surest ‘trap’ awaiting our deliberations is that each stakeholder retreats in to their own ‘tent’ and conceives a plan reflecting their own goals and priorities.  But a partial ‘wheel’, containing only 90˚ or 120˚ of an ark, will not work and will not carry us very far forward.

Of course the Golden Eagle Trust has an emerging vision of how this site could be utilised, which is in parallel with the early visions of the people in Strokestown, Wetlands Heritage Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and individuals like John Feehan and Pat Warner.

But ultimately, the most important ‘voice’ will be that of the local communities on both sides of the Shannon, who will need to appraise what type of management plan is best suited to employ and retain local young people and thereby enrich future generations in a truly sustainable and beneficial manner.  There is a very real sentiment on the ground that the people of Longford and Roscommon and their ‘wishes’ need to be heard and respected, in this regard.

The whole concept of creating a wetland tourism and societal ‘dividend’ would have found little public succour in the 1970’s. But in the near future there is going to be a public debate on how best to manage these lands and the water that collects there.   This approaching debate will take place in an entirely different ‘global’ era.  It is vital that local communities, parishes and villages inform themselves of all the varied opportunities that will shortly present themselves.  And these communities can then consider how best to blend the various potential strands and hopefully create a rather unique landscape and a robust plan.

A rounded sustainable plan will be far more durable & vibrant and more likely to roll over effortlessly, decade after decade, and carry the revitalised communities forward with it.

wetlands re-forming on cutaway bog in the Mount Dillon area