Government ministers have announced Ireland’s first marine national park involving some 70,000 acres of Kerry’s land and sea.

The new park, Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, is centred around Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry and includes the Conor Pass, the Owenmore River catchment, lands at Mount Brandon and the sand dune system at Inch Peninsula.

Sites already under State ownership, such as the limestone reefs of Kerry Head shoals and the waters around the Blasket islands, are also included.

Two ministers – housing minister Darragh O’Brien and education minister Norma Foley -along with two junior ministers, Malcolm Noonan and Kieran O’Donnell, made the announcement in Kerry on Monday.

They said that the Páirc’s heritage legacy would be further enhanced by the inclusion of lands on the Great Blasket Island, the globally significant UNESCO World Heritage property of Sceilg Mhichíl, and Derrynane House, Historic Park and Beach, which are managed by the Office of Public Works.

Further collaborations with BirdWatch Ireland, which manages Little Skellig and Puffin Island, and with the Commissioners of Irish Lights, which manages An Tiaracht Nature Reserve, ensure that these internationally important sites for seabirds are also an integral part of the Páirc, they said.

They said that lhe landscapes, islands and seas of this region are of enormous significance for biodiversity.

“ Starting in the majestic uplands of Mount Brandon and Conor Pass, we find active blanket bogs and heaths, with famed alpine flora, providing valuable habitats for the Peregrine Falcon, Otter and Marsh Fritillary butterfly,” they said.

“Nestled among them is the pristine Owenmore river, one of the last remaining refuges of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel. Down at the coast, we can see some of the finest sand dune systems in Europe, which are home to the Natterjack Toad, before heading out to sea to encounter the shallow bays, which are important breeding sites for sharks and rays, and an extensive and biologically rich marine limestone reef system,”they said.

“The islands speak for themselves, with entire populations of rare and endangered seabirds such as Puffin, Storm Petrel, Gannet and Razorbill, as well as unique communities of lichen and other flora,” they said.

“Equally, the area’s cultural and archaeological value cannot be overstated. The UNESCO World Heritage property of Sceilig Mhicíl, an island of global importance, is at the heart of the Páirc’s cultural heritage,” they said.

“The seas that surround it, meanwhile, were the routeways of the past and the last resting place of many historic wrecks. They include the Spanish Armada vessel of Santa Maria de la Rosa, which was lost off Blasket Sound in 1588,” they continued.

“ On the mainland, the landscapes of the Páirc document the history of settlement in the region, with archaeological monuments and traces of people over the millennia, including those who etched ogham script on the ancient standing stone at Araghglen on Mount Brandon, a national monument,” they said.

The list of sites includes:

Mainland:

• Conor Pass
• Owenmore River Catchment
• Mount Brandon
• Inch Peninsula
• Derrynane House, Historic Park and Beach (managed by OPW)

Islands:

• Sceilig Michíl (Managed by OPW)
• Little Skellig (Managed by BirdWatch Ireland)
• Puffin Island (Managed by BirdWatch Ireland)
• Land on Great Blasket Island (Managed by the OPW)
• An Tiaracht Nature Reserve (Managed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights)
• Valentia Tetrapod Trackway

Seas:

• Waters around the Blasket Islands
• Kerry Head Shoals

The announcement has been welcomed by the Fair Seas coalition and by Irish Lights.

As Afloat reported earlier, Yvonne Shields O’ Connor,Irish Lights chief executive officer said, “the lighthouses and electronic aids to navigation provided by Irish Lights fulfils Ireland’s legal commitments under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention”.

“Each lighthouse gives a visual reference for mariners when within sight of land, and further offshore for radar and radio transmissions. As Irish Lights goes about its work ensuring safe navigation around the coast, we are cognisant of the amazing marine locations that we operate in and of the need to work with relevant state bodies and coastal communities to continue to protect our maritime heritage,” she said.

“ We are delighted to be associated with Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara and to support the work of NPWS and OPW protecting our maritime history, built heritage and natural landscapes, and the invaluable ecosystems they support.”