Water Heritage Day on the River Shannon in Castleconnell

Photo Credit-Ruairí Ó Conchúir.

WATER Heritage Day occurred on Sunday last, 22nd August and was marked in style in Castleconnell, Co. Limerick as the last day of National Heritage Week 2021. It is a chance to celebrate the heritage and history of Limerick’s magnificent rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters. This special themed day was organised as a collaboration between the Local Authority Waters Programme and The Heritage Council and Community Water Officers supported by local communities and groups throughout Ireland to organise events and projects that highlighted the importance of water for its recreational, cultural, environmental, health, and economic benefits.

 

Commenting on the importance of water as part of our heritage, Ruairí Ó Conchúir, Community Water Officer for County Limerick said: “The heritage and history of Co. Limerick has been shaped by the sea and our magnificent rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Local communities really value places with good water quality and want to enhance them and ensure they can be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. We all know the health benefits we get from spending time at a river, lake, or beach. These local water bodies are part of our heritage, but they must also be part of our future. The Local Authority Waters Programme is committed to supporting local communities and ensuring issues affecting water quality can be addressed and resolved. Because we all benefit from having good quality water.”

This year, local heritage groups and organisers, families, communities, and individuals created well over 1,000 projects many of which are still free to explore the National Heritage Week website. Many different in person events took place in Co. Limerick as part of Heritage Week with events in Lough Gur, Annacotty on the Mulkear River, Bruff on the Morning Star River run by Bruff Tidy Towns and Local Authority Waters Programme.

 

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The week ended off with an amazing event on Sunday last, which is Water Heritage Day in Castleconnell. The event saw up to 50 people gather for a walk and talk on the mighty River Shannon from the Ferry cark park in Castleconnell heading downstream. New nature trial signage for a river walk on this beautiful section of the River Shannon was unveiled by John Hardiman of Castleconnell Tidy Towns. The work was supported by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) and the local community. LAWPRO also financially supported the event and the related refreshments in the Castle Oaks Hotel. The event was a wonderful expression of community engagement with the own local water bodies and highlighted the importance of the Lower River Shannon and local small nursery streams, in terms of biodiversity and habitat type.

 

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