THE spectacular Derrynane House and Historic Park has been included on an elite list of Ireland’s best public parks and gardens by environmental watchdog An Taisce.
It was included as one of the 2021 International Green Flag Awards recipients and 11 OPW sites were among a group of over 100 Irish public parks, gardens and voluntary run green community sites chosen.
Other recipients included the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre in Co Meath, Castletown Demesne in Co Kildare, Fota Arboretum and Gardens and Garinish Island in Co Cork, Grangegorman Military Cemetery, the Irish National War Memorial Gardens and the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
The Green Flag Awards recognise and encourage the provision of good quality parks and green spaces that are managed in environmentally sustainable ways.
The awards are marked on eight criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.
Derrynane House, one of the busiest tourist attractions in the country, which encourages hundreds of people to visit Kerry every year, is situated on the tip of the Iveragh Peninsula at Caherdaniel, is the ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), lawyer, politician, statesman and one of the great figures in modern Irish history.
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* Derrynane was transferred to the state in 1964 and most of the old demesne is now included in Derrynane National Historic Park, an area of approximately 120 hectares managed by the Office of Public Works.
* The lands are rich in natural and cultural heritage, with a unique combination of archaeological, architectural, horticultural, botanical and ecological features.
* Derrynane National Historic Park has 1.5km of shoreline with sand dunes and beaches, including a Blue Flag beach. The dunes contain rare animal and plant species including Natterjack Toads and the Kerry Lily, as well as a suite of native orchid species.
* There are a variety of trails throughout the grounds, including a section of the Kerry Way, a Seashore Nature Trail and a Mass Path.
* The gardens have a plant collection of great significance and endangered plants from South America have been established as part of the National Botanical Collection in partnership with the Royal Edinburgh Botanic Garden.
* The surrounding area is rich in archaeological sites and the park itself contains an Ogham stone, a small ring fort, souterrains, a Mass Rock and the ruins of Ahamore Abbey, on Abbey Island which dates back to the 10th century.
* The property is very family friendly and has great tourism value and potential. Derrynane House and National Historic Park is a discovery point on Fáilte Ireland’s highly successful Wild Atlantic Way route.
