Coillte’s Curragh Chase forest park was voted the winner of the National RDS forestry awards under the Multipurpose Forestry category.
The Multipurpose Forestry category is open to individuals and organisations that are expanding or developing existing or new forest habitats through natural and environmentally sensitive methods. Judges will take into account the planning and management of the area, ecological awareness, social benefit, silviculture methods, control of grazing animals and invasive species, as well as sensitive felling and thinning.
Coillte’s Curragh Chase Forest Park is located within a 25-mile radius west of Limerick city between Foynes and Kildimo, with the Shannon Estuary to the north and the well-known tourist village of Adare to the south. The most obvious feature of Curragh Chase forest park is the dominance of the façade of the Old Mansion or Curragh Chase House. Curragh Chase House was the home of the De-Vere family for almost three hundred years dating from 1657. The house was destroyed in a fire in 1941 the shell of the original period house still stands on the site overlooking the lake.
Orienteering, playgrounds, dog walking, multi-access activities make Curragh Chase a popular destination for all types of visitors and are much loved by people in the local area. Curragh Chase Caravan & Camping operates within the Park also and provides a wonderful setting for camper vans and tents for those who wish to find a base close to the Wild Atlantic Way.
In 2017, An Taisce’s educational LEAF programme, or Learning About Forests, has been run in the Park. This is the Irish pilot of a European programme that is being run by An Taisce in partnership with Coillte and has proven very successful with primary schools in the Limerick area.
