Ireland designates its first marine national park

Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara on the Wild Atlantic Way has been designated as Ireland's eighth national park. It covers more than 70,000 acres on land and at sea on and near the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula in beautiful County Kerry. 

The park includes such iconic sites as the Skellig Islands, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Skellig Michael, famous for its sixth-century monastic buildings. The dramatic Conor Pass with its narrow, winding road is also within the park as is Mount Brandon, one of Ireland’s highest mountains and a great area for hiking.    

The marine designation reflects the fact that most of the park’s area is sea including the Atlantic waters around the Blasket Islands and the limestone reefs of Kerry Head Shoals. 

As well as the park having several areas of outstanding natural beauty, it also encompasses some of Europe’s most ecologically valuable places. All of the sites covered by Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara are already designated as Special Areas of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive, special protection areas under the EU Birds Directive or are statutory nature reserves. 

In the uplands of Mount Brandon and Conor Pass, there are active blanket bogs and heaths with alpine flora providing valuable habitats for the peregrine falcon, otter and marsh fritillary butterfly. 

Inch Beach, on the southern side of the Dingle Peninsula, is famous for surfing but the beach's sand dunes are also ecologically important as a breeding ground for the endangered natterjack toad. The islands of Skellig Michael, Little Skellig, Puffin Island and An Tiaracht are important breeding grounds for colonies of puffin, storm petrel, gannet and razorbill. 

The seas surrounding these islands host populations of shark, ray, dolphin and visiting whales which can be spotted from vantage points such as Valentia Island. And the river which flows beneath the Conor Pass, Owenmore, is a habitat for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, described as critically endangered in Ireland. 

The marine park designation means that the biodiversity of the area will be protected by government and the tourism footprint will be managed sustainably. The park also contains archaeological monuments that will be protected including the ancient standing stone at Araghglen on Mount Brandon. Other historic artefacts lie deep in the seas around the islands off County Kerry.  It was here that the Spanish Armada vessel of Santa Maria de la Rosa was lost in 1588. 

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