Curragh > Impending National Heritage Area

[Kentgal]

A brief overview of 'The Report of the Inter-Departmental Task Force' on the future managment of the Curragh.

www.defence.ie/website.nsf.Publication

The Curragh - An Impending Natural Heritage Area. (N.H.A.)

The Curragh is a Recorded Monument under the National Monuments Act.
This impending designation is due to the Curragh's immense archaeological, cultural, environmental and historical signifance.
It is considered the oldest and most extensive tract of semi-natural grassland in the country, existing as an open plain for at least 2,000 years.

It continues to provide a working environment for three main users, The Defence Forces, the horse-racing & training industry and sheep owners.

The Government approved the Curragh Task Force 27/07/98 to examine the ongoing threat to the integrity of the Plains which has arisen in recent years as a result of:-

A marked increase in the level of activities among users, and the level of developments taking place on the periphery of the Curragh:

The Task Force conducted two inspection visits, initally in August 1998 and again in February 1999 when it was cinsidered that prevailing conditions would differ significantly.
Submissions were saught from interested parties including Kildare County Council and members of the public leading to advertisments being placed in both the National and the County Kildare based press.
In total 28 submissions were received and oral hearings were held at the Curragh Standhouse Hotel on 8th & 9th Februaty 1999.

Summery of (some of the) Key Recommendations

An education programme to be put in place to make the public aware of the significance of the Curragh and why it has to be protected.

The Ministry of Defence is to establish:
1) A statutory Authority to which responsibility will be delegated for the management of the Curragh.
2) Appoint a Director with responsibility for the day-to-day managment of the Curragh.
3) Appoint such other staff as considered necessary.

No further lands should be leased or licenced to sports clubs.

All existing sports facilities should be reviewed and where developments have taken place, efforts should be made to rectify the situation.

Existing tree plantations should be progressively removed and no new trees planted

There should be specified limits to the number of horses that may be trained on the Curragh or any particular part of it.

It is necessary to restrict the training, including lunging, of horses, and Trainers who exercise horses in other areas should be banned from using facilities on the Curragh.

The grazing of sheep should be regulated and action taken to prevent territoral grazing.

The military authorities should lay down clear orders as to which areas may and may not be used for various training activities.

Existing legislation is outdated and inadequate, and The Curragh of Kildare Acts should be consolidated and the Curragh Bye-Laws updated.

Conclusion
While the Curragh is one of the most accessible areas in the country, the Task Force would not wish to see this level of accessibility diminished. Therefore NO objection is seen to the use of the Curragh for passive leisure activities such as walking, jogging and picnicing.
However a co-operative approach is desirable in implementing the recommendations to protect the Curragh and a range of sanctions and penalties must form part of the new legislation.

[Matt McNamara]

The following information was given to me by Seán Power TD

PQ: 40125/09
QUESTION NO: 349_

* To ask the Minister for Defence his plans to implement the recommendations of the inter-Departmental task force on the future management and development of the Curragh, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
DEPUTY SEÁN POWER.

QUESTION NO:_352 __

* To ask the Minister for Defence his views and his plans to address the concerns expressed in correspondence from a group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- DEPUTY JACK WALL.


For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 10th November, 2009.


REPLY


Minister for Defence (Mr Willie O’Dea, T.D.): I propose to take question no: 349 and question no: 352 together.

On 21 July 2004 the Government approved the Heads of Bill in order to implement the recommendations arising from the Inter-Departmental Task Force Report. Drafting of the legislation commenced shortly thereafter. In the course of that process, certain strategic, procedural and technical issues arose relating to the role of the proposed Statutory Authority.

The main technical issue relates to the demarcation of roles between the Minister and the Authority. This concerns the use of lands by the Defence Forces that would be the responsibility of the proposed Authority but over which the Minister is the final arbiter in the event of any dispute. This potentially raises a conflict between the role of the Minister as the Minister with responsibility for the Defence Forces and the Minister’s role as head of the Department under whose aegis the Authority would operate.

Further issues have arisen in the context of value for money considerations. The establishment of the Authority as a separate agency under the aegis of my Department would involve additional costs in terms of staff, accommodation, expenses and payments to members of the Authority, which would be significantly greater than the costs incurred by my Department currently in administering the Curragh Lands. Deputies will be aware that the Government has targeted the rationalisation of State agencies as a key cost saving measure. In that context it would be inappropriate and, indeed, costly to establish a separate agency to manage work currently being done successfully, efficiently and economically by the staff in my Department. Given the requirements of administrative efficiency, and the technical issues raised in relation to the role of the Minister as the final arbiter in disputes relating to the use of the Curragh Lands, I have decided not to proceed with the establishment of the Authority, which was a primary focus of the Bill.

The way forward now will involve a review by my Department of the varying usage of the lands by a range of different interests in the Curragh, not least the Defence Forces, with a view to establishing how these can be best accommodated and managed within the existing administrative framework and within existing resources. The Value for Money review of the Defence Forces Training Lands, which is nearing completion, will also feed into this process. The question of the requirement for legislation to address any other issues in relation to the Curragh Lands can then be examined in this context. This work will proceed as resources allow, given the competing demands on the Department’s staff and resources and the need to prioritise issues and allocate reducing resources to the core Defence policy and operational issues.


Matt

[tommyhetherington]

Hi Kentgal,
I read this post a good few months back and found it to be very interesting but at the time did not reply because I was aware of issues in the Curragh and how it was in my opinion been mismanaged as everyday this was evident to anyone who lived in the Curragh all their lives my response at the time would have been clouded by the red mist.

Today I read the Leinster Leader and my blood boils :

"PROFESSOR CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF CURRAGH"

I have the book in question by this author and it is a great read on many aspects of the Curragh.
He points out today in the leader that Bronze Age cultivation ridges have been bulldozed over by some "idiots" these are my words not the authors.
He then goes on to explain what is going on with the Curragh. The task force set up in 1998 made recomendations that have not been listened to and the Minister for Defence Mr Willie O' Dea decided in November 2009 not to proceed with the establisment of the Curragh Authority.
This is crazy the Curragh needs to be protected or as the author says it will be no more.

Our home the Curragh is dying and as normal in this country of ours it will soon be to late, how can something from the bronze age be replaced? never is the answer and the problem is the people who did this may have not even been aware of what was happening.
If the task force recomendations were set up this event would not have occured.

Tommy H

[tommyhetherington]

Hi,
As of today it is unclear as to who did this and an investigation is under way as stated in the Leader it would seem to be related to the movement of Furze and the Dept of Defence is currently conducting an investigation.

Tommy H

[andybrennan]

Tommy H Kentgal

I have that book myself a beautiful illustrated and informative piece.

Not content with the destruction within the Camp it has now moved to the plains shame on the guardians of the plains for allowing this to happen.Here we have grass that is unique not to be found any where else in Europe. This very day I saw a digger scooping something into a trailer brownstown side of the Camp.
Are we now witnessing the same that happened to Wood Quay and many other historic sites some one in authority must know who the perpetrators are and with cute hoorism are turning the blind eye trowing their eyes to the heavens after the damage is done and bleating as to how they would have stopped it if they had known.
Sure isn't that progress as they say

In my own time I remember the Rangers using their authority to deal with many problems on the plains i.e litter, unauthorised encampments with pure filth left behind.

also camp patrols to curb encroachments and misuse of the plains There were the M.P. patrols and Camp Stand To,
to name two

To walk the plains now and see just the litter disgarded by mindless twits as well as what the blind eye is turned to would get up any ones nose to put it mildly

Andy

[andybrennan]

Tommy H,
Investigation this country's answer to almost everything, nothing can be done without setting up a body of to investigate before a solution can be found and then another body set up to investigate the implementation of the solution a nice job if you could get one of those

Andy

[johnnykelly]

RE CURRAGH> IMPENDING NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.
Hi Andy, I could not agree with you more ref the destruction oc the curragh plains as we knew them, with litter strewn in places, joy riders doing damage with bikes scramblers quads cars, as one who walks jogs runs on the plains every day, it makes my blood boil as i see daily the damage done to the area, I had in the past 2 seasons had to call off schoolboy soccer matches on the pitches on the curragh due to mindless morans doing wheelies all across the surface thereby spoiling a few hours entertainment for all involved, MPs C/S/TOO are forbidden to patrol the plains, but yet 4/4s bikes illegal horses cars etc are allowed to do and go as they like on the plains,with 4 curragh supervisors available to patrol they cannot be everywhere at once,as for the bronze age ridges up at blackrath cottages it is contractors hired by the dept for defense that are removing all the furse bushes in the area,

[andybrennan]

agh sure your right Johnny,

it seem to be a case of the right hand not knowing what the left is up to, about as co-ordinated as the Gas, Telecom ESB etc and other bodies when planning a dig of the roads it only works if they do it in turns

Andy

[tommyhetherington]

Hi Guys,
I now remember what had me angry at the time of reading this post a number of months back it was the caravans up from Brownstown X-roads on the Curragh side it was with total disregard for the area Rubbish, Human Waste and the ground turned into a ploughed field all done with no fear of any authority and left to do as they please Shame that the law of this land has no B**ls to deal with this but hey drop a piece of paper on the street in a town now theres any easy target for the law
Tommy H

[andybrennan]

Tommy H,

One of the problems in this Country is that there is definetly one set of Laws, there it ends of course for then it is applied differently to the different tiers of society to take account of their status in this fair land.
It is manipulated to suit all

Andy

[tommyhetherington]

Back again,

I flew over the Curragh a number of years ago and from the air it is very apparent the damage done it would be good to do it again but maybe the sight would be worst now.
This area the Plains should only be used for walking remove all other activity the only people who use the plains less and less are the military everyone else has a free reign .

The area at Brownstown X-Roads and going towards sunny hill is like waste land from the horses, over grazing is another problem and then theres the people and dumping go by the rugby club any day and its a fly tippers paradise this guy in the Leader is right it will soon be gone as will its people " Now that s another story we will talk about that soon"
Tommy H

[andybrennan]

Jaysus Tommy it would give you a pain in the arse

Andy

[andybrennan]

Hi Tommy,

Just had a thought if you or any member has google earth they could have a goike at the Curragh from the Heavens

Andy

[andybrennan]

Tommy re your last snaps

just having a peek in the reply box there is a place for attachment with a little box for browse click on that and it goes into your own files pictures etc pick your snap and attach

I might have explained that right and then again I might not

Andy

[johnnykelly]

REF THE CURRAGH AS A NHA.
As i drove home today i passed by the Burma road which joey states is on the left as you go towards Brownstown, i noticed a JCB trimming the hedges all around the sewarage farm , the ground being very soft and the weight of the JCB, it was churning up the ground as if it was a plough,who controls the controllors,?