Inagh EIP - Seminar and Farm Visits

Attendance by Ticket Only

This is a free event and the cost of the €10 ticket will be refunded to all attendees on the day of the event. The ticket cost is designed to get clarity on numbers attending and for catering purpose to avoid food waste. The seminar will start at 10:30hrs sharp with tea/coffee/scones available from 10:00hrs.

This seminar (with farm visits and demo events) will outline how the Inagh European Innovation Partnership (EIP) has worked to deliver a new approach to address concerns about biodiversity and habitat loss and the concurrent loss of high ecological status in the waterbodies of the Upper Inagh River Catchment, West Clare. The Inagh EIP has done so by developing catchment sensitive farming and forestry practices with farmers leading on a range of on-farm mitigation measures which have demonstrated that biodiversity loss can be minimised and water quality concerns can be addressed.

Participating Inagh EIP farmers have implemented a range of site-specific measures supported by other local farmers, scientists and advisors who have worked together on a catchment scale.

The Inagh EIP has over the past 18 months supported local farmers, forestry owners and members of the local community to address these challenges and has worked closely with landowners to enhance habitat connectivity in the Upper Inagh River catchment. The Inagh EIP includes numerous stakeholders who have extensive expertise in managing and delivering collaborative projects focused on farming for conservation, biodiversity enhancement and forestry for nature type measures.

The seminar element of the day (10:30 to 13:00 hrs) will include presentations from local farmers, project partners and other major actors in the agri-environmental sector. It will also include input from those involved in integrated catchment management to map out a possible future vision for the wider Inagh River Catchment.

Inagh EIP – Seminar & Farm Visits

Date: Saturday, 3rd December 2022

Time: 10:30hrs to 15:00hrs (Start at 10:30hrs sharp with tea / coffee scones from 10:00hrs )

Location: The Good House, Inagh, Co. Clare (with sites visits with Inagh EIP farmers after lunch)

10:30 - Session No 1 Opening & Welcome

Opening Remarks - Pippa Hackett - Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity

The Inagh EIP – An Overview - Ruairí Ó Conchúir

The Farmers Perspectives - Diarmaid McMahon & Tom Burke

The Foresters Perspective - Brian Harvey

A Social & Community Perspective - Brid McGough & Noel Carmody

Farming For Nature in Clare & across Ireland - Brendan Dunford

Followed by Discussion Q&A

11:40 - Session No 2 Shanakyle Bog Restoration: An option for other parts of Clare - Barry O’ Loughlin

11:50 - Incorporating Trees on the Land & Agro-Forestry: An Option for the Inagh - Ragna Gruendler

12:00 - Pond Creation for amphibians in Irish Forestry Unit Trust forests - Ronan Boyle/Martin O’ Shea

12:10 - ACRES & New Cooperation Project Areas (Midwest-S'ern Uplands CP Area) - Kristina Feeney

12:20 - The new CAP - Supporting Farming in Marginal Areas – DAFM Perspective - John Carty

12:35 - Inagh EIP – What Next? A Vision For The Inagh River Catchment - Ruairí Ó Conchúir

Followed by Discussion Q&A

13:00 Lunch

13:30 - Session No 3

Farm Visits & Demo Events: Depart for Farm Visits: Farm of Leo & Brian Harvey & the farm of Michael Kennedy. The field trip element of the day will include visits to local farms where participating Inagh EIP farmers will outline the work they have undertaken. It will also include demo events on various matters at various stations with John Geraghty - Soil Health & Biodiversity (South East Technological University), Jane Gilleran - Fish & Invertebrates of the Inagh River (Inland Fisheries Ireland), Jonathan Casey - From Source To Sea - Resource Base of the Inagh Catchment (Inagh River Catchment Management Association).

Wrap Up at 15:00hrs

Please come join us for this event to learn more about this important work and see completed mitigation measures on the ground. The Inagh European Innovation Partnership (EIP) is funded by the DAFM under Open Call No. 5 for Farm & Community Biodiversity Initiatives .

Tea/ Coffee / Scones on arrival from 10:00hrs. Workshop will start at 10:30hrs sharp. Lunch (full hot meal) provided at 13:00. Depart for farm visits at 13:30 hrs.

This is a free event. The cost of the €10 ticket will be refunded to all attendees on the day of the event. The ticket cost is designed to get clarity on numbers attending and for catering purposes to avoid food waste.