WATCH: New documentary focuses on work of Cornafulla Micro Reserve
By Rebekah O'Reilly
A new documentary video has been released, focusing on the Cornafulla Micro Reserve in South Roscommon.
Cornafulla Micro Reserve is a community-led organisation working in partnership with local landowners and the wider community to manage, conserve and communicate the natural, cultural and ecological heritage of Cornafulla Bog.
The documentary was created by Tóchar Stories, a community engagement and storytelling initiative led by producer Helen Shaw under the Tóchar Wetlands project.
It is part of a series of videos capturing the heritage, memories, and changing relationships of midland communities in Ireland with their local bogs, fens, and wetlands.
Athlone native artist Amanda Ralph, who moved to Cornafulla in 2022, said she was immediately drawn to the unique landscapes in Cornafulla.
She set out to discover the landscape of her farm and the bog landscape using trail cameras and different recording devices.
“I saw the landscape, and I just felt completely, immediately, at home. I was really taken by the fact it was on a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), that immediately struck me as an artist as an interesting thing to be involved with.”
Speaking about the formation of Cornafulla Micro Reserve, Amanda said it was a group of local residents interested in looking at the biodiversity of the area.
“I met with a group of like-minded people, who were also interested in studying the biodiversity. We formed a group, and we got involved in looking at the whooper swans. The [term] Micro Reserve was a bit of a joke, because I had 0.8 of an acre in bog.
“Since that, more and more people have gotten involved, and we have 47 acres involved now of local landowners who were interested in the protection and preservation, and possible the restoration of Cornafulla Bog.”
Local resident Oliver Harney, a native of Cornafulla who returned to the area in the last seven years, grew up locally working the farm and the bog.
“My back garden extends out onto one of the most preserved parts of the bog, where we still have active raised bog growing. It's just really incredible to see all the spagnum mosses and bog bean, and watching all the birds coming and going,” he said.
“Amanda's been a real driving force behind the Micro Reserve. It's something we had an interest in, and shes brought us along with her. You start to see trail cameras picking up otters, whooper swan surveys, getting out on the Callows, and the more you see the more you want to learn. The love of the place really grows from there.”
Oliver said despite not giving much thought to the bog in his younger years, he now has a huge amount of appreciation for it, which he wishes to pass down to his young daughters.
“There's a huge awakening happening in the last 20 years of people getting to understand more about bogs. These are our superpower in Ireland, and we really need to be protecting them and perserving them.
“I have two daughters as well, and I want them to start learning a little bit about the bog and develop that interest and love in the place.
Some of the discoveries made in the 12 meter deep bog include toghers, bronze-age daggers, and bog butter, with deep connections to the heritage of Clonmacnoise and the Shannon Callows.
“It's a living museum that should be protected and respected. There's huge history here on this bog,” Oliver said.
Cornafulla Bog is located approximately 8.5 km south-west of Athlone in County Roscommon, to the south of the R446 (Old Athlone to Ballinasloe Road).
The River Shannon flows to the south and south-east of the site, and the Shannon Callows Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Middle Shannon Callows Special Protection Area (SPA) lie along its southern boundary.
The Clonmacnoise Monastic Site is located approximately 2km to the south. An industrial narrow-gauge railway line runs through the bog, connecting it to the nearby Clooniff Bog to the south-west.
To follow the work of Cornafulla Micro Reserve, go to https://www.cornafullamicroreserve.com