Blackwater Valley Natural Heritage

Rivers & Wetlands
For 280 million years the Blackwater and its tributaries have gently eroded deep mudstone and limestone deposits from between the older and more resilient sandstone ridges which form the Galtee Mountains to the north and the Nagles to the south to leave behind this broad and fertile valley.

Today the rivers, their banks and the riparian woodlands along them represent arteries of wildlife running through a landscape otherwise dominated by man and farmland. The underlying limestone and associated basic soils in the river valleys support the growth of plant communities which are rare in Cork because in general the county's rocks are acidic. The Funshion, the Awbeg, the Bride and the Blackwater itself are well known amongst anglers for their healthy populations of wild salmon and trout while the smaller, fast-flowing streams feeding the catchment from the south provide excellent salmonid spawning and nursery grounds.

The Awbeg and the Blackwater are of particular ecological significance as they support several threatened habitats (eg; alluvial forest) and endangered species of plants and animals such as the Otter, the Pine Martin and the Freshwater Crayfish. The rivers and their floodplains also support large populations of mute and whooper swans and many thousands of migratory birds which come from as far away as Greenland and Siberia each winter. The freshwater stretches of the Bride and the Blackwater are designated salmonid rivers and stretches of both the Awbeg and the Blackwater have been designated, by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), and as such are strictly protected by European Law.
Click here for a list of some of the species found in the rivers and along their banks. (species.html)

Visiting rivers and wetlands

The Barnane walk, Fermoy
Partial disabled access, approx. 3km
Start at the Grand Hotel and walk westwards along the river past the rowing club and St Bernards Well. Across the river there is a wide sweeping Lea field on the bank of the river known as the King's Inches. This was where the British Kings assembled their Munster troops for inspection. This stretch of the river is home to many increasingly rare species including Otters and Badgers. Barn-Owls, Long-eared Owls and several species of Bats roost in the woodlands and in the old buildings that they contain and feed along the river and woodland edges as do resident pairs of Kingfishers.

Follow the river for approximately 1.5km after which the river meanders away through the trees towards Castlehyde. From here follow the yellow way-markers up the little Glenabo Glen back to the where the path meets the road at Glenabo bridge. From here you can walk back along the river or by the Duntaheen road into town.


Kilcolman Bog Nature Reserve
Wellington Boots required, no disabled access. Tel: 022-24200 in advance
Kilcolman is, in fact, not a bog but a limestone fen, a rare and threatened habitat throughout Ireland and Europe. The site is a favourite for Birdwatchers and is managed as a Wildfowl Refuge. It is Cork's only traditional wintering ground for Greenland white fronted geese and it also hosts Whooper Swans, Bewick's Swans and a selection of dabbling and diving ducks, eg Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail and Pochard. During the Summer the Fen comes alive with dragonflies, damselflies and other colourful invertebrates and up to 1,000 Wigeon and 1,200-1,500 Teal spend the winter here. Thirteen species of waterbirds breed here including Shovelers.

Rarities at Kilcolman have included Bluethroat (in summer), Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Richard's Pipit, Little Ringed Plover. The site is also of great botanical importance, harbouring a number of plant species absent or extremely rare elsewhere in Co. Cork and it has been designated as a Specially Protected Area by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Reserve is situated approximately 9 km north-east of Buttevant and 6 km north west of Doneraile, just off the Charleville to Mitchelstown road.

Kilcolman is, however, more suited to the enthusiast than the casual visitor. There are two observation hides on the reserve and a half-hour walk through the fen between them. Anyone wishing to visit Kilcolman should contact the owner, Margaret Ridgway, in advance (Tel: 022-24200). Visitors will need wellington boots and suitable clothing.


Clogheenmilcon Sanctuary, Blarney
Full disabled access, approx. 3km

There are many places in the Blarney area where the visitor can enjoy a short or long walk, including the Clogheenmilcon Sanctuary. This is a particularly beautiful walk along an alkaline wetland which covers approximately 100 acres of what used to be a deep lake which remained after the Ice Age.

The entrance to this walk is just off the N20 on the outskirts of Blarney village. From the village one can begin the walk by following the Sli-na-Slainte signs outside the Tourist Office to Clogheenmilcon and back again (3km). Car parking and picnic facilities are available at either side of the walk.


The river garden at Annesgrove, Castletownroche
Partial disabled access. Tel: 022 26145
Open: 17th Mar – 30th Sept, Mon -Sat 10:00—17:00, Sun 13.00-18.00 or by appointment.
Admission: Adults €4, OAP’s & Students €3, Children €1

The gardens at Annesgrove, laid out largely in the early twentieth century, are a supreme expression of gardening in the Robinsonian manner - the interplanting of native and exotic species into a natural setting with a minimum of formality. The gardens also incorporate a more formal and ornamental earlier, 18th Century garden. From the steeply sloping rock garden and shrubberies secretive paths wind down past limestone cliffs and offer glimpses of the river Awbeg below.

The valley floor here has been transformed into a wild water garden on a scale unique in Ireland. British soldiers stationed at the Fermoy Barracks before World War 1 helped with the construction of the many rustic bridges that criss-cross the river garden. As Summer arrives clumps of Gunnera and other lush foliage plants create an atmosphere of tropical profusion within which flourish colonies of primulas and other native and exotic moisture-loving plants, more or less naturalised. Further downstream there are wild-flower meadows full of native species such as the Yellow-flag Iris, Meadow-sweet, Meadow Buttercups and rushes.





Ballyhooly short loop walk
Buttevant walk
The Glenville famine walk
Lady Louisa'a walk
The Blackwater Way?
The Blackwater Callows
Species and habitats



Woodlands
Moonbaun
Glensheskin
The Towers


Uplands and open spaces

• Knockanoura
• Knockanannig reservoir/ wildlife refuge
• Corrin
• seehaunnamnafinne


Caves
• castlepook cave/
• mitchelstown cave