The Tullyratty Project

I have read the following article by the National Trust's biodiversity officer in Northern Ireland, Maurice Turley, which pertains to the townland of Tullyratty and its environmental importance:-

"An area of species rich grassland at Tullyratty has been restored following infrastructure and habitat restoration work, that began during winter 2007/08.

The site was suffering from under grazing, and encroachment of scrub following deterioration of the field boundaries. Following the construction of fencing and the restoration of stone walls using traditional techniques, the grassland was once again able to be grazed, which helped to control the growth of aggressive grasses. A spring and autumn grazing regime has been implemented resulted in a flush of flowers in the spring and summer, and the winter months are used to remove some of the gorse that was starting to swallow up the good grassland areas.

Our traditional herb rich meadows are sadly becoming less and less, resulting in an overall loss of biodiversity. Walking through the Tullyratty grasslands brimming with orchids, knapweeds, hay rattle, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, birds and animals you can really appreciate how important they are for wildlife when compared to the tired soils and grasslands of much of our improved agricultural land. The project was supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and DARD".