Murroe has a very good provision of open spaces offering opportunities for active and passive recreation. This includes Harty Park the home of Murroe-Boher GAA Club, Murroe Amenity Park woodlands, Murroe Wood Park sports hub with an all-weather pitch, skatepark and walkway. A number of these facilities are currently undergoing construction works including the sports hub and renovation of the grass sports-pitch, which is restricting accessibility for use. Hopefully in the coming months all these works will be completed and the community will gain the full use of the facilities.
The Murroe Amenity Park and Glenstal Abbey parklands are significant assets for the town providing ‘green infrastructure’ functions including amenity, environmental and biodiversity. There also appears to be a good range of ornamental shrubs plantings inside the Abbey entrance gate which should be protected from any groundworks. Engage with the landowner and the local authority regarding vegetation growing onto footpaths & obstructing pedestrians. I understand this work is exempted under the relevant legislation but preferably is performed outside the bird nesting season. The Amenity Park could benefit from a walking trail sign inside the entrance to illustrate the route, distance, difficulty and similar information for visitors not familiar with the walks.
Consider opportunities for an ‘urban forestry’ project in partnership with local landowners/land managers to propagate trees (eg oaks, rowan or field maple) for planting within the town’s open spaces, streets & approach roads. There is a recent woodland planting in the Abbey parkland, the grounds manager there may be a useful source of advice on establishing tree plantings in your area and any particular challenges.
New colourful curving containers outside the School are attractive and on the day of adjudication were ready for planting. Those at the Church were in full bloom, making it an inviting & welcoming place. The green space at the entrance road to the Murroe Wood Park sports hub has great potential to be a ‘pocket park’ with seating, paths, perennial plantings, picnic tables, bike stands and a natural play space for toddlers. Consider engaging with the landowner, your supporters and the local authority regarding how this space can be improved and any potential sources of funding.
The three new flowerbeds at the Murroe Wood park entrance looked wonderful. I admired the mix of pollinator-friendly shrubs, e.g. Verbena, Hardy Geraniums, Catmint, Yarrow, etc. The solitary bee posts are a very clever addition too. The little white planters by the church wall were very striking and contained a lovely bee-friendly mix also. The green area by the Spar is a pleasant space, though I did see evidence of weedkiller use here around the large stones. Hopefully this can be discouraged in future. The old water pump surrounded by stone walls and planters was very colourful and well maintained. The stone wall flowerbed in front of the garage by the forge is very pretty and helps to enhance this area.
Trees are maturing nicely in the open spaces of The Meadow housing estate. Perhaps a few more clusters could be added. Trees have many benefits – they filter particles out of the air by trapping them in their bark and leaves, they reduce noise levels, they change from season to season, they provide shelter and food for birds etc. etc. They also break up the visual aspect of an area and contain views which makes an area more intimate. We admired the entrance to Cois na Coille with its neatly cut grass, rows of trees along the ditches and estate name in a beautiful pollinator planting bed. We also loved the specimen trees in the bed which swayed gently and gave added interest. The communal green space in Gilmartin Park had neatly cut grass and the planting beds with trees and mature shrubs looked good in addition to providing habitats to insects and mammals. Would you consider making permanent beds on the entrance road where the blue and white temporary planters with the wildflowers are located? We fee two large beds in this area with the wildflowers planted directly into the ground would be more suitable. You could also have winter and spring colour in these permanent beds which would be very pleasant. The planting beds at the entrance to The Meadow housing estate were full of colour and looked well. Put the plants which are at present in pots directly into the ground – pots are superfluous in locations such as this. The bank of nasturtiums opposite the entrance to The Meadow was very beautiful and had great insect life. 31 52 15 36 31 Tidy Towns Competition 2019 Adjudication Report Centre: County: Category: Ref: Mark: Date(s): 296 Maximum Mark Community – Your Planning and Involvement Streetscape & Public Places Green Spaces and Landscaping Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality Sustainability – Doing more with less Tidiness and Litter Control Residential Streets & Housing Areas Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes 60 60 60 50 50 90 50 50 43 43 43 30 14 52 35 30 290 Mark Awarded 2018 TOTAL MARK 470 296 Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal - Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht: Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí: Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú: Mark Awarded 2019 11/07/2019 pollinator planting bed. We also loved the specimen trees in the bed which swayed gently and gave added interest. The communal green space in Gilmartin Park had neatly cut grass and the planting beds with trees and mature shrubs looked good in addition to providing habitats to insects and mammals. Would you consider making permanent beds on the entrance road where the blue and white temporary planters with the wildflowers are located? We fee two large beds in this area with the wildflowers planted directly into the ground would be more suitable. You could also have winter and spring colour in these permanent beds which would be very pleasant. The planting beds at the entrance to The Meadow housing estate were full of colour and looked well. Put the plants which are at present in pots directly into the ground – pots are superfluous in locations such as this. The bank of nasturtiums opposite the entrance to The Meadow was very beautiful and had great insect life.
I note your remarks that no new work was undertaken in this section. However, the landscaping is beautiful with some splendid young and mature trees displaying sylvan beauty. There are many benefits from trees, some of which are as follows; they filter particles out of the air by trapping them in their leaves and bark, they reduce the noise levels in the area, they change from season to season where in summer they provide height, colour and fragrance, then in winter the bare branches of deciduous trees and the leaf bedecked stems of evergreens ensure that we are looking at a garden border and not looking at a bare patch of ground. Trees provide shelter and food for wildlife mainly birds and they reduce the visual impact of larger buildings in the vicinity. They bring an air or maturity to lawns and gardens.Trees like everything else need regular monitoring and some older trees can have hidden diseases like for instance mushrooms growing at the base that should be checked. The problem could be Ganodera notably at the base of mature beech trees, and such trees could have significant heart rot. An infected tree could fall over in stormy weather.
There is great landscaping with shrubs and great mature trees at the entrance to Glenstal, and the pitch and put is neat and organised and a great asset for the young people of that locality.There is also nice landscaping at the five cross roads.Lots of houses contain lovely trees, shrubs, lawns and flowers that added to your efforts make Murroe a picturesque village. The Botanical Survey is now useful information for your community and well done for getting it done.
Estates visited have landmark shrubberies and add no end to the appearance of their surroundings and to the attraction of those estates. Some creative genius has created something beautiful with old tyres and plants along a wall near Ros Fearna, divine. There are so many fine examples of your handiwork but I must mention the work at the Five Roads junction which I would never have got to were it not for its inclusion on your map. Then there are the floral decorations at the Village Inn and along the front of the Church. All reminding us of the season of the year. Your park and playground are fabulous amenities. The butterflies and stuff on the playground wall sync beautifully with the real action. I loved the treatment of the village pump. The next observation could be made also in the tidiness section. It refers to the treatment of the remnants of an old building at a corner with wall painted, hanging baskets, grass mown to create a glory out of what could be a derelict site. Well done. Continue your good work with the field project. You are being advised by informed sources and been driven by a desire to improve further the healthy possibilities for the local people and for the local biodiversity. Your concern for tree planting is lauded.