A Letter from the Chair

 

Dear members and supporters, it is now summer season and I want to wish all of you a most enjoyable season in whatever role you play in the Wicklow and Dublin Uplands.

I am sure I speak for everyone in extending best wishes to our CEO Cara Heraty and husband John on their extended family, and to our CO Lenka Mulligan and husband Brian on their very happy event, may God bless all and keep them well.

In Cara’s absence, our care taker CEO Brian Dunne has excelled in holding the fort and keeping the business of Wicklow Uplands Council on schedule and within budget.  It has been a whirlwind of events this year. The business of completing and complying with the complex issue of ‘corporate governance’ and associated regulation that is involved was his first challenge and this was immediately followed with the business of registering our interest in new ‘legalisation on lobbying’ as a corporate organisation.

In February we organised a workshop on vegetation management and in particular the practice of heather burning in a controlled and effective manner.  I wish to thank Teagasc and the panel of expertise which they provided. The event was attended by 150 farmers and others with an interest in keeping our Uplands in good ‘agricultural and environmental condition’.

Wicklow Uplands Council has worked with Irish Uplands Forum in organising a conference in Killarney, which took place in May, to establish groups similar to ours and developing methods in supporting and funding a network of such groupings. A number of our board attended and participated in the conference.

On behalf of all our members I extend our prayers and best wishes for a full recovery to Mary Tubridy, Secretary of Irish Uplands Forum and principal organiser of this conference and who has given Wicklow Uplands Council so much support and encouragement since our inception.

In October Wicklow Uplands Council has been invited to prepare a workshop for a conference of EUROPARC, the ‘Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe,’ in Switzerland. The focus of the workshop will be sustainability in the uplands. This will include a case study on a ‘Locally led Agri-environmental scheme’ and ‘Best Practice in Vegetation Management’. The workshop will be presented by Brian Dunne and a number of delegates from our board will also attend. It is promising to be a very exciting project.

Finally, to our members past and present, our board, our staff; Cara, Brian, Margaret and Lenka, and our funders, The Heritage Council, Denis O’Brien, Wicklow Co. Council, South Dublin Co. Council, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co. Council, and everyone who has contributed in any way, my sincere thanks. Without the support of all of you, we could not continue our work.

Sean Byrne, Chairman, Wicklow Uplands Council