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Videos from Duhallow, County Cork – The Farming for Blue Dot Catchments EIP

These videos show some of what was done in the Allow River catchment to protect and restore water quality between 2019 and 2023, including nature-based solutions, the creation of spatially targeted buffers using EPA PIP maps, the importance of wet grasslands, and in-drain sediment traps and farm road upgrades.

Duhallow Farming for Blue Dot Catchments was a five-year European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Project that ran from 2019-2023 and was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Farming and the Marine. It worked on a cost effective community led strategy to restore and protect the high ecological status of the Allow River catchment, including the Rivers Dalua, Owenanare and other tributaries and streams.

Working closely with farmers in the catchment, the results based scheme rewarded sustainable agricultural practices which enhance wetland and freshwater ecosystem services.
The river catchment is of high conservation value and supports a wide variety of rare and protected habitats and wildlife. In recognition of this it has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation for the protection of otter, freshwater pearl mussel, lamprey, salmon and other important fish species.
The rivers have been the subject of extensive work as part of previous IRD Duhallow Life Programmes. The Duhallow Farming for Blue Dot Catchment Project built on the success of SAMOK Life, bringing a source of economic growth to the region while simultaneously improving the quality of the natural environment for all.

Duhallow Farming for Blue Dots – The Importance of Blue Dots

This video provides an overview of Blue Dot catchments in Duhallow; what they are and why they are important to the community. It also introduces the EIP project and explains how it worked so well with the Duhallow farming community.

Nature-based Solutions, river bank stabilisation and minimising farm road run-off

In this video we visit demo farmer Tony Ahern in Kanturk. Tony has installed several measures including nature-based riverbank stabilisation, a solar-powered pump and a farm road upgrade. Tony also has two paleochannels (ox-bow lakes) for which he receives a results-based payment from the project.

Farm road upgrades and sediment ponds

In this video we provide we visit Edel Keating Buckley’s farm in Lisrobin. This farm is a demo farm for farm roadway upgrades and sediment ponds. Other measures on the farm include riparian buffer planting and management of riparian woodland.

In-drain sediment ponds, farm road upgrade & semi-natural grasslands

Spatially targeted buffers – managing diffuse run-off using EPA PIP Maps

In this video we visit demo farmer Eileen McSweeney in Lismire. Eileen has installed several buffer measures, including a pond, native groves and a hedgerow to reduce P runoff from pastures.

The importance of wet grasslands for water quality

In this video we visit project farmer Con O Sullivan on his farm in Meelin to talk about his species-rich wet grassland, adjacent to the Owenanare River.

Learn more:

Duhallow Farming for Blue Dot Catchments EIP Project

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.