Cahermurphy Nature Reserve

Cahermurphy Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve of approximately 22.2 acres (0.090 km2) located in County Clare, Ireland. It is managed by the Irish National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Cahermurphy Nature Reserve
Cahermurphy Nature Reserve
Location of Cahermurphy Nature Reserve in Ireland
TypeNational
LocationCounty Clare
Coordinates53°00′04″N 8°38′38″W
Area22.2 acres (8.98 ha)
Operated byNational Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland)
StatusOpen all year

Features

Cahermurphy, also known as Caher (Murphy), was legally protected as a national nature reserve by the Irish government in 1980.[1][2]

Cahermurphy is a small sessile oak wood, which contains a number of habitats such as a small stream, supporting a diverse set of flora.[3] In a NPWS survey of old sessile oak woods conducted from 2011 to 2012, Cahermurphy was rated unfavourably overall with negative native species regeneration and signs of pressure from grazing animals.[4]

The reserve forms a part of a larger area known as Cahermurphy Forest which is managed by Coillte,[5] and is denoted by a looped walk called the Cahermurphy Looped Trail. The area is locally known as "White Sands" due to the sandy shore of Lough Graney. The poem Cúirt an Mheán Oíche (1780) by Brian Merriman is about the Cahermurphy area.[6]

References
  1. "S.I. No. 387/1980 - Nature Reserve (Caher (Murphy)) Establishment Order, 1980". electronic Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  2. "Caher (Murphy) Nature Reserve". National Parks & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. Cross, John. "Ireland's Woodland Heritage: A Guide to Ireland's Native Woodland" (PDF). National Parks & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. O’Neill, Fionnuala H.; Barron, Simon J. B (2013). "Results of a monitoring survey of old sessile oak woods and alluvial forests" (PDF). National Parks & Wildlife Service.
  5. "Heritage attractions in Clare". Clare County Council. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  6. "Cahermurphy Forest". www.discoverireland.ie. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
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