COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

QUESTION NO.  9

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

"To ask the Chief Executive for a report that asks the Park Department to detail the current grass cutting for the Wildflower Meadows, in Rathcoole Park, in particular for the Annex habitat Lowland Hay Meadow? Also to provide advice and information to staff on the Annex habitat Lowland Hay Meadow, to regularly remind and update staff on South Dublin County Council wildflower policy and practice, and to provide a report on same."

REPLY:

The grass pitches are cut weekly, amenity grass is cut fortnightly, and the meadows are cut and collected once per annum with alternative cuts done thereafter. Traditionally hay meadows were cut in late summer, the field would have been used for grazing up to the point when frost or waterlogging prevented further grazing. 

The general grassland cutting programme used presently allows flowering species to flower and set seed, while also aiming to reduce the overall competition from grass species.  There are plans to leave some areas uncut in the parks in wintertime to provide winter hibernation places for insects and their larvae. There are a number of options regarding how and where a balance between all these objectives might be achieved - and the choice of management option can be site-specific (case-by-case) depending on what particular issues exist at each site.

As there are no  eco-grazers in the park to control the grass after the late summer cut is removed, the only alternative is to occasionally cut the meadow to control grasses until the weather closes off the grass-growing season. 

The Annex 1 Hay Meadow in question is an excellent example of an old species-rich hay meadow.  This meadow has received occasional cutting into autumn/early winter after the late summer cut occurred.  This is why there are fewer dominant grasses and a much higher cover of flowering species than in some of our other good species-rich meadows.    

Council staff have been briefed on the management of wildflower meadows, and a training video is being prepared for staff.