Sea and Land Park for Kerry
Sceilg Mhichíl and The Conor Pass are included in a new 70,000-acre national park announced by the Government.
Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, will be centred on the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula in west Kerry and will be the largest national park in the country.
It will also be Ireland's first marine national park as most of the area covered by it will be at sea. It will include 1,400 acres of land and forestry close to the Conor Pass which were offered for sale last August and have been acquired by the State for a price understood to be in the region of €6m.
The catchment of the nearby river An Abha Mhór, an 8km waterway with nine lakes, has been acquired separately.
The new national park will also include Cnoc Bréanainn, the sand dunes at Inch Beach, the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Sceilg Mhichíl, several islands off the Kerry coastline as well as the sea surrounding them.
The announcement was made by Minister of State for Nature Malcolm Noonan and Minister for Heritage Darragh O'Brien, who has Cabinet responsibility for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The next stage will be to develop a collaborative management plan with local communities which will look at accessibility for the public and developing walking trails.
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