The Tobacco Growing Industry in Meath

  Randlestown House, entrance front Gillman collection, Irish Architectural Archive   From 1898 to 1938 the Randlestown area of Navan was central to plans to introduce tobacco growing on a commercial basis in Ireland. The industry centred on the 300-acre Randlestown estate, the ancestral home of Sir Nugent Everard. The estate had its own tobacco plantation and also acted as a rehandling station – taking in tobacco from the...

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Flora and Fauna of Wexford Sloblands

A 1,000-hectare low lying flat polder land situated on the north side of Wexford Harbour was reclaimed from the sea in 1847. A two and a half mile long dyke was built from north of the Raven Point at the entrance of the harbour to the shore at Ardcavan, one and a half miles northeast of Wexford. This dyke enclosed 2,500 acres of mud flats and several islands the most important of which are Begerin Island, Big Island and Middle Island. These...

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Invasive Species

Invasive species are organisms introduced into habitats in which they are not native. They are a major cause of biological diversity loss throughout the world and are considered biological pollutants. Without predators, parasites, and competitors that have kept their numbers in check, invasive species introduced into new habitats often overrun their new homes and crowd out native species. Once established, invasives can rarely be eliminated...

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Endangered Species

Several threatened and endangered animal species share the waters and shorelines of the Northwest Discovery Water Trail. These animals range from the western pond turtle and bald eagle, to certain species of fish, such as steelhead, bull trout and salmon. The stories of declining species and the ongoing efforts to help restore their populations are intertwined with the human stories of survival and development. For many, salmon define the...

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