The story with the Glore in Fore

Fore is known for water that runs uphill and doesn’t boil, but now the community group behind St Fechin’s Trail (the Nancy to Nellie) intend to add another water wonder to the list.

This year, Fore Heritage and Amenity Group (FHAG) have adopted water as a theme for development over the next decade, and welcome aquatic ecologist Ross Macklin to Fore on Saturday May 27 to explore the spring that is the source of the river Glore and the work being carried out by the community to breathe new life into an important tributary.

“Ireland’s freshwaters are host to a wonderful world of animals, plants and other organisms, and these organisms, many of which depend on good water quality, can tell us much about our environment,” said Una D’Arcy of FHAG,

“We are delighted to have Ross with us for a few days and thank you to Cathal Flood and Basil Mannion, community water officers, who worked with us to secure funding to develop an outdoor classroom and activities.

“Ross visited the children in St Fechin’s National School on Friday, and on Saturday morning the event is open to the public to come along and learn about the diversity of life along the streams in Fore."

“Water is an important element out here in Fore. Its very name comes from the Irish for springs and people love the stories about the water that moves uphill and the water that doesn’t boil.

“But while the heritage of the stories is a great thing, a more important story is the loss of habitat, the loss of diversity and the loss of water quality in Ireland.”

Una said that Irish rivers have come under a lot of pressure from pollution in recent years. The 2019 report on water quality from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that there are now just 20 pristine river sites in Ireland compared with more than 500 in the late 1980s.

“We are working to protect the streams in Fore and the local farming community have been innovative in their work to breathe life back into the river banks and support the work being carried out to protect what we have and to restore it to a thriving waterway teeming with life.”

Everyone is welcome to join the walk and talk and learn more about the aquatic life of local streams and rivers.

What’s the story with the Glore in Fore? 9.30am, Saturday May 27; meet at the car park at Fore Abbey.