Castlecomer Discovery Park

Castlecomer

05 décembre 2009 - 20 décembre 2009

Originally part of the Demesne of the 17th Century Castlecomer House owned by the Prior Wandesforde family, the Park boasts an array of woodland pathways centred around two Rainbow Trout Fishing Lakes connected by cascades; an array of wooden sculptures; picnic areas; a children’s adventure playground and a wonderful design craft yard. The Castlecomer Plateau was a very important coal mining location from the 17th century until the closure of the mines in 1969, yielding important deposits of high quality anthracite. It was also the source of an important scientific discovery in 1865, when fossils of early amphibians were found by the miners. These aspects of the history and prehistory of the Castlecomer area are the focus of our interactive multimedia exhibition Footprints in Coal. The visitots centre also plays host to a delightful giftshop and the superb Café Jarrow. Open all year round the Discovery Park is an ideal location for a family day out, or for bus tours, school groups or individuals. The Exhibition The area around Castlecomer was once a very important coal-mining district. The anthracite deposits were mined from the 17th Century or possibly earlier. It was also the source of a very important scientific discovery in 1865 when a large number of fossil amphibians were found in the mines. Our interactive multimedia exhibition is based on these two important aspects of the history and prehistory of the Castlecomer area. You will be taken back in time over 300 million years to a time long before human beings, before mammals, before birds, before even the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Through videos, fossils and models you will encounter some of the earliest land plants and some of the first animals to emerge from the seas and colonise the land. You will also experience what conditions were like for the early miners, learn about the social history of coal mining in Castlecomer . Castlecomer Discovery Park grounds consist of 30 hectares (80 acres) of mixed woodland on the banks of the River Deen which were once part of the old Wandesforde Estate.

Telephone:+353 (0)56 444 0707

Fax:+353 (0)56 444 0628

Email: info@discoverypark.ie

Website: www.discoverypark.ie

Address: Castlecomer Discovery Park, The Estate Yard, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, Republic Of Ireland

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