Eco Friendly Visitor

The best way to enjoy your trip to Ireland is to become part of those communities, if even for a short time – it will certainly make your visit to the Emerald Isle all the more memorable.

Don't miss...

• Exploring Ireland’s designated Green Box! 
  Spanning most of Counties Leitrim, Fermanagh, North Sligo, South Donegal, West Cavan and North Roscommon, the Green Box is ideal territory for low-impact walking or cycling trips. Book yourself into a B&B, check out the local pub and tuck into some traditional Irish food along the way…      

• Getting to know how the real islanders live. 
  The Aran Islands at the edge of the Atlantic didn’t have electricity until the 1970s and a more traditional ethos endures amongst its inhabitants. For breathtaking mythical beauty and a real get away from it all trip, try Coney Island, Tory Island, Clare Island, Rathlin and the fabled Aran Islands, of course.      

• Planting trees in County Londonderry. 
  Join forces with the woodland management at Gransha Woods, just outside Londonderry City. With tree planting, access work and scrub removal all on the agenda, there’s bound to be some bonding sessions taking place over pints in the local pub.      

• Murlough National Nature Reserve, County Down. 
  A ramble around the Reserve will take in Dundrum Bay and its marvellous wildlife habitats. And no one could fail to stop to fill their lungs with sea air and admire the stunning panorama of the Mountains of Mourne sweeping down to the sea.      

• Watching the flocks of geese at The North Slob in County Wexford. 
  Renowned for attracting wildfowl and waders, including a wintering flock of 8,000 Greenland White-fronted Geese, the reserve is open to visitors throughout the year. Also, check out Rathlin Island, County Antrim. Here, you can find divers, grebes, shearwaters, petrels, swans, geese, ducks, waders, skuas, terns, auks, dippers and kingfishers, to name just a few.      

• Checking out Peatlands Park. 
  Just outside Dungannon in County Tyrone, Peatlands Park was specifically established to promote and facilitate peatland awareness and issues. The peat here has been forming for about 10,000 years and there are over 10 miles of pathways.       

• The Marble Arch Caves European Geopark 
  Located in County Fermanagh, this area is host to one of Europe’s finest showcaves allowing visitors to explore a fascinating underworld of rivers, waterfalls and lofty chambers  

• Fancy putting your roots down in Ireland – literally?
  Holiday Ireland, the travel resource, has joined forces with Rooted in Ireland for a ground-breaking green initiative where the company plants an Oak Tree in an idyllic location in County Armagh as part of a forest replantation project. Initially, the scheme will plant a tree as a thank you to international tour operators for bringing their business to Ireland, however, in the future, visitors using Holiday Ireland will also have the opportunity to put down roots in the land of their ancestors. Sites are planned for this eco-friendly scheme in the Republic of Ireland, too, and you can watch your personal tree grow from 3ft tall to green-leafed giants in the years to come. Rooted in Ireland already offers people the opportunity to buy the gift of a living tree in Ireland, so if you know someone who would like to get back to their roots, then this is the perfect environmentally friendly way to do it, and up to 10% of the purchase price goes to Marie Curie Cancer Research, too.