Ballycroy boardwalk reopened as Minister visits Mayo's Wild Nephin National Park
Dara Calleary praises NPWS team as restored boardwalk, new Herd Trail and historic Upper House Bothy are officially opened in North Mayo
The restored boardwalk at Ballycroy has officially reopened following its destruction by fire just over a year ago, as Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Christopher O’Sullivan TD visited Wild Nephin National Park in North Mayo.
Minister O’Sullivan was joined by Minister Dara Calleary, members of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), and local councillors Paul McNamara and Sean Carey for a visit showcasing a number of conservation and tourism projects across the park.
The Ballycroy boardwalk, a popular feature of the national park, has been restored by the local NPWS team, with the work carried out entirely in-house.
Minister Calleary praised the team for the quality of the restoration, describing Wild Nephin as “a really special place” and encouraging people to visit.
The delegation also visited the Wild Nephin Visitor Centre, where they saw biodiversity work taking place, before travelling to a local blanket bog to learn about the positive impact of bog re-wetting and how restoration work is carried out.
The final stop was at Altnabrocky on the eastern side of the national park, where the newly restored Upper House Bothy was unveiled.
The historic bothy had remained unused and in a state of disrepair since 1947, when its former occupants, the McAndrew brothers, died during the “Big Snow” of that year.
The building has now been restored to provide shelter and overnight accommodation for hikers and travellers. It will also serve as a hub for Mayo Dark Skies, taking advantage of the area’s exceptionally dark night skies.
Minister O’Sullivan also officially opened the new Herd Trail, which provides access to the bothy.
Minister Calleary said the visit provided an opportunity to see the wide range of conservation, heritage and visitor projects taking place across Wild Nephin National Park.
He paid tribute to the NPWS staff for their “care and attention” to the park and surrounding area, adding that the visit was one of those days that “really didn’t feel like work”.
He described the landscape as “a really spectacular part of the National Park and of the world” and said he could not recommend a visit highly enough.