This is a presentation on behalf of Cullahill Tidy Towns CommitteeThis committee was reformed two years ago with the aim of preserving and enhancing our local environment.The following is a list of projects the committee are working on presently.

1. Cullahill Castle and Grounds:On the advise of our local Heritage Officer- Catherine Casey, much of the work was carried out cleaning the courtyard (farmyard). This involved importing top soil and reseeding the courtyard. The castle is home for many birds and is a habitat for our local bat population.

2. The Lime kiln:The Lime kiln is in an area known as The Rocks. This stone feature was used to produce lime for agriculture and domestic purposes. Extensive work was carried out repairing the surrounding dry stone walls.

3.The Castle Chapel:This feature like the castle needed a lot of voluntary work, clearing out weeds and debris and replacing them with a layer of chippings. The walk way down to the chapel was restored and resurfaced.

4.Roberts Lane (biodiversity lane)This project was undertaken with the advise of Fiona MacGowan (ecologist). This involved the restoration of an old Mass Path as a nature walk. The lane is part of our five year biodiversity plan.We made it accessible and reintroduced some native wild flowers, we also constructed a Bug Hotel. We highlighted our native trees erected a number of bird boxes and hope to have a bat walk and nature walks next year.

5. Millennium Garden:This is another wonderful feature beside our local church, St. Tiernach's.This is a walled orchard garden with many of the heritage varieties still remaining. One unique feature about the garden is it contains plaques with a record of the people resident of Cullahill at the turn of the century.

6. Cullahill Mountain Walk.Our local walk, which starts in the village, takes in most of the above sights and proceeds up to Cullahill Mountain. It is a Failte Ireland approved walk which got national attention when we hosted a very successful John Murray (R.T.E.) Walk. It has many heritage features , flora and fauna and species rich grassland in an area of stunning scenery.Both the walk and the heritage sites have seen a growing number of visitors to the area and as a result are contributing to the local economy.

Future Projects:These will involve ongoing maintenance of all projects mentioned and the planting of native trees. Our local community was kindly gifted a plot of land in the village. We have plans to convert it into a community garden.

We believe we are contributing towards a sustainable future both for the people of Cullahill and beyond.