ACRES Kerry West Cork

03/09/2026

Over the spring and summer our team at ACRES CP Kerry West Cork have been busy carrying out Landscape Action training courses with our farmers. Some of our Landscape Actions require a mandatory training course to be done before the action can be carried out.

In one of our invasive training days, farmers were shown how to treat Rhododendron ponticum by cutting the plant’s stump and treating it with herbicide. A blue dye is used to indicate which plant has been treated. For stem treatment, a hatchet is used to create notches in the stem to treat. Over the course of 3 hours our Agri-Environmental officers demonstrated how to treat Rhododendron ponticum effectively to farmers.

South Kerry Development Partnership CLG
CAP Network Ireland
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

27/08/2026

Rhododendron ponticum is an invasive with vibrant pink flowers that outcompetes our beautiful native flora by blocking out sunlight & stopping young saplings from growing.
A single flowering plant can produce over a million seeds a year – making it highly successful at spreading across different habitats like our woodlands and bogs. It is very toxic to livestock & wildlife.
If you are a farmer in ACRES CP Kerry West Cork, & you want to treat Rhododendron on your land, we have the Landscape Action (LA) Rhododendron/ Cherry Laurel Management that could help. This action, along with a mandatory 3-hour training course provided by the ACRES team & a follow up LA, are designed to tackle the spread of Rhododendron in farmland.
Send in an Expression of Interest form today or talk to our Agri-Environmental Officers about applying for landscape actions as soon as possible.
Co-funded by the European Union and the Department of Agriculture of Food and the Marine

South Kerry Development Partnership CLG
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
CAP Network Ireland

11/08/2026

Puck Fair, one of Ireland's oldest fair's (400 years!!) takes place every year from the 10th to 12th of August. Today we got out and about for the 'Fair Day'- the sale of some great cattle, and met some farmers for chats.
Pictured below is ACRES CP Project Manager Patricia Deane with local farmer Timmy 'the banker' Junior and also with her father Finn Deane.

‘ACRES CP is Co-funded by the European
Union and the Department of Agriculture of Food and the Marine’.

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
South Kerry Development Partnership CLG
CAP Network Ireland

28/07/2026

28/07/2026

A great opportunity and still spaces available!
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
CAP Network Ireland

We are delighted to offer free Biodiversity Training to Community Groups in Kerry. The training comprises e-learning and in-person field visits. Our course will run from Sunday August 9th until Sunday the 16th of August with the online sessions being delivered from the 18th August, a total of 25 hours of e-learning. If you are a member of a community group in Kerry and would like to participate please email the Kerry Biosphere directly by close of business on Friday 24th July, [email protected]
County Council South Kerry Development Partnership CLG

28/07/2026

28/07/2026

Introduction to Beekeeping Course IFA Countryside presents a brand new Introduction to Beekeeping course, delivered by the Irish Bee Foundation. Over six weeks of online sessions, participants will gain comprehensive theoretical insight into the world of honeybees and beekeeping fundamentals. This c...

28/07/2026

🌿 Training in Conservation and Countryside Management!

Gain hands-on skills in habitat restoration, wildlife surveying, invasive species management, tree propagation, woodland management and safe working in remote environments.

Learn in some of Donegal’s most scenic locations, before completing a 4-week work placement to gain real industry experience.

🎓 Successful participants will earn nationally recognised City & Guilds qualifications in Practical Horticulture Skills and Countryside Management, along with additional industry certifications.

📍 Training takes place across Glenveagh National Park, and Gartan

🔗 Find out more and apply here: https://donegalcollege.ie/course/national-parks-estate-skills/

28/07/2026

Looking forward to hearing more!

Join us for a free lunchtime webinar with All-Ireland Pollinator Plan Programme Manager, Dr Sarah Larragy, to explore the next phase of the AIPP (2026–2030) and hear about the plans for the next five years.

Register here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/nationalbiodiversitydatacentre/2320599

We'll introduce the Plan's vision and priorities, highlighting it's 10 work packages which bring together actions across sectors including farmland, public land, transport networks, communities, businesses and researchers. You'll also hear about how the Plan's 50 strategic aims and 75 success metrics will help guide and measure progress towards an island where pollinators can survive and thrive.

Whether you're already involved in biodiversity initiatives or looking to get started, this webinar will show how the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan provides practical tools, resources, and inspiration to help everyone play a part in protecting pollinating insects. Find out how you can get involved and help turn individual actions into lasting, landscape-scale change for pollinators across the island of Ireland.

27/06/2026

Why not have a go!

🚨 STOP THE SPREAD PHOTO COMPETITION 🚨

This Invasive Species Week, show us how small actions make a BIG difference.

📸 Snap a photo of you in action helping to stop the spread of invasive species.

🗓️ Deadline: 28th June 2026

✨ Need inspiration? Try capturing yourself:

✔️ Cleaning mud from your boots
✔️ Checking your gear & clothing
✔️ Learning to identify invasive species
✔️ Following “Check, Clean, Dry” guidance

📧 To enter email your photo to [email protected]

👍 Once entries are in, vote for your favourites — winning photos will receive themed prizes! 🎁

📢 Let’s spread awareness, not invasive species.

📅 Invasive Species Week Events: invasives.ie/events

💡 Other ways to : invasives.ie/invasivespeciesweek