We decided to bring our conservation efforts online and move the focus to online awareness of conservation in Connemara. Letterfrack Tidy Towns
Letterfrack Tidy Towns is a long established group whose main objective is enhancing the village of Letterfrack by working with other groups and public bodies to provide appropriate small scale infrastructure in the village and to make it attractive to v
isitors and locals alike. The committee coordinates the yearly application to Tidy Towns and works with other groups in the village to develop activities and events that showcase our unique village. Letterfrack Tidy works closely with Galway County Council and Green Campus GMIT to organise events on sustainable waste and resource management and with the Green Campus and the OPW Parks and Wildlife Service to raise awareness of our biodiversity. Letterfrack Tidy Towns has developed a trail, the Atlantic Link Waterfall Walk, from the village through private and Connemara National Park land to the sea and with funding from FLAG, the groundworks for the trail have been specified. Work is now underway with the Connemara National Park to source funding for the groundworks/entrance and signage for the new trail. Connemara Green Festival and Connemara Green
In 2015, with support from Galway County Council Letterfrack Tidy Towns hosted the first Connemara Green Festival on the 20th and 21st June 2015. The objective – to Inspire Action for Conservation by:
Raising awareness and action for conservation efforts
Protecting our environment
Raising funds for conservation actions
Educating and influencing people to appreciate what we have in the area
The Connemara Green Festival aims to foster a deeper appreciation and understanding of the special place that is Connemara by opening doors to learn more about our landscape through conservation, guided walks and talks with people who appreciate our landscape and ecology. Visitors are increasing looking for more ‘real experiences’ - meeting real people and talking and walking with them in nature is part of the festival. Our philosophy for the Connemara Green Festival is to open up these experiences for visitors and locals alike and to maximise what we have available in our own community. On a more practical level, people who travel to the area, eat locally and stay locally. The small businesses that we work with, are then able to promote their own products and services. Another successful key strategy of the Connemara Green Festival was to forge greater linkages between the Connemara National Park and the Village of Letterfrack. In 2020, due to COVID-19 we were unable to host the festival due to restrictions, so decided to bring our conservation efforts online and move the focus to online awareness of conservation in Connemara.
