Terryland Forest Park

The Terryland Forest Park is one of my pet hobbies. I initiated a residents campaign in 1996 to secure the land either side of the Terryland River for a multi-purpose community park and woodland. There was a real concern then that Galway would develop the worst excesses of 'urban sprawl' with little attention being given to the creation of a sustainable infrastructure that would include a network of parks, forests, playgrounds, community facilities, pedestrian /cycle and public transport routes. The Terryland Forest Park had the unique addition of possessing a community steering committee to manage the entity's growth.
In spite of the council's inability to support the community input over the last few years, the park is still one of Europe's largest urban forest programmes, with the staff doing their best, in spite of a government embargo on local government jobs, to promote biodiversity.
However , these photos bear testimony to the park's misuse today. Above- Remnants of a barbeque. Notice the use of tree branches for fuel for the fire.

Once again, the left-overs of a barbeque party.


Graffiti and alcohol cans at a park bench in the Terryland Park. Sadly and quite naively, the council refuse to place refuse bins in the park.

Cans, glass bottles, broken tree branches and wooden pallets left blocking a stream in the park.

Bags of clothes left behind deep in a wooded area in the park. Are people sleeping overnight?