Woodland at Corkagh


Corkagh Park is home to many wonderful mature trees planted by the Finlay family when they were the owners of Corkagh House and Demesne in the 18th and 19th centuries.

One of a pair of Copper Beeches, in all its autumn glory. 
These trees are at least 200 years old.

Some of the original oaks, now over 200 years old, that lined the main avenue from the Naas Road survive still, as do the Copper Beeches that once overlooked the old house.

Oaks in winter

Young Oaks were planted along Oak Avenue in the 1990s.



horse chestnut tree in the fairy woods with gifts ©nolene dowdall
 Majestic horse-chestnuts are now decorated with the soothers and bottles left as gifts for the fairies who live in their branches.

Horse Chestnuts are in flower during the month of May.  These trees once lined a path here that led from Corkagh House to the Gunpowder Mills complex.  

Horse Chestnut flowers. 
The Horse Chestnut is not native to Ireland and was imported to Europe from Turkey during the 17th century.  It became popular as a specimen tree in estates and parkland. 


A relatively new addition to Corkagh are the Red Horse chestnut trees located in the arboretum. 
These trees are easily identified in May when their exotic red flowers appear in profusion.
The flowers are poisonous if eaten.
The Red Horse Chestnut is a cross between the common Horse Chestnut and and a tree native to America called Red Buckeye.


There are a couple of Laburnum trees in the Fairy woods and behind the estate buildings. 
Their flowers form an impressive display in late May and June.  These trees aren't particularly long lived, normally only surviving for 30 or 40 years. All parts of this tree are poisonous and apparently a dog will become ill by simply chewing on a twig.


Rum Cherry in flower June 2021

This lovely Rum Cherry tree, also known as Black Cherry can be found amongst the mature trees
that border the Arboretum.  


Just behind the Horse Chestnut trees in the 'fairy woods' there is a Linden tree which is over 200 years old.  These trees flower for 2 weeks only in summer, usually July but it could be earlier if there has been
a warm spring.  The flowers are fragrant and are used in perfumery. They are edible when picked fresh and can be made into a tea much like chamomile. 

Masses of fragrant flowers on the lovely Linden tree, July 16th.


The tallest tree at Corkagh is a Sequoia known as 'Big Red' which can be found near the rose garden.

Cedars line the lawn next to the estate buildings and these trees provided shelter for tea parties in olden times.
Corkagh Cedars

At Corkagh you will also notice groves of new trees. These mixed deciduous woodland areas have been planted by the parks department in the last 30 years. After you enter Corkagh from the Naas Road entrance you will see some of this new woodland on your left.  During the foot and mouth epidemic of the 1940s much of the Corkagh herd of cattle had to be slaughtered and were buried near here.

Some of Corkaghs newer woodland planted over 30 years ago. 
natural woodland at corkagh clondalkin ©nolene dowdall
There are numerous tracks through the woodland to explore

New woodland behind the fishing lakes.


Wild Cherrys come in to bloom in early March and can be found in the woodland behind the Caravan park. 


During the month of May Hawthorn trees, also know as Whitethorn, are in full bloom with masses of spectacular white flowers. The Hawthorn was a popular hedgerow shrub and this specimen
near the dog run is likely over a hundred years old. The Hawthorn was considered a fairy tree in Irish folklore and bad luck was guaranteed for anyone who dared to cut one. 
Hawthorn Blossoms are strongly scented but the smell doesn't appeal to everyone. Some experience the scent as pleasant and almondy others describe the smell as that of rotting flesh!!  Both scents exist, one to attract bees and the other to attract flies as both act as pollinators. In winter, its berries are an important food source for birds and in spring many small birds build their nests in the Hawthorn
whose thorns offer protection against predators. 


Next to the fishing lakes a section of the field is planted with young trees.  The Rowan pictured above
is at its most lovely when its berries appear in August.

Rowan Berries in late August



                                                                             

Corkagh Snapshots

Popular posts from this blog

Fishing Lakes at Corkagh

Image
  Contrary to appearances the 'fishing' lakes were only created in 2001 as part of flood prevention works on the Camac in what was  formerly a large meadow area filled with wildflowers .  The coffee shop at the lakes!  This has since closed and will be replaced by a cafe currently under construction. The lakes are fed by the waters of the River Camac and its tributary streams.  In extended periods of dry weather the water level can drop significantly while during wetter  periods lake levels quickly rise leading to flooding.  Pier under water November 2020 Pretty wooden piers at the lakes The lakes were initially stocked with Rainbow Trout   in the lower lake and Carp  in the upper lake near the Grange Castle car park.   Fish stocks are no longer maintained and the lakes are not actively managed however visitors continue to fish here.  I am told there are presently Perch, Carp and Tench to be found.  A word of c...
Read more

The Old House at Corkagh

Image
Corkagh House in the early 20th century (courtesy SDCC) For many centuries what we know as Corkagh Park was part of the lands under the control of the monastery founded by St Cronan Mochua at  Clondalkin  in the 7th century.   A burial enclosure and corn drying kiln dating from as early as the  8th century were discovered when the lower lakes (behind the playground) were being created in 2001. Originally the council had planned for two lakes however once the skeletons were discovered archaeological investigations commenced and the second lake was never completed.  Twenty burials were removed before the area was covered in geotextile to preserve any remaining burials for investigation in the future. The Round Tower at Clondalkin is over 1200 years old.    Some of the finds associated with these burials indicated a Viking influence and indeed the Vikings under King Amhlaith (Olaf) built a fort somewhere nea...
Read more

Sir John Galvin

Image
Sir John Galvin purchased Corkagh House and Demesne  from the Colley family in 1959. But aside from the fact that he was an Australian millionaire who was interested in training horses for equestrian sports and raising specimen cattle not much else had been written about him in any literature pertaining to Corkagh. It was he who had the charming and historic Corkagh House demolished! I was curious about the man and set about investigating further. It turns out that there is plenty of information to be found but a bit of digging through Google is required! Treemare Stud now Corkagh Park John Galvin was born one of seven children in Tasmania in 1908. His family was of Irish Catholic and Spanish descent and his father worked as an odd job man at a theatre. He received his education from the Christian Brothers. As a teenager his family moved to Sydney and he started work as a messenger boy. The young John was a fast talking opportunist, always looking for a way to make a buck and deter...
Read more

Corkagh Park

Image
Corkagh Park spans  over 150 acres   between the Naas Road  and historic Clondalkin Village.  The park incorporates the lands  of Corkagh House which was demolished in  the early 1960s leaving only the stables and outbuildings visible today.  The estate was  bought by  Dublin County Council in 1983  and opened as a public park in 1986.   Corkagh has a long and interesting history with  much  to discover  as you wander its paths and tracks.  The name Corkagh comes from the Irish word for marshy land and indeed areas of the park  near the Camac have a tendency to become waterlogged during wet periods.   The river Camac which rises SE of Saggart flows through the park towards Clondalkin village, then on through Inchicore and Kilmainham before entering  the Liffey near Heuston  Station.  The Camac at Corkagh While the Camac seems little more  than a stream most of the ...
Read more

The Gunpowder mills.

Image
There have been many mills established along the Camac river  at  Clondalkin over the centuries but one of the largest was the   Gunpowder Mills at Corkagh.   This section of the Corkagh estate is known as Kilmatead but   officially the townland name is Corkagh and the  townland name of the adjacent park is Corkagh Demesne!   Most of the 'powder mills' complex lies outside of the park boundary,  however a mill pond, mill race, and mill building are located  at the south western side of the fishing lakes. 1 8th century millpond near the fishing lakes In 1703, Lewis Chaigneau a successful merchant from a French Huguenot   family purchased a large parcel of land near Clondalkin which went on  to form the basis of the Corkagh estate.  Lewis had links to another  successful Huguenot family, the Gruebers , who operated  g unpowder mills in England.   He parcelled off the southwest...
Read more

Nature at Corkagh: Flowers

Image
Corkagh Snapshots Corkagh   is home to a wide variety of  wildflowers.   In addition there are some garden flowers  which have become naturalised in parts of the park . During 2020/21, as much out of curiosity as anything, I decided to log all the wildflowers I found growing at Corkagh. I also included flowers that appear to  be garden escapes and those on shrubs and trees.    Below are most of the  flowers  that can be found in the park with a little information on each.  How many can you spot on your walks? Flowering in late Winter/Spring Winter Heliotrope  is one of the few plants that flower throughout winter.  You can find it growing along the back avenue.  It has a strong  almond scent.   Reminds me of marzipan!  Apparently the flowers move in response to the sun, gradually turning from East to West over the course of the day. Be aware that this plant is poisonous if ingest...
Read more

The Walled Garden and Stewarts House at Corkagh

Image
Opposite the baseball pitch, on the north side of the Camac,  lie the  ruins of a house  that was once home to the  Stewart of Corkagh .  The Stewart was responsible for the day to day running of Corkagh Demesne.  This house was built in the early 19th century and had  a kitchen, sitting room and office downstairs with  three bedrooms upstairs. It was lived in until 1975! The ruins of the Stewarts house. The area is closed off by an outer wall and hedgerow.  This ' outer' garden is now used as something of a dump by the council but was formerly an orchard.  The inner garden is surrounded by a high wall.   This garden was designed by the Finlays of Corkagh   around 1820 and replaced an earlier walled garden which may have been located on the southern side of the main house.   High walls along with Yew and Beech hedges sheltered the garden and  created a microclimate where fruit and  vegetables  could...
Read more

The Camac River at Corkagh.

Image
The Camac river  runs through Corkagh and  as you walk around the park you will cross it or one of its streams  via several pretty 19th century bridges.    19th century bridge over the Camac The Camac rises in the Dublin Mountains southeast of Saggart   and runs through Clondalkin, then on to Bluebell and Kilmainham before flowing  into the Liffey near Heuston Station .  Many mills were built alongside the river including flour,  gunpowder and oil mills. The four Corkagh lakes are also fed by the river and its streams.   The Camac had a tendency to overflow its banks during wet periods.   The Watery Lane near Clondalkin village was particularly prone to flooding.   The lakes at Corkagh were created in 2000 as  part of measures to prevent this flooding. Carved stone on bridge near Baseball Fields/Walled Garden.  This was added to the bridge in the 1960s. Here are some excerpts fr...
Read more

Nature at Corkagh: Birds

Image
Throughout the year the melodious song of our native birds echo across Corkagh.  Some of these birds will be familiar as regular visitors to nearby gardens but there are several species that are rarely seen in suburban settings. Here are some of the birds you can expect to find at Corkagh together with images I have captured over recent years. Before I go on I have to acknowledge a wonderful app without which I would never have been able to identify some of Corkaghs birds.  Free and Highly recommended.  Merlin Bird ID from Cornell Lab Wren Irelands second smallest bird the Wren is easily identified by its upright tail which bobs as it flies.  They make their nests in hedgerows.    St Stephens Day used to be called Wren Day as the young fellas would kill a wren, mount it on a stick, blacken their faces with coal or soil and cover themselves in straw or whatever might make them look scary after which they would proceed around local houses shouting and demandi...
Read more