Wilkinstown pupils at Dun A Rí to help minister plant tree

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Brendan Smith recently planted a tree in Coillte's Dún A Rí Forest Park outside Kingscourt to mark Tree Day 2009. Children from Wilkinstown National School were on hand to help plant the tree. Minister Smith congratulated the Tree Council of Ireland on organising National Tree Day and commented: "It is events like this that provide us all with the opportunity to recognise and appreciate the focal role that trees play in the environment." The minister thanked Coillte for their efforts in upgrading the forest park at Dún A Rí and added that it was "a fantastic recreational amenity" for the people of Cavan and Meath. He pointed out the positive contribution such recreational amenities can make to the health and wellbeing of local communities. Along with tree-planting, Coillte hosted a number of walks. On Tree Day annually, primary school children get the opportunity to leave their school bags at home and spend the day learning about trees in a fun and relaxed environment. Many schools take the opportunity to participate in guided walks at over 120 locations throughout the country. The legend about Dun A Rí stretches back to the time of Cuchullain, who rested in these woods while fighting the armies of Queen Maeve of Connaught. The O'Reilly family owned the lands up until the end of the 16th century when they were acquired by Thomas Fleming who built Fleming's Castle. The ruins of the castle can still be seen in the park. The estate was acquired by the Pratt family who built the town of Kingscourt in the years 1760-1770. The lands were acquired by the Irish Forest Service in 1959 and were developed into a forest park. There is a great diversity of wildlife to be found at Dún a Rí and the flora is varied and, in many cases, spectacular. There are four signposted walks at Dún a Rí: The Nature Trail, The Village Walk, The River Walk and the Access for All Trail. There is also a picnic area and public toilets on site. Dún a Rí is situated north of Kingscourt on the R179 to Carrickmacross. Take the R179 from the centre of Kingscourt and travel approx two kilometres to the forest park entrance.