Menu
The Breifne Co-operation Project is headed by Dr. Caroline Sullivan.
It is based in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. For administrative purposes, it is divided into four parts. We are holding a series of Commonage Clinics in September across the region to allow farmers to meet face-to-face and discuss their commonage scores as well as get advice on actions they can take to improve their scores. Time, date and location are available by click on the pdf link below.
| Free Event | Date | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonage clinic | 11/09/2024 | Benwhisken Centre, Ballintrillick | 3-7pm |
| Commonage clinic | 16/09/2024 | Courthouse, Dowra | 3-7pm |
| Commonage clinic | 18/09/2024 | W8 Centre, Manorhamilton | 3-7pm |
| Commonage clinic | 23/09/2024 | Mayflower Hall, Drumshambo | 4-8pm |
| Commonage clinic | 25/09/2024 | Island Theatre, Ballinamore | 4-8pm |
| Commonage clinic | 30/09/2024 | Community Hall, Kinlough | 3-7pm |
| Commonage clinic | 02/10/2024 | Benwhisken Centre, Ballintrillick | 3-7pm |
| Commonage clinic | 07/10/2024 | Courthouse, Dowra | 3-7pm |
| Commonage clinic | 09/10/2024 | W8 Centre, Manorhamilton | 3-7pm |
| Commonage clinic | 14/10/2024 | Mayflower Hall, Drumshambo | 4-8pm |
| Commonage clinic | 16/10/2024 | Island Theatre, Ballinamore | 4-8pm |
| Commonage clinic | 21/10/2024 | Community Hall, Kinlough | 3-7pm |
The Breifne Co-operation area is spread across five counties; Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Roscommon and Monaghan. The area contains very high farmland biodiversity with huge potential for the delivery of ecosystem services. Unfortunately it has been largely overlooked in the past (e.g. low areas of designation or support from large scale results based schemes like the Hen Harrier or Freshwater Pearl Mussel projects. The area contains a large part of the most biodiverse grasslands in the country (Annex quality grasslands).
This cooperation project area stretches from Inishmurray and the North Sligo coast through Ben Bulben to the Drumlin Belt and on to the uplands of Slieve Beagh in Co. Monaghan. It contains the upper reaches of some of Ireland’s largest river systems including the Erne and the Shannon along with Ireland’s only limestone Mountain range, the Dartrys, home to a unique inland population of Chough.
For administrative reasons ACRES Breifne is divided into four parts:
The objectives for Northwest Breifne include Chough, Geese and Swans, Water Quality and Upland Peatlands.
The objectives for Central Breifne include Hen Harrier, Water Quality, Semi Natural Grasslands and Upland Peatlands.
In the Slieve Beagh Area in Co. Monaghan the objectives in Slieve Beagh include Hen Harrier, Breeding Waders Water Quality and Upland Peatlands include Breeding Waders, Water Quality, Upland Peatlands and Semi Natural Grasslands.
Objectives in South Breifne include Breeding Waders, Geese and Swans, Water Quality, Semi Natural Grasslands and Upland Peatlands.
The objectives listed are not in order of priority nor does the list include all of the objectives in each area. At a local scale there will be additional priorities.
The ACRES Breifne Co-operation Project Team is headed by Dr. Caroline Sullivan and Dr. Julien Carlier.
The team are based in:
Unit 3, W8 Centre, Church Lane, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. F91PF2Y. Their phone number is (071) 98 56508.
Caroline was involved in the design and development of the Hen Harrier Programme from the beginning,...
Julien has extensive experience in High Nature Value farmland and forest systems across Ireland. He ...
Hagen has worked in upland habitat restoration and with conservation graziers in Ireland, Norway, an...
Clodagh is an experienced field ornithologist whose career has focused on birds for the last five ye...
Daniel has a degree in Agricultural Science with experience working within the farm advisory sector ...
Naomi has spent the last number of years as a PhD candidate in ATU Galway working on High Nature Val...
AÃfe is a Leitrim native with a masters degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. Sh...
Noel has a degree in Agricultural Science and a postgraduate diploma in Sustainable Agriculture &...
| Caroline was involved in the design and development of the Hen Harrier Programme from the beginning, gaining valuable experience running a results-based agri-environment scheme. She has over 15 years’ experience working on High Nature Value farmland in Ireland and Europe including post-doctoral research mapping and describing HNV farmland funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. She has a special interest in supporting HNV farmland habitat recognition and rehabilitation to ensure climate change resilience for future generations. |
| Julien has extensive experience in High Nature Value farmland and forest systems across Ireland. He has researched the quality and quantity assessment of HNV farmland habitats at national scale, including modelling policy incentives to maintain and enhance their ecosystem services. His wider interests are rural community development, environmental outreach and sustainable development. |
| Hagen has worked in upland habitat restoration and with conservation graziers in Ireland, Norway, and throughout the UK for the past decade. From his previous work as an upland ecologist on the CANN project in the Breifne region, Hagen has extensive experience in the application of novel GIS and remote sensing techniques in delivering conservation ecology projects. |
| Clodagh is an experienced field ornithologist whose career has focused on birds for the last five years. With a farming background and a Master’s degree in Conservation Behaviour, she is passionate about sustainably maintaining the economic viability of family farms in High Nature Value farmland areas. As a hiking enthusiast based in the region, she also has a great appreciation for the landscape and an interest in the upland management and ecology of the area. |
| Daniel has a degree in Agricultural Science with experience working within the farm advisory sector and quality management. Daniel has a passion for farming with environmental sustainability in mind. Daniels desire is to work with farmers within our region to optimize their land from an environmental and biodiversity perspective while ensuring their farming enterprise and way of life is economically and socially sustainable. |
| Naomi has spent the last number of years as a PhD candidate in ATU Galway working on High Nature Value farmland in Hen Harrier Programme areas and so has a deep understanding of results-based agri-environmental programmes. She is also a farmer in the Breifne region with practical knowledge of farming systems in HNV farmland areas and a keen interest in being involved with the farming communities that support them. Her wider interests include conservation and restoration of biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services. |
| AÃfe is a Leitrim native with a masters degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. She is a former researcher and lecturer in Agribusiness and the Sustainable Development Goals in University College Dublin. She has spent the past few years working as a facilitator with community groups across the border region. She is passionate about regenerative farming, community-led decision making, and sustainable farm livelihoods |
| Noel has a degree in Agricultural Science and a postgraduate diploma in Sustainable Agriculture & Land Use with Innovation from Munster Technical University. Noel is from the Glencar valley in the heart of the Dartry Mountains in North Sligo and with a background in upland farming on High Nature Value farmland, Noel has practical knowledge of upland farming systems and the challenges they face. He aims to collaborate with farmers and local communities to enhance their land’s biodiversity value, while maintaining the economic sustainability of their enterprise. |
