Curraghchase Forest Park, Protected forest park in Kilcornan, Ireland.
Curraghchase Forest Park covers 774 acres between Adare and Askeaton in County Limerick, 20 km from Limerick city. It is mainly broadleaf and mixed woodland on low limestone ridges, with mature conifer stands and parkland partly underwater. The park holds eight classified sites: a cairn, two enclosures, three ringforts, a standing stone, and an 18th-century house probably built on the site of Curragh Castle.
Vere Hunt, a Cromwellian officer, was granted 380 acres in 1657 and built Curragh House; his descendants, the Hunt/de Vere family, held the estate for three centuries. Sir Aubrey de Vere rebuilt the house in the early 19th century and changed the family name and property name to de Vere and Curraghchase in 1833. The house was accidentally destroyed by fire in December 1941, and the State bought the grounds in 1957.
The name Curragh means 'marshy plain' in Irish; the 2nd Baronet added 'chase' in 1833 when he changed his surname to de Vere. Tennyson, a guest here, wrote 'Lady Clara Vere de Vere' and claimed to see the Lady of the Lake's arm rise from the artificial lake. A figure of a burning woman was said to appear on the water each Christmas Eve.
The park offers six marked walking trails with varying lengths suited to different fitness levels. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and check seasonal hours, as opening times change between summer and winter months.
The park's conservation work includes a purpose-built summer bat roost area for the Lesser Horseshoe Bat, created as part of wider habitat initiatives rather than in caves. The hawfinch, scarce in Ireland, winters here in flocks of 15 to 30 birds, and the brambling is a frequent winter visitor.
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