It’s hard to believe that when their work began, there were no walking trails in Sligo Town. Just thirty years ago, not only did we not have a public park to speak of, we barely had a children’s playground. But now we can enjoy a walk, cycle, run or even a game of boules at a number of public parks in Sligo, with plenty of beautiful views to take in during a break.
Over all those years the Parks team was led by Lucy Brennan, and she has finally hung up her trowel and secateurs, leaving a wealth of public spaces for us to enjoy.
“At the moment I feel very much part of them,” she says of the parks and walks she helped develop. “It will possibly take a while to let go of that. I met some fabulous community people, of course my work colleagues and I have to give a special mention to all who passed through and worked with the Parks Department,” she adds, having finally stepped away from Sligo County Council.
The wheels of change which led to the development of Sligo’s parks began to turn around 25 years ago. At the turn of the Millenium, the Parks Department was started by Sligo County Council. Her colleague Micheál Condren was asked to develop what would become the Garavogue River Trail, involving the regeneration of the area between the town centre and Cleveragh Park. Together they came up with a plan and acquired the funding to develop the walk section by section. Nowadays it’s one of Sligo’s most scenic and accessible walks and is very popular with Sligo people and visitors alike. In addition, they worked on other parts of the town, creating green areas and walks for public use.
“Our first park, Mitchell Curley Park, was open to the public in 2005. It has walking trails, football pitches, playgrounds and as the years passed we introduced other equipment and facilities like the boules court. Then Forthill Park, which is a small park on the north side, got the trails in there and pitches. And then Doorly Park-Cleveragh then being our main one,” she says, adding that there was always a long term vision for each location.
“With all that area that involved landscaping, we planted thousands of snowdrops and daffodils all along Doorly Park on the walkway there, which are still there and still come through each year.”
The overall objective of developing the parks was to enable them to be put to public use. This also involved engaging with local GAA, soccer, rugby, running and triathlon clubs, who also use the facilities as well as general members of the public.
“Different clubs saw the opportunity – there was a shortage of pitches at that stage, so it worked both ways. They took an interest in it and if there was any vandalism going on they would report it back to us so they, you could say, did a certain amount of security on them and on the whole park.”
Saplings they set a quarter of a century ago are now maturing and Lucy is justifiably proud of the work that she and her team have done. Of particular mention is Cleveragh, Sligo’s largest and most popular park. Back in former times it was a country estate owned by famed antiquarian and archaeologist William Wood-Martin. So having this canvas to work with meant that they could dream big and transform it into the park we know today.
“Walking in the gate at Cleveragh, it’s so natural, it’s nature at its best, really,” she says. “There’s such beautiful scenery around. As you walk, it’s surrounded not only by the hills and mountains in the distance, I say it’s like an outdoor theatre really. No matter what area you’re walking in, you see the natural beauty in it. It really has everything.”
Of particular importance was the development of the Garden of Memories, an area of Cleveragh set aside in partnership with Sligo Hospice. Located on an elevated part of the site, this tranquil setting is a place where people can come and reflect on the passing of friends and family members.
“It’s very, very simple. Everything that was planted in the garden there was a purpose for planting it,” she says, adding that horse chestnut trees evoke memories of our youth playing conkers, lilac was planted for old houses or the likes of myrtle is grown for its healing properties. She adds that “the Hospice have their hospice tree there, the sycamore tree, it’s a huge, big tree and it’s lit up every December and January. There’s a beautiful ceremony there each December with music and song, just a little memory, really. An evening to remember people’s loved ones.”
Noting that the parks were hugely important during Covid, Lucy says that people have continued their walking habit, with less social distancing but maintaining the times that they tend to walk. Being an early starter herself, she would see the same faces appear, whether at 5:30am, midday or in the evening. And if she didn’t see a regular walker out at their usual time, she’d give a thought as to why they hadn’t appeared on that particular day.
And now, as she winds down on work, she, like the rest of us, will walk in Cleveragh and the other parks she helped build, but this time as a member of the public. And while her official involvement with the parks is at an end, not so her willingness to work with voluntary groups who want to explore and protect the environment. She’d like to get involved in education, particularly with those with special needs and nurture a love in nature in younger people.
But as she resets as the year draws to an end, the time for planning for the future is for another day. In the meantime, as she bids farewell to her many colleagues and friends who were part of the journey, she looks forward to seeing them again “wishing you all the very best, and no doubt I’ll see you all along the way, along the trail,” she says as a final word.
We have recorded a podcast with Lucy Brennan about her work on parks and trail development in Sligo. Visit www.SligoWalks.ie/podcast to hear it in full. And as we end 2024 Sligo Walks would like to wish all of our readers a Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year.