Machair - ancient habitat, new life

Something significant is happening in Lurgabrack, Horn Head, NW Donegal.

“Machair” is a unique biosphere only found in the west & north west of Ireland and Scotland. It’s the delicate sandy grassland environment which sits between the seashore and the common inland ground conditions. It is home to a unique ecosystem of birds, mammals, wild flowers and insects - many of which are under serious threat in Ireland and internationally because of habitat loss.

If you are old enough and lucky enough to remember walking through “machair” environments you will remember the noise of the Irish hare scurrying through the grass, a carpet of purple pyramidal orchids, a profusion of butterflies in early Summer and the high pitched song of the skylark hovering high above you - that was Machair.

With the help of EU funding and vision, a new project, LIFE ON MACHAIR, is breathing new life into threatened Machaire landscapes in 9 sites in the north west of Ireland : from Connemara and South Mayo, to Erris in north west Mayo, and Gweedore and Horn Head in Donegal. These target areas represent a sample of Machair sites in Ireland which are important sites for breeding waders and pollinators.

Lurgabrack, Horn Head, NW Donegal is the most northerly of the selected project sites and is certainly one of the most spectacular. Perched beautifully on the South Western side of the picturesque Horn Head peninsula, between the dramatic Tramore strand, Horn Head cliffs, Sheephaven Bay and Dunfanaghy Village, lies Lurgabrack. It is also part of the Horn Head Special Area of Conservation, NPWS managed Lurgabrack Forest and the site of an important breeding waders conservation project.

A truly special place of dramatic scenic beauty - its strategic position also explains its long history where there is evidence of human presence here going back to Neolithic times, plus more “recent” Viking settlement on the shores of Sheephaven Bay (from the Norse “Ships Haven”).

However, the protection and restoration of the machair landscape is not about the panoramic beauty - in this ecosystem, which is lashed by the North Atlantic winds, sea salt and sand storms, the real beauty is generally small and low to the ground. It is home to a plethora of beautiful micro sized plants and insects and only found in this unique coastal environment. It is home to many small threatened ground nesting birds - who don’t want to give away the location of their nests, eggs and chicks given the risk of predators. But they are there and it is their only home - so let’s protect it and them. Let biodiversity flourish and enrich our lives and our environment.

The protection and restoration of the Machair ecosystem requires close collaboration with farmers / landowners, community groups, leisure users and other state agencies / projects. Working with local farmers / landowners can unlock benefits all - for example, by using ancient Machaire farming practices, such as bringing in cattle or horses to graze over the Winter, this helps to cultivate the ground in preparation for Spring / Summer, while providing farmers with a source of grazing during the winter - before moving livestock to higher ground when the grass starts to grow. Done well, this type of collaboration, which is essential from a technical and an economic perspective, can serve as a model for how to do environmental conservation elsewhere in Ireland and internationally.

The future of Lurgabrack machair is looking bright, particularly for the unique ecosystem of plants, birds, mammals and insects who call it home. It will also be there for us and future generations to enjoy, respectfully and in communion with nature.

Situated in the townland of Lurgabrack, Horn Head, Breac.House offers guests the opportunity to enjoy modern luxury in a spectacular Atlantic coastal location while respecting the local environment and community. Named after the townland in which we are located, Lurgabrack derives from the original Irish name of Lorga Bhreac - “Breac” means speckled and “lorga” means shin. So, as with most Irish places names which are very descriptive, the names was referring to the speckled shin end of the Horn Head peninsula, the speckling referring to the proliferation of stone scattered around the landscape (many of which were gathered to create the network of beautiful old stone walls which are still visible).

For more information on the project, visit the website below