Ireland's first public Rain Garden created in Ferbane

THE members of Ferbane Tidy Towns have recently created what they believe is Ireland's first public Rain Garden in Fair Green beside the former fire station in the town.
There is great community spirit in Ferbane these days and the town has drawn up an impressive “Green Infrastructure Strategy”, part of which is to transform the space around the former Fire Station.
Aoibhinn Molloy Roche, Secretary of Ferbane Tidy Towns, told the Tribune that the Group has been working for several months planting the area. Once finished Fair Green will be transformed and much more attractive.
Aoibhinn said the old station will be knocked down but they are going to keep the facade, which people are glad about because they are fond of this feature.
“We have also constructed a Rain Garden,” she said. “We think it's the only public Rain Garden in the country.”
The Rain Garden contains a slight slope leading down to a drain. This slope is a place where shrubs can flourish. Rain Gardens are an effective way of filtering out pollutants from rainwater.
It is planned that the work on Fair Green will be completed by next summer.
The Green Infrastructure Strategy forms part of the Ferbane Community Action Plan (which was published in May 2019). The strategy supports the goals of the Community Action Plan. The goals of the Action Plan include:
1. Development of Ferbane as a centre of excellence for food research, development and production.
2. Development of Ferbane as a carbon‐free community in which to live and work.
3. Development of the peatlands of Noggus Bog and Ballylin Bog to become significant visitor attractions.
4. Demolition of old fire station and creation of a public space. (Restoring Fairgreen).
5. Provision of housing and the marketing of Ferbane as an attractive place to live.
6. Development of looped walks in the local area maximising the attractiveness of the River Brosna.
Aoibhinn said the restoration of Fair Green will provide an open space that incorporates a plaza, terraced lawn, orchard, and re‐organised parking, as well as the rain garden. It is intended as a town park, linking with the Mass Path as a sensory route, and is a key open space in the green infrastructure strategy.
The project has received a grant of €220,000.