Childers Park & Woodlands, Listowel  

Listowel is a heritage town steeped in culture and character. The 17 hectares Childers Park & Woodlands is in the heart of the town, providing an oasis of tranquillity.

Amenities

The park includes an array of amenities for all ages. There is an 18-hole Pitch & Putt golf course, children’s playground, tennis courts, rugby and football pitches. It is adjacent to a sports complex and provides a direct link to the Kingdom of Kerry Greenways, Listowel route. From the Greenway trailhead on Bridge road you can travel by bike through the park and onto the Greenway. The route seamlessly connects to the Limerick Greenway at Abbeyfeale offering more than 50km of countryside to enjoy.

History of the Park

In 1946, Lord Hare, Earl of Listowel, offered the picturesque Gurtinard Wood and its beautiful riverside walk along the banks of the river Feale to the people of Listowel for a nominal sum of £5,000. In the 1960s, Kerry County Council bought the adjacent ‘Cows’ Lawn’, a commonage where Listowel people grazed cattle, and combining it with Gurtinard Wood, created a beautiful town park.

The Dandy Lodge now located adjacent to the Pitch & Putt course was originally the Gate House to Lord Listowel’s agent’s residence, Gurtinard House. The park is also adjacent to the location of a ring fort “Lios”, which the town originally derived its name from, Lios Tuathail. Tuathail was one of the earliest kings of Ireland (958AD) and ring forts date generally to between 600 AD and 1100 AD.

The Park gets its name from the fourth President of Ireland Erskine Hamilton Childers. The Childers Park & Woodlands was officially opened in memory of the late President in May 1975.

Garden of Europe

The Garden of Europe is one of the park’s hidden gems. Located in what was originally a limestone quarry the project to develop the garden commenced in the early 1990s supported by a range of stakeholders.  Leading gardening author and architect Patrick Bowe was commissioned to produce a suitable layout and Dublin architect Gerry Brouder was asked to design a memorial to those who died in the Holocaust. The two oak trees at the memorial grew from acorns, which came from the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, outside Krackow in Poland. The garden is laid out in different sections, with over 2,500 plants and shrubs, each with a different planting theme, representing native flora from across Europe.

Biodiversity

The park has an array of mature trees including white willow, hybrid black poplar, ash, oak and beech, providing habitats for various species including the Treecreeper. The Spotted Flycatcher has also been recorded in the park. The main area of young woodland, predominantly sycamore with some cherries, supports flowering plants. The Community Fruit & Nut Orchard is flourishing along with community planted herb beds, bug hotels and butterfly areas also.

The River Feale is home to a variety of birdlife, including Whooper Swans and their Cygnets and is famous for salmon and trout fishing. A Heron can invariably be seen by the Listowel Bridge. A substantial area of the park is managed as a wildflower meadow – an area where pollinators and wildlife can survive and thrive.

Award Winning

Since 2018, Childers Park & Woodlands has been the successful recipient of a Green Flag Award. This is an international accreditation and a benchmark standard for green spaces and parks that are managed in environmentally sustainable ways.

The park is developed and maintained by Kerry County Council with the help of Listowel Tidy Towns, local groups and schools who use and treasure the park.

Getting there

The main entrance to Childers Park and Woodlands is located on Bridge Road, Listowel. Longitude 52.44362 and latitude -9.482233.Free public parking is available.   There are three other entrances including, two entrances from the river Feale side of the park, entrance from Gurtinard and an entrance from Upper Church Street via the graveyard.

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