Dún na Rí Forest Park is a forest park is situated on the

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

–

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...

border, in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The park itself borders the

Shercock Shercock ( ); ) is a small town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in the east of County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the population of the town was 574. Shercock is 12 km we ...

and

Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The population was 5,745 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a castle buil ...

roads, more specifically at Magheracloone and

Kingscourt Kingscourt, historically known as Dunaree (), is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It is located near the Cavan–Meath border. The town was founded near the site of the old village of Cabra, by Mervyn Pratt, towards the end of the 18th century, ...

. It forms a part of the old Cabra Estate.

History

This land was owned by the O'Reilly family until the end of the sixteenth century when it came into the ownership of Thomas Fleming. He built a castle on the site, the ruins of which can still be seen. The estate was then passed to the Pratt family, forming part of the Cabra Estate; Mervyn Pratt founded

in 1760-1770, the modern name being an anglicisation of Dunaree (). In 1959, the land was acquired by the Irish Forest Service, and became a forest park in the 1970s.

Wildlife

Situated in a tranquil glen, Dún na Rí is home to stoats, hares, mink, rabbits and otters, as well as red and grey squirrel along the banks of the

River Cabra A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

. The larger trees are mainly oak and ash but many other species are also present, with an under storey of hazel, holly and rhododendron. The ground is carpeted with bluebells in spring, and there are snowdrops, wood anemone, woodrush, foxgloves, wood sorrel and many species of fern.

Amenities

The park is about north of Kingscourt on the R179 road. It is a peaceful place with a lake, walled garden, open air sculptures and many attractions. There are several marked trails, as well as a car park with a small parking fee, a picnic area, and toilets.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dun Na Ri Forest Park Protected areas of County Cavan Protected areas of County Monaghan Parks in County Cavan Parks in County Monaghan