East Cork castle work protects bats and heritage alike

The Taoiseach has hailed works aimed at protecting bats at a heritage site in East Cork that has recently been restored.

When Micheál Martin spoke with The Echo last week after he officially reopened Barryscourt Castle in Carrigtwohill, he described the restoration works carried out by the Office of Public Works (OPW) as “extraordinary” and “outstanding”.

Mr Martin said the works on what is considered one of the country’s finest surviving Norman castles had solidified it as a key tourist attraction for East Cork, and he added that some excellent natural conservation work had been done too.

“They’ve also protected the natural heritage, insofar as they’ve facilitated the retention of the bat colony there, they’ve put in mechanisms whereby the bats can fly in at evening time and they leave them there in the ceilings and rafters,” he said.

“They did it very sensitively, which shows what can be done.”

The OPW designed a special window for certain floors of the castle, with a slit at the bottom section to allow the bats entry, a spokesperson said.

“Working with our ecologist, we identified established flight routes through windows at the castle, [balancing] the need to keep the castle dry and enclosed while maintaining access for the protected bat species to continue to access their habitats and roosting locations.”

Bat boxes were installed in discreet locations throughout the castle, in fireplaces and chambers not accessible to the visiting public, and on bawn walls and the castle battlements.

“Lighting designs were also adjusted to reduce the impact on roosting bat populations, and a decision was taken to omit external up-lighting of the castle, as this would negatively affect the bats’ flight paths,” the OPW said.

The five types of bat found in Carrigtwohill, ecologist Albert Nolan said, are pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, Leisler’s bats, brown long-eared bats, and Daubenton’s bats, or water bats.

“They don’t need a big gap to get through the windows, they will squeeze in through a crack a couple of centimetres wide,” he said.

“I’m delighted the OPW has addressed the light pollution issue, which is a key problem for bats.”