Rewilding A Delgany Golf Course With 80,000 Native Trees

The old Glen Of The Downs Golf Club…

t was the biggest story of the week around here and, dang it, we didn’t even get a text…

Anke & John Moran. Pic: Dan Dennison

Local couple Anke and John Moran instead got in touch with The Irish Times – just because they’ve got an international reach and are much better at journalism and photography than we are.

P’ah!

Appearing in yesterday’s paper, the couple explained that they had bought the old Glen Of The Downs golf course – which went on the market in January 2017 with an asking price of €1.25m – and were now going to turn it into a nature reserve.

By planting a whopping great 80,000 native trees.

Better still, they plan to have this brand new forest open to the public.

Talking to Catherine Cleary, John explained, “We haven’t put up any private property signs but as a nature reserve with all the ground nesting birds we don’t want dogs being walked there.”

It was just under a decade ago that the couple from their holiday home overlooking the abandoned golf course that it was beginning to return to nature. So, when they also observed a For Sale sign pop up in 2017, they were excited. “Part of the rationale at the time was the price was below agricultural land price,” says John. “So, if we didn’t get permission for planting, we could always sell it back to agricultural land.”

Their bid at the original auction was unsuccessful, but it was back on the market in the summer of 2018, and this time, they nabbed it. Their dream being to return the entire golf course to nature, they sold off the clubhouse.

An application to turn the latter into a wellness centre was met with a surprising no from Wicklow County Council back in May, the applicant being one Koolkazz Company. Which is very likely connected to Coolkazz Limited, formed on October 15th, 2024 by a Ms Doyle, another Ballydonagh Road resident.

Anke and John’s plan to turn the course into a forest of 80,000 native trees began in March 2020, when the first 33 acres of this almost-100-acre plot was planted. A second 30 acres was planted in early 2021, the third 30 acres or so being managed as grassland, with a small orchard and mowed paths.

Much of their work is being helped by a grant from the Department of Agriculture under the Native Woodland Establishment scheme, the Government covering all the costs of preparing, fencing and planting the land with trees whilst for 15 years, the Morans will receive an annual premium of €4,215 per hectare as the forest finds its feet and then €680 annually per hectare. These rates have recently gone up to €6,744 and €1,103 respectively. Just in case you’re not sure to do with your spare 100 acres.

And when the trees are all fully established, the couple hope to open it up to the public, whilst also hoping to connect Glen Of The Downs to the Little Sugar Loaf with a little help from other local landowners.

You can read the full Irish Times article here. And Anke and John, fair fecks to ya…