‘Father of The Fen’- how one man created a 100-acre wetlands in the heart of Blarney.

This beautiful short film is a thank you to octogenarian Tom O’ Byrne for his foresight and vision in creating the beautiful Clogheenmilcon Fen over 35 years ago & working quietly to preserve, protect and enhance the habitats and species over all those years!
Back in the 1990’s, when the N20 was being built, Tom saw both the potential disaster and benefits to the area known locally as the Blarney Bog. Engaging with Cork County Council , he presented a plan to consider preserving a relatively unknown wetland area of over 100 acres used mainly for cattle grazing and not accessible to the public. Cork County Council readily engaged with the concept, essentially preventing the land being used as backfill for the excavation works on the N20.

Instead, they used the machinery and expertise to dig out the existing wetlands to create islands for the various habitats and species. This was the beginning of the fen becoming a resource for the community. For the next 30 years, Tom worked alone quietly behind the scenes, engaging with the Council to preserve the waterways and basic upgrades to keep the fen viable for the flora & fauna- often self-funding projects.

In 2019, Brand Blarney came on board with Tom & Blarney also transitioned to the Cork City boundary- and now, with Tom, we have become part of a Fen Management Committee with Cork City Council- and it all began with one man’s altruism. Tom O’ Byrne is the Father of the Fen.