HISTORY OF THE POND

 In 1817 William Galt was contracted to build two ponds according to the specification in the hands of Mr. McHugh, the head gardener and to the satisfaction of Matthew Fortescue, the landowner of Stephenstown Estate. The water was needed for the new gardens which were just constructed and to drive the grinding mills in the farmyard. William Galt who was married to Agnes Burns, the sister of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns lived in the house north of the pond which was built for him while the work was in progress. When the ponds were completed he was then retained as confidential manager to Mr. Fortescue. Galt adorned the whole site with a bewildering array of trees and shrubs because those years were part of the golden age of tree planting in Ireland. He stocked this pond with a variety of coarse fish and even today there is good fishing available there. The great diversity of plant life has remained here ever since. There are a number of other tourist attractions in the area. In the immediate area there is the "Cloch on Fearmore", "Loch an Tarbh", the site of St. Oliver Plunkett,s churches and the campsite of King James' army.

There are five main habitats in the area. On the outer, drier areas around the pond! is woodland. The Beech Copse beside the road is dominated by beech trees while wooded areas elsewhere around the pond are dominated by Sycamore with Hawthorn understorey. To many people a woodland is just a collection of trees, shrubs, mosses and herbs mixed together. This is not so. If you take a careful look you can see a structure to the woodland. The uppermost part of a woodland is called the canopy (roof) and is composed entirely of mature trees. The next layer is the understorey where we find immature trees. Below this is the shrub layer, containing shrubs and bushes. The groundcover is composed of herbs, ferns and straggling woody species and is called the field or herb layer. Beneath this layer and close to it you find the moss layer or carpet. On the damper soils nearer the pond margin are scattered areas of willow copse, often called carr vegetation and this habitat is dominated by willow species and alder trees. In the grassy verges around the woodland and pond habitats alike there is a great variety of weed (ruderal) species and there is a wildflower meadow at the northern end of the pond. These areas are colourful and diverse.

Heritage

 Stephenstown pond is clearly a very biodiverse, environment with a variety of habitats. There are very complicated links between the various plants, insects and animals and these often unknown links illustrate the importance of conservation of ALL the different aspects of the area. Wetland areas are becoming increasingly scarce, putting pressure on some of our more beautiful birds end animals. Stephenstown pond, although only very small, is very important not only for resident flora and fauna but as a temporary repose for migrating birds and insects of national end international importance. The importance of Stephenstown Pond lies in the fact that it is relatively shallow. The greatest loss of wetland habitat this century has been of this type of pond, together with water meadows, reed beds and marshes. Shallow water can support a greet diversity of plant end animal life because light can penetrate to the bottom. Preservation of this site contributes to the preservation of Ireland's natural environment. It is here to be enjoyed end cherished by the public now and in the future. This is Sustain· eble Development. The development of Stephenstown Pond was funded by the local community and Louth County Council under the Operational Programme for local Urban and Rural Development 1994-1999 and FAS.

The more common woodland and grassland birds found here all year round include: Robin, Wren, Slackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Stafling, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Rook, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Magpis, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, House Sparrow, Herring Gull, Blackheaded Gull, Pheasant, Collared Dove, Skylark, Grey Tit, Blue Tit, Goldfinch and Goldcrest.

The following species have been observed mostly in the wooded and grassy verges where there is suit- able food and shelter: Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Orange Tip, Large White, Smali White, Peacock and Burnet Moth.

Fish. Perch, Rudd and Stickleback are resident in the pond and recently Carp has been introduced.