OPW to host 8th Biodiversity Festival and Honey Show at Phoenix Park

Two-day family-friendly event to educate visitors on biodiversity, the art of bee-keeping and the Phoenix Park

The 8th annual Office of Public Works (OPW) Biodiversity Festival and Honey Show will take place in Phoenix Park on Friday, 6 September and Saturday, 7 September 2024. From tree tours to pond dipping, forest bathing and tours of the fallow deer – an exciting programme of free tours, lectures, and activities for families will take place over the two days.

Minister of State for the Office of Public Works, Kieran O’Donnell TD welcomed the return of the popular festival:

“The Phoenix Park has always been an essential site for biodiversity in the city and this continues to be the case. The annual Biodiversity Festival and Honey Show showcases the importance of biodiversity for our environment and I would encourage families and interested parties to come and enjoy the variety of events planned for this year and learn how we can all make a difference. The educational workshops and tours on offer at this years’ Biodiversity Festival and Honey Show help us all understand better what we can do to protect and conserve our environment. I wish to give a warm welcome and thank all the exhibitors and speakers who will be there at the weekend”

OPW Chief Park Superintendent Margaret Gormley wished the competitors entering the Annual Honey Show well and said:

“Bees are an essential component of our ecosystem. Over 70% of the 100 food crops that provide 90% of the world’s food are pollinated by bees. Bees are also play a key role in conserving the biodiversity of the Phoenix Park and the areas around the park. The OPW gardeners carefully and sustainable manage over 12 hives throughout the park and we are extremely proud of the numerous national and international honey awards won by the OPW gardening team in the past. We look forward to welcoming you all to our Biodiversity Festival and Annual Honey Show”

A survey carried out by the OPW found that over half the population (56%) are unsure of how to help improve biodiversity despite the overwhelming majority (90%) wanting to play their part (for further information, please see - OPW Biodiversity Action Strategy 2022-2026 ). Over the two days, there will be a number of free educational workshops and talks on beekeeping, the animals of the Phoenix Park and on a variety of other biodiversity and sustainability-related topics. These informative workshops and talks can help inform the public of how they can play a significant role in improving biodiversity. Lectures will take place on Saturday 7 September from 12pm until 3pm on the history and biodiversity of the park and the animals and birds that call the Phoenix Park home.

Talks will be given by Jane Faull from University College Dublin on the Fallow Deer and Paul McDonnell, Phoenix Park Superintendent, on the history and biodiversity of the park. The Irish Midlands Ringing Group will also be doing a bird ringing demonstration on the day where they will demonstrate their methods of research on the birds of the Phoenix Park. The group recently discovered that Sand Martins are making the extraordinary journey from the Magazine Fort in the Phoenix Park to the Sahara in Africa, a distance of over 20,000km.

Attendees can also take the opportunity to view the wonderful night sky with the Irish Astronomical Society or a tour of the Victorian Walled Garden while families can join an OPW Park Ranger for a detailed history of the fallow deer.

A number of events require booking such as The Big Dig and Forest Bathing Classes and these can be booked in advance by calling the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre at 01 6770095.

Full details on the programme of events over the weekend can be obtained at www.phoenixpark.ie .

A spokesperson is available for interview, please contact the Press Office at pressoffice@opw.ie to arrange.