www.fotc.ie

About us - who we are, what we do...

Welcome to www.fotc.ie


This is the website of Friends of the Camac, a voluntary group

 who meet regularly to clean the Camac River and it's environs,

and improve the environment.

This website was last updated on
 18 August 2022.

Heritage Week Walk, Sunday 21 August

Here's a note for your diaries.

Join Friends of the Camac for an hour's walk and talk along the River Camac in Clondalkin.  

Led by Pat Ging and our members, you will learn about the history and heritage of the river in Clondalkin. 

ind out how the river has shaped Clondalkin over the centuries, creating monasteries and mills, communities and industries.   

This short walk and talk will take you from the River Camac in the centre of Clondalkin Village near the Round Tower, and bring you along the riverbanks to enjoy the green spaces, the history and the heritage that are the story of Clondalkin and the Camac. 

We are meeting 3pm outside Clondalkin Civic Centre, Eircode D22E9X5. 

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. We hope you enjoy the walk!

For more information on the River Camac, see our website at www.fotc.ie or search Facebook 'Friends of the Camac'

More Information on the Heritage week website - here's the link - https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings 

Monthly River Cleanup 


The last Camac River Cleanup was on Saturday 13 August 2022 -

see report and pictures below.

The next official River Clean Up will be on
Saturday 10 September 2022.
depending on the COVID-19 restrictions in place at that time.
We meet at 09.45 at the Clondalkin Sports and Leisure Centre first car park nearest to the Old Nangor Road entrance -  
the Eircode is D22 E283.
Watch this space for confirmation.

River Cleanup 13 August 2022.

On Saturday 13 August 2022 our 18 volunteers collected 5 bags of general waste, 5 bags of plastic bottles and drinks cans (which were re-cycled at Round Towers GAA Club) , and 1 bag of glass bottles (which were re-cycled at The Mills Centre bottle bank). There was also a chair and various other large items.

This meant that of 11 bags collected only 5 remained for collection by South Dublin County Council, and 6 avoided going to land fill.

So well done everyone, and a big “Thank You” to our new Volunteers.

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed only 17 volunteers in the photo as one the extra volunteer

 was our photographer, Tommy Keogh.

The next cleanup is scheduled for the second Saturday of September which falls on the 10th 

– make a note in your diary to join us, and watch the website and Facebook page for updates.


Autumn 2022 Newsletter - click below to download

Thank You SDCC

Thank You 

Thank you to South Dublin County Council for their generous funding of €500 from the Community Development Fund to help Friends of the Camac with the cost of producing newsletters and the replacement of equipment.


Bags we've collected in 2022

Here's a spreadsheet of the Bags we've collected this year.
By using the 3 bag system to sort out General waste, Plastic drinks bottles and cans, and finally glass bottles, we have saved 48.5 bags out of a total of 89 bags from going to landfill. Check the facebook page and website for more details.
Well done to all our volunteers!
We will update this on a monthly basis.
The next Cleanup is scheduled for 10 September - make a note in yizzer diaries!!

Clean Up Saturday 09 July 2022.

On Saturday 09 July 2022 our 14 volunteers collected 3 bags of general waste, 3 bags of plastic bottles and drinks cans (which were re-cycled at Round Towers GAA Club) , and 2 bags of glass bottles (which were re-cycled at The Mills Centre bottle bank). There was also a clothes airer, some bits of timber and various other large items.

This meant that of 8 bags collected only 3 remained for collection by South Dublin County Council, and 5 avoided going to land fill.

So well done everyone, and a big “Thank You” to our new Volunteers.

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed only 13 volunteers in the photo as one volunteer arrived too late to be included in the picture.

The next cleanup is scheduled for the second Saturday of August which falls on the 13th 

– make a note in your diary to join us, and watch the website and Facebook page for updates.

 

Cleanup of 11 June 2022.

Report of the River Clean up on Saturday 11 June 202.

Thanks to all that turned out for our cleanup on Saturday last, especially our new volunteers.

The Bag count in The Community Centre was 6 bags general waste for SDCC to collect, and we recycled 7 bags drinks cans and plastic bottles to Round Towers GAA and 4 bags of glass bottles too the Bring Centre in the Mills Centre car park.

A separate team did a cleanup on the Watery Lane from Riversdale and downstream and they removed a Canvas seat on tubular frame, a large tree trunk, a very big advertising hoarding and long blue sheeting (underlay?) which were under Riverside Bridge.  They also removed 3 bikes, 2 scooters, an exercise machine, a metal gate and multiple metal bars.

It was great to welcome our new volunteers and well done everyone, hope to see you all again on next month's cleanup on the second Saturday of July which falls on the 9th July.

Thanks to Kevin, Peter, Brian & Tim for looking after the recycling.

The next River Clean up is scheduled for the second Saturday in June which fall on the 9th July.

Please note that date in your diary.  Watch our website – www.fotc.ie – and our Facebook page for updates.

 

On Friday 6th May, 2022, a ground-breaking environmental training
course for young people was held on the River Camac in Clondalkin.

Sponsored by Friends of the Camac and generously supported by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), the ‘Freshwater Detective’ course was delivered by renowned biologist and author Professor Ken Whelan. https://www.kenwhelan.info/biography/

Eleven young people, mainly TY students, from three schools, participated (Moyle Park College, Clondalkin; King’s Hospital School, Palmerstown; and Kishoge Community College, Lucan). As well as classwork, the group participated in fieldwork which involved water sampling, and recording the macroinvertebrate life in the river. Studying the minute creatures in the aquatic environment gives a window onto the quality of the water and the health of the river.

Friends of the Camac are delighted to pioneer this training with young people and hope to encourage the young environmentalists and citizen scientists of the future. (photos attached, or available from Tommy Keogh)

www.fotc.ie

Facebook: search Friends of the Camac Contact: Hon. Secretary Maria O’Connor 086 607 6452 Email: friendsofthecamac@hotmail.com Photos: Tommy Keogh 087 281 2626

 

The Monthly River Cleanup is held
on the 2nd Saturday of the month


The last Camac River Cleanup was on Saturday 11 June 2022 - 

see report and pictures above.


The next official River Clean Up will be on
Saturday 09 July 2022
depending on the COVID-19 restrictions in place at that time.
We meet at 09.45 at the Clondalkin Sports and Leisure Centre first car park nearest to the Old Nangor Road entrance -  
the Eircode is D22 E283.
Watch this space for confirmation.

The Spring 2022 newsletter is out now.

Did you know??
That we issue quarterly Newsletters and you can get an electronic version by sending us an e-mail with
"Yes" in the subject line to friendsofthecamac@hotmail.com
OR
Click on the Download button below.

09 April 2022 Clean up

16 Bags collected

On this lovely sunny spring morning our 12 volunteers collected a total of 16 bags of which 5 bags of plastic bottles and drinks cans, to be re-cycled at Round Towers GAA, 2 bag of glass bottles, to be re-cycled at the Mills Centre Bring Bank, leaving only 9 bags of general waste for SDCC to collect.  Well done to all our Volunteers.

12 March 2022 River Clean Up

On this lovely sunny spring morning our 11 volunteers collected 2 bags of plastic bottles and drinks cans, to be re-cycled at Round Towers GAA, 1 bag of glass bottles, to be re-cycled at the Mills Centre Bring Bank, leaving only 2 1/2 bags of general waste for SDCC to collect.  Well done to all our Volunteers.  Additionally 2 sluice planks were added to the Marchioness Weir and the pictures below show the effect on rising the water levels, which is vital for spawning frogs and other river life.



 

February 2022 River Clean up

As our January Clean Up was cancelled due to the high cases of COVID-19, this was our first cleanup since 11 December.  So on Saturday 12 Feb, our 23 Volunteers collected a total of 20 bags of litter, made up as follows - 4 bags of glass bottles (recycled at The Mills Centre Bring Centre), 7 bags of plastic drinks bottles and tins (recycled at Round Towers Monastery Road, and 9 bags of general waste, which SDCC will collect. Well done everybody.  Great to see so many new faces joining us for the first time.The next cleanup is scheduled for 2nd Saturday of March which falls on 12th March -please  note this in your diaries.
Picture (from Kevin Keogh) shows some of today's volunteers.

Dublin Bus Community Grant

We would like to acknowledge the grant of €1,000 from Dublin Bus from their Community Grant Scheme.  This funding has enabled us to purchase the necessary equipment needed for the clearance and maintenance of the river channel.
Such funding is vital to allow us to continue our volunteering work on the River Camac and its riparian environment.

Children's Art Competition

This year Friends of the Camac were delighted to receive lots of entries for our art competition.  The theme this year was “Life in Our Rivers”, and as you can see from the winning entries, the standard was extremely high.

We had very difficult decisions to make and wished we could give prizes to all the children who entered. We think you will agree that the winners’ artworks really capture life in our rivers and we congratulate all the children, their parents and teachers for taking part.

All winners received a €25 cash prize, a mounted copy of their artwork, and an award certificate.

Maith thú do na daltaí, do na muinteorí agus do na tuismitheoirí go lair!

Presentations were made to the Winners by Lile Frost, (Chair), and Brian Ronan (Treasurer) on 20 December 2021 at the Winners schools.  Photos of the Presentations by Tommy Keogh.

FOTC Calendar 2022 - Thanks

Sold Out!! Great news!Our Friends of the Camac 2022 Calendar has sold out!!
Many thanks to all who purchased as this is a major fund raiser for our Voluntary Organisation to help us care for our local river and it's environment.

Also, thanks to those who compiled and sold the calendar. Special thanks to Mannions and East Village, South Dublin County Council and The Mills Centre for their help in this matter.


Bramble clearance at The Marchioness

On Thursday 16 December 2021, Volunteers Brian Nolan, Adair, Dermot, Gerry and Pat tackled the brambles which were causing a logjam at The Marchioness.  The before, during and after pictures show the progress made.

 

Some Images from recent events

These pictures are from some of our recent events, The Transition years students from Colaiste Cillian helped with planting Pollinator bulbs, Work team at the sluice planks to lower the levels before the winter rains, and some images from the Information Day at the Mills Centre where we sold calendars, and handed out the Camac Connections booklets and give information out about our volunteers and their work.

 

River Cleanup Saturday 11 December 2021 - sorting rubbish pays dividends.

On Saturday 11/12/2021 our 10 volunteers collected a total of 14 bags consisting of 8 bags of general waste, 5 bags of plastic bottles and cans (which will be donated to Round Towers GAA for re-cycling), and 1 bag of glass bottles (which were re-cycled in the Mills Centre Bring Centre), along with a babies pushchair, footballs, and various bits of metal and wood.

So that just left 8 bags of general waste and other bulky items for SDCC to collect. The picture shows the volunteers who gave of their time on Saturday.  A big Thank You to them all.

The next scheduled River clean up will be on the second Saturday of January 2022, which falls on 8th January.

Annual General Meeting 2021

On Thursday 11 November our Annual General meeting was held by Zoom Videoconference.  
The Committee for the 2021 / 22 season was elected as follows - Chair = Lile Frost, Hon Secretary = Maria O'Connor, Treasurer = Brian Ronan, other Committee Members = Tommy Keogh, Kevin Keogh, Brian Nolan, Tim O'Brien. Peter Ging and Adair Cowan.  The Auditors elected were Patrick Ging and Ian Church.  A full report will be emailed to the Members shortly.

The Winter 2021 newsletter is out now.

Did you know??
That we issue quarterly Newsletters and you can get an electronic version by sending us an e-mail with
"Yes" in the subject line to friendsofthecamac@hotmail.com
OR
Click on the Download button below.
Winter 2021 Newsletter.pdf

Flood Prevention

Floods on 06 July 2021.

Here are some of Kevin Keogh's pictures of the flooding following heavy rains on 06 July 2021. It clearly shows the spillway (overflow) near the pedestrian entrance at the Fonthill Road Bridge, and the water flooding the drainage ditch between Cherrywood and the GAA fields, and where it nears the bridge at the Horses Drink. This overflow is operating exactly as it was designed to to, and diverts some water away from the Sandy Hole and wetlands area. The surplus water re-enters the river at the Horses Drink bridge.

3 men and a boat, er, a canoe actually

Thanks to Vincent O'Sullivan for his help.

Our Safety Officer, Kevin Keogh, enlisted the help of his neighbour Vincent O'Sullivan and his canoe to help clear the litter and other items washed downstream and lodged in the trees on the Big Pond.  The pictures show the Before, During, and After images. Vincent is a member of the Celbridge Paddlers Group and more information on their activities can be found on their website which is www.celbridgepaddlers.ie.  
The Third Man mentioned in the title was Patrick Ging, who helped sort and bag the rubbish collected by Vincent. SDCC plan to cut back some of the trees which are causing log jams to the flow of the river this coming autumn.

WETLAND PHOTO WINNERS APRIL 2021

The Irish Ramsar Wetlands Committee and Wetland Surveys Ireland are delighted to announce the winners of the World Wetlands Day Photo Competition for the month of April.

For more information check out - http://irishwetlands.ie/the-world-wetlands-day-photo-competition/

Congratulations to Tommy Keogh, who won 2nd place for his "calming and charismatic photo of Clondalkin Park wetland, Co. Dublin".

The Camac Connections Booklet has been published

Camac Connections Booklet -

Click on this link to view and download

https://indd.adobe.com/view/d91e039d-f6f7-4c12-b528-4a844bcb1d06


Welcome to www.fotc.ie

This is the website of Friends of the Camac, a voluntary group who meet regularly to clean the river, and improve the environment.

Our Mission Statement

Protecting, preserving and enhancing the Camac River in Clondalkin; it’s heritage, wildlife and ecosystems; for present and future generations.

White Clawed Crayfish

This image is of a native White Clawed Crayfish, a species which occurs in the Camac and is endangered due to a virus.
Careful cleaning of fishing gear and clothing can prevent it's demise.


Catching and removing Crayfish from the river is an offence under the Wildlife legislation.

Insects and Fish

Thanks to Prof. Jan-Robert Baars from the UCD School of Biology and Environment Science for the use of the images below.

Left to right - a type of Mayfly, Ephemera danica, Large Red Damselfly, Pyrrhosoma Nymphula, Trout taking insect from the water surface.

Both the adult insects and their larval stages provide food for fish in the pools and river courses.

Surveys

We arranged to have 2 surveys on the river, and they were carried out by Triturus Environmental Ltd.

They were generously funded by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPro).

1) Biodiversity Assessment of the River Camac, Clondalkin, Co. Dublin - December 2018.
2) Fisheries Assessment of the River Camac, Clondalkin, Co. Dublin - August 2019.

We have taken the advice and recommendations arising from these surveys into consideration while planning our programmes and working on the improvement of the river's water quality and on the nearby environment.

Our Sponsors - Thank You!!

As a voluntary group we depend on help, both physical in the form of boots on the ground during our clean up days (2ndSaturday of the month) and on other special projects – like wildflower planting, hedgerow maintenance and so on, and also with financial assistance to help us purchase and maintain our equipment, and cover our running costs, printing costs of the quarterly newsletters, calendar, insurance and other costs. Contact with other groups to share ideas and knowledge is also vital, and we have received a lot of invaluable advice and guidance from a large number of individuals and organisations.

In that regard we would like to say a big “Thank You” to all those individuals and groups who have helped, and continue to help, us in our efforts.

Firstly to the people of Clondalkin for their ongoing support and encouragement, and then the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), South Dublin County Council (SDCC), South Dublin Partnership, Professor Ken Whelan, Trituras Environmental Limited, Local representatives, especially the local County Councillors, Inland Fisheries Ireland, An Garda Siochana, Tower Credit Union, Bank of Ireland branch Clondalkin, Supervalu Tidy Towns, Clondalkin Tidy Towns, Clondalkin Mens Shed, Clondalkin Partnership, Clondalkin Civil Defence, Clondalkin Chamber of Commerce, Bawnogue Enterprise Centre, Bat Conservation Ireland, The Marist Brothers of Moyle Park College, Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcain, Clondalkin Leisure Centre, St Joseph's BNS, Killinarden Angling Initiative, Kilmainham and Inchicore Heritage Centre, TESCO Clondalkin, PD Visual, Four Districts Woodland Group, Ted Keane, Brendan Kneafsey, Paddy Barrett, the Ging Family, the Colley Family, the Kavanagh Family, Gaelscoil na Camoige. Paul Kavanagh, Brian McElroy Funeral Directors, Dublin Bus, Keane's Tyres Saggart, Round Towers GAA Club, CPM Sports and Social Club, Joe Mannions of Mannion's Daybreak, Castle Crescent .

Go raibh mile mile math agaibh go leir

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