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Forest location, watch out for the "Holes" on the forest floor.
Location:
Donadea Forest Park is located 8km south of Kilcock (off N4) on the
R407 to Naas. It is also accessible via the town of Kill (off N7)
which is on the Dublin side of Naas, Co Kildare. Take the R407 at
Kill, go through Sallins, and take the Kilcock road out of Clane.
You will see signposts for Donadea.
Travelling from the west on the N4, turn right in the town of
Enfield and head out the Edenderry road (R402) until you reach
Johnstownbridge, turn left onto the L181, this road will leave you
in Donadea.
Travelling from the east on the M4 “Dublin” turn off at Maynooth
and head out the Straffin road for a little over 2km and bear right
at the four road junction, continue through to Ladychaple
cross-roads and pick up the R408, (don’t forget to STOP), the next
junction will be the R407, Continue through this juction to
Donadea.
It is now necessary to pay a small fee to gain vehicular access
to the park, the fee collection is electronic at the entrance Fee=
€4 (€1 & €2 euro coins excepted) However, if you park outside
you can enter the park on foot via the church entrance which is
just West of the main entrance @ N53º20.488 W006º44.662,
History:
Donadea originally belonged to the Bermingham family and it passed
into the hands of the Aylmer’s in the first half of the 16th
century. The ruin is an accumulation of rebuilding over the
centuries and is a fascinating succession from a Norman keep, which
can be readily distinguished, to a 1624 house, a 1775
reconstruction and a further reconstruction when the wings were
enclosed in the 1830s. The last of the line of Donadea Aylmers died
in 1935.
9-11 Memorial:
A scale replica of the World Trade Centre Twin Towers, made from
local limestone, standing 2.7 metres high. The memorial is based
exactly on the architectural plans of the Twin Towers themselves
and stands in a special grove of trees in Donadea Forest Park.
One of the firefighters who lost his life on September 11th as he
went up the steps of the North Tower was Sean Tallon, a young
Donadea man whose family emigrated to the U.S.A. To remember Sean
and his colleagues, and all the other public officials who died on
that awful day, this wonderful memorial is a fitting tribute to
their unselfishness and bravery.
The memorial stones are engraved with the names of the 402 New York
City public officials who died in the attack on the towers on
September 11th 2001, was unveiled at a special ceremony in Donadea
on Sunday, September 21st, 2003.
The project attracted huge interest in New York and in the United
States. In 2002 over one hundred firefighters and members of the
NYPD came especially to Donadea for a tree planting ceremony to
honour the victims of September 11th.
Habitat:
The Park is situated in the lush pasture lands of Kildare and is
fairly typical of a demesne landscape, comprising of mixed
woodland.
Forest Walks:
The Nature Trail is less than 2.5km long and winds through the
various natural and man-made elements that make up Donadea. There
is also the short Shrubbery Trail - only 300 meters long - which
has been laid through the collection of trees and shrubs planted in
the last century.
Tree Species:
There is a magnificent grove of beech, approximately 150 years old,
which covers an area of 1 hectare. Other broadleaved species
include young oak - planted in 1938 and common ash. Sitka spruce,
grand fir and Norway spruce are also present. The Shrubbery Trail
has holm oak, horse chestnut, copper beech, silver birch, larch,
hazel, yew, Lawson cypress and monkey puzzle.
Biodiversity: Flora
Along the walls, the ivy-leaved toadflax, maidenhair spleenworth
and hart's tongue fern can be observed. The muddy bottom of the
shallow lake provides an ideal habitat for aquatic plants. Pond
weed is abundant while reed mace is prominent in the shallow
waters. The large-leaved yellow water lily can also be seen.
Fauna
In Donadea Woods both the red and grey squirrel can be seen. On the
lake our most common duck, the mallard, is present all year round.
Coots and moorhens can also be seen. The mute swan is an occasional
visitor.
Facilities:
Donadea Forest Park has a car park, picnic site, toilet and a
variety of forest walks.
The Cache: The cache’s location is approximately 13 meters
into the forest, north from the posted coordinates, there is a very
small clearing, and I mean "small". There’s a lot of tree cover
resulting is loss of satellite signal, so you may have to rely on
the extra information below.
Make your way to the 9-11 Memorial, it’s located on the Aylmer
Walk behind the enclosed Church Grounds. If you stand in front of
the Memorial you will be facing north. Head east along the pathway
until you reach the corner of a high wall. Stand at the corner and
face north, you should now be looking into the forest.
There are a lot of people using this park, so be decreet
please.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf na Nzzb obk, vg'f va n ubyr va gur sberfg sybbe. Gur Pnpur obk vf pbirerq jvgu n fyno, xvpx gur yrnirf naq gjvtf nobhg. GVC: Jura va gur Sberfg, ybbx onpx ng gur jnyy. Juvyr snpvat gur jnyy, zbir gb lbhe evtug ba gvyy gur Jrfg snpvat jnyy pbzrf vagb ivrj. Gur jrfg jnyy vf n qverpg yvar gb gur Pnpur, lbh fubhyq nyfb frr n ynetr obhyqre orgjrra lbh naq gur jnyy, lbh'er abg gb sne bss abj.