IRELAND’S FIRST ‘BEE-FRIENDLY’ roundabout has been launched in Cork.

As part of Cork County Council’s Adopt a Roundabout scheme, local businesses are supporting the landscaping and maintenance of roundabouts. 

One such project, the Poulavone roundabout in Ballincollig, will be pesticide-free. There are also plans to establish a pollen corridor along the roads leading up to the roundabout.

Councillor Joe Harris, chairperson of the Ballincollig Carrigaline Municipal District, said the flowers on the roundabout will “provide support to bees and other pollinators, which are a vital part of our ecosystem”.

More than half of Ireland’s bee species have experienced substantial declines since the 1980s, an issue the All Ireland Pollinator Plan is trying to tackle. 

Food chain 

Some 87 out of the main 124 crops used directly for human consumption require or benefit from animal pollination.

So-called “pollinator services” contribute €153 billion and €54 million to the global and Irish economies each year respectively.

The roundabout will be maintained by Griffins Garden Centre and the Ballincollig Tidy Towns committee.

Bulbs are set to be relocated to various areas in Ballincollig next spring after flowering, creating pollinator corridors close to the roundabout. 

Michael Quane’s sculpture History and a Dustsheet has been moved from the roundabout to the main road of the town as part of the renovation.