Moira Demesne is located in the picturesque village of Moira. It is a popular landmark, providing a quiet escape from the busy village.
Key facts about Moira Demesne
- it is comprised of over 40 acres of parkland and offers areas of amenity grassland which incorporates beautiful walkways and picnic sites for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors
- it offers areas dedicated to biodiversity and holds a significant number of veteran trees which include horse chestnut, oak and beech trees. These trees give the demesne its character by virtue of their age and size and also benefit a range of wildlife species
- wildlife areas have been developed over the years and provide protection to areas of trees and a range of habitats for wildflowers. Areas of previously mown grass have been allowed to grow and are subjected to a mowing regime to encourage the seeding of a variety of plants
- there is a children’s play area and an outdoor gym equipment for adults, making the park attractive to people of all ages
- Sir Arthur Rawdon, MP (1662-1695) laid out Moira Demesne with trees and exotic plants from Jamaica, thus making it one of the foremost botanical gardens back in 17th Century Europe. He also built the first hot house in Ireland. Although some of these features are no longer visible in the park today
Facilities
At Moira Demesne there are:
- accessible paths
- public toilets
- outdoor seating
- outdoor gym equipment
- children's play park
- coffee dock
Education and events
Beautiful Moira Demesne is home to the first ‘Nature Rangers’ centre in the Lisburn Castlereagh area.
This educational outdoor learning service is operated by Northern Ireland Forest School. Their after school programme is currently running Monday to Friday and facilitated by qualified, experienced staff. It utilises the variety of environmental resources within the park whilst also making use of the education room for indoor activities.
Moira Demesne Nature Rangers will collect local schoolchildren participating in the after school club from their school. To find out more please email: mdnaturerangers@gmail.com
Seasonal and community events are hosted by the council and will be promoted on our social channels at @LisburnCastlereagh and @lisburnccc