About.
Mountallen Eco Tours offers visitors a unique opportunity to gain access to a part of the country that has been virtually undisturbed on the shores of Lough Allen, just 5 minutes from Drumshanbo and 15 minutes from Carrick-on-Shannon. We offer a number of walks, with the option of focusing on local ecology, biodiversity, local history or farm management/maintenance itself, all personally guided and explained. We also offer a number of workshops including Moth Trapping, Conducting Butterfly Transects, Hedge Coppicing, Composting, and many more.
We cater for all group sizes, be it a family activity or a coach tour. Any questions please feel free to contact us!
Farming for Nature - Ambassador.
Tommy manages his 100-acre organic Aberdeen Angus suckler farm on the shores of Lough Allen, Co. Leitrim. He has been farming organically on the site since 1996 with a clear focus on nature and habitat conservation. His farm has high natural value with a variety of habitats such as intact raised bog, mature native woodland, species rich acidic grassland, wildflower meadows, lakeshore and river. Additionally, it has a diversity of rare and declining species such as the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, Large Heath Butterfly, Lady’s Tresses Orchid and Mudwort. He has also created wetland habitat on his land to support the populations of breeding and wintering wildfowl and waders such as Curlew. Tommy actively promotes environmental awareness both on the farm and in his local community.
He offers personally guided farm walks aimed at educating visitors about local biodiversity, history and farm management. The farm also offers many ecology-based workshops such as moth trapping, conducting butterfly transects and hedge coppicing. Tommy also keeps some ponies for habitat management. He has been involved in a variety of community-based projects such as community public information meetings on sustainable tourism for the Lough Allen region, hosted weekly Social Farming conservation and farming workshops to improve farmer’s self-awareness and empower the participants. Tommy shares knowledge of the environment with the younger generation by promoting and facilitating primary and secondary school farm visits.
He has facilitated the awareness of farming for nature among the students by converting part of his property into a lecture room. Tommy has worked to secure funding the floating Tern nest rafts on Lough Allen. He has also promoted, attended and hosted Knowledge Transfer on-farm meetings and events as an organic farmer to share his experiences and advice. Tommy has created new wetland habitat on his farm including a pond and wet grassland for the local Curlew pairs in 2018, and another pond and wetland in 2019. He is also involved in the Raised Bog Project aimed at enhancing and restoring the raised bog on his farm. Additionally, Tommy’s active role in local conservation has inspired others to follow his example in promoting nature on their own lands.
credit: Farming For Nature
Local Activities / Information.
Arigna Mining Museum.
Arigna Mining Experience was developed to preserve the heritage of the Arigna Valley. A unique experience awaits you at the mines, you get to accompany an ex-miner & hear their story of life in the mine.
https://www.arignaminingexperience.ie/
Úna Bhán Tourism.
The team in Úna Bhán will provide you with the best of local knowledge and tourism information to make your visit to Boyle / North Roscommon a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
https://unabhan.ie/
Visit Roscommon.
Roscommon is a county of castles and ancient kings, of stately homes and spectacular landscapes. Find out more about our wonderful county and plan your visit here.
https://www.visitroscommon.ie/
The Miners Way.
The Miners Way is a 67km long waymarked trail. It follows the old paths the local miners took to reach the coal mines in Arigna, and passes through our farm.
https://www.facebook.com/minersway/