Dublin's Stardust Memorial Park has been upgraded.
It comes ahead of the 40th anniversary of the tragedy on Sunday.
Works at the park in Coolock including the removal of trees, planting of thousands of bulbs, and creating pathways have been carried out by Dublin City Council.
A dedicated gardener has been assigned to the park, and a butterfly bank - which is an area planted with a number of special plants designed to encourage butterflies - has been created.
A mix of white early flowering spring bulbs, which flower around this time every year, have been added to the memorial, as well as two benches.
Safety
DCC says the park has been the location for anti-social activity in recent times, so the first undertaking for the Council’s Parks, Biodiversity and Landscape Services section was to ensure park users were made feel safe.
This involved opening up sight lines through the park by removing dense shrubbery that was growing in the clusters of trees and removing trees that were no longer viable.
In an effort to encourage people to spend more time in the park, a number of ‘plant interventions’ took place. The process began this time last year with the planting of thousands of bulbs throughout the park. Another intervention was the decision to turn the grass area at the sunken garden into a wildflower meadow.
A landscape contractor was engaged to excavate the little-known labyrinth area and create pathways. The rose garden next to it also underwent a transformation with both the roses and soil being replaced. The roses were replaced with 90% pollinator-friendly varieties.
The butterfly bank is a new addition to the park. Originally a steep bank area that was difficult to maintain, it has now been planted with a number of special plants designed to encourage butterflies.
The park has also been assigned a dedicated gardener.
Memorial
Work has been carried out on the Memorial itself. A mix of white early flowering spring bulbs were chosen to flower around this time every year. Two benches were also commissioned so that anyone who wants to spend time at the Memorial has somewhere to sit.
Dublin City Council hopes the immediate community and beyond will continue to enjoy the park and remember the 48 people who tragically lost their lives.
