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In May 2021, President Higgins launched a new partnership between Kylemore Abbey and Áras an Uachtaráin, aimed at enhancing the sustainable management of the grounds around the home of the President.
Under the arrangement, two Connemara ponies owned by Kylemore Abbey in Connemara will spend 4 months a year in the grounds of the Áras, as part of a programme of work to enhance the biodiversity of the 130-acre site.
The arrangement arises from the recommendations in a recent biodiversity audit, commissioned by the OPW at the request of President Higgins, to develop a conservation management plan for the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin. The Biodiversity Audit, undertaken by scientists from Trinity College Dublin, made a series of recommendations about the future sustainable management of the Áras
grounds. One of its key recommendations was that a sustainable grazing regime be put in place, to allow for an improvement in the biodiversity of the meadows within the Áras grounds. The aim is to promote a greater diversity of wildflowers and plants, along with increases in fauna dependent on such a diversity of flora.