Landsdowne Valley.

This is the Valley. It was my childhood playground, and also that of my children.
As the name will tell you, it is a fairly steep valley between the housing estates of Drimnagh and Bluebell and has never been built on. The Office of Public Works, which is one of the few really good government departments, took it under its wing about a decade or so ago. They very sensibly decided that it should remain a wildflower site. They put a 1.2 km path around the perimeter for walkers and joggers, mowed a few areas for relaxation, and left the rest to nature.
The river on the right is the Camac which was the most polluted river in Ireland. It carried all the sludge from the Clondalkin and Killeen paper mills and many other smaller industries. It was basically an open sewer and was singlehandedly responsible for the stink from the River Liffey. It is crystal clear now and the Liffey smells much better.
I saw a lot of good things and got some good shots but I wanted to show you a wider view, so here is a pic of one of our success stories.