No frogs will sing beneath Glencar this spring after beloved pond filled-in by Council

There will be no frogs heard singing in the hills under Glencar this spring, or in pools among the rushes…

That is the fear now being voiced by residents in Glencar following the loss of a small natural pond beside a local grotto, which was recently filled in with stone during roadworks to create a parking space.

Residents have expressed anger and disappointment at the loss of the pond, which sat adjacent to the shrine between the roadside and a grassy bank, within close reach of Leitrim's Glencar Lake. Locals say it had long been home to frogs and other wildlife and was a familiar and much-loved feature of the area for generations.

According to one local who has lived in the area for decades, the pond was an active, living habitat and part of the natural rhythm of the place. “There were always frogs there,” the local said. “You’d hear them. It was alive.”

The local said the pond naturally rose and fell with the weather and never posed any flooding issues. “It came and went. There was never any flooding. That’s what ponds do.” They said the loss of the pond means the loss of frog life at the site this year. “There’ll be none coming back now. Not this year anyway. That’s what’s heartbreaking.”

While the grotto itself remains intact, the bank beside it — where the pond once sat — has now been levelled and surfaced. Locals say no consultation took place before the works were carried out and believe a mistake was made. “I’m not blaming anyone personally,” the local said. “I just think a mistake was made.”

The resident said the incident reflects a wider lack of awareness about the importance of small natural habitats. “People don’t know anymore. They don’t understand what these small places mean.”

Concerns have also been raised about the impact on wildlife. The Irish frog — the country’s only native amphibian — is a protected species, and small ponds like the one at Glencar are vital to its breeding cycle. Environmental groups have repeatedly warned that the infilling of ponds is one of the biggest threats facing frog populations nationwide.

Residents say the removal of the pond feels particularly jarring in an area so closely associated with nature, folklore and poetry. The Glencar landscape has long inspired writers including W. B. Yeats and William Allingham, whose work captured the living rhythms of water, wildlife and wild places.

In 'The Fairies' poem, Allingham from Ballyshannon wrote of wild places watched over “with frogs for their watchdogs, all night awake” — an image locals say now feels painfully at odds with what has happened beside the grotto.

Residents are calling on Sligo County Council to reverse the decision and are urging greater sensitivity when carrying out works in scenic and heritage areas, with proper consideration given to wildlife and local history before irreversible changes are made.