Shane's Castle ASSI

Shanes Castle is of special scientific interest for its parkland habitat and associated species.

The parkland is characterised by a landscape of improved and semi-improved grassland. This is interspersed with one of the largest concentrations of open-grown ancient and veteran trees in Northern Ireland. These trees provide a specialist habitat for rare and uncommon species of invertebrates, lichens and fungi including a number of species which are rare in Great Britain and Ireland. There are records for a number of rare fungi, including a Milkcap and a Brittlegill.

A wide variety of trees and shrubs are present including Oak (the dominant tree species), Lime, Hawthorn, Beech, Ash, Horse-Chesnut and Scyamore. There are several notable trees including a Cedar-of-Lebanon which, with a girth of over 9m, is the second largest tree of this species in Ireland.

Shanes Castle provides important roosting sites and feeding habitat for Daubenton’s Bat and Nathusius’ Pipistrelle as well as a number of other bat species including Leisler's Bat, Common Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle.