The Government has announced the designation of a new national park on the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula in west Kerry.
It covers more than 70,000 acres on land and at sea, and is the largest national park in the country.
It is also Ireland's first marine national park - most of the area covered by it is at sea.
The new park, which is known as Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, includes 1,400 acres of land and forestry close to the iconic Conor Pass.
This land was put on the market last August and has been acquired by the State from its Irish-American owner, Michael Noonan, for a price understood to be in the region of €6 million.
The catchment of the Owenmore River, an eight-kilometre waterway with nine lakes, has been acquired separately.
The new national park also includes Mount Brandon, the sand dunes at Inch Beach, the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Sceilig Mhichíl, several islands off the Kerry coastline as well as the sea surrounding them.
The formal announcement was made this afternoon by the Minister of State for Nature, Malcolm Noonan, along with the Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien, who has Cabinet responsibility for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara is Ireland's eighth national park. It stretches from the Kerry Head Shoals in North Kerry, to the ancient monastic site of Sceilig Mhichíl in South Kerry.
The creation of Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara as a national park requires the Government to protect the biodiversity and heritage of the area, as well preserving it culturally and archaeologically.
It is understood there are plans for engagement with communities across west Kerry, before a management plan for the park will be developed.
Potential for additional educational and visitor facilities will be explored as part of the development of the master plan.
All of the sites covered by Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara are already designated as Special Areas of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive, special protection areas under the EU Birds Directive or are statutory nature reserves.
This means they already enjoy the highest level of legal protection against development and exploitation.
It also means that designation as a national park will involve no new legal controls over fishing rights at sea, or grazing rights on land.
Almost 20,000 people signed a petition calling on Minister Malcolm Noonan to acquire the 1,400 acres of land at the Conor Pass on behalf of the State.
The 456-metre high pass is iconic, its winding road narrowing to little more than the width of a car as it approaches its highest point.
It boasts spectacular views of Tralee Bay to the north, and Dingle Bay to the south.
The river which flows beneath the Conor Pass, An Abha Mhor, is a salmon and trout fishery. Significantly, it is a habitat for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, described by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as critically endangered in this country.
Inch Beach, on the southern side of the Dingle Peninsula, is famous for surfing. The beach's sand dunes are ecologically important as a breeding ground for the endangered natterjack toad.
The islands of Sceilig Mhichíl, Sceilig Bheag, Puffin Island and An Tiaracht are important breeding grounds for colonies of puffin, storm petrel, gannet and razorbill.
These islands are currently managed by the Office of Public Works and the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
The seas surrounding these islands also host populations of shark, ray, dolphin and visiting whales.
Outside of the MacGillycuddy Reeks, Cnoc Bhreanann or Mount Brandon is Ireland's highest mountain at 952 metres.
Most of Cnoc Bhreanann is in public ownership, and those parts that are will be incorporated into Pairc Naisiunta na Mara, Ciarrai. It is significant for its blanket bogs and heathlands.
The Kerry Head Shoal is a deep limestone reef to the north of Tralee Bay. It has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation because it is the best known example of the Axinellid sponge community in Ireland.
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Highest protection
Speaking earlier today on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Minister of State for Nature and Heritage Malcolm Noonan said Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara is not just a great gift to the State and people of Ireland but also to nature at what is "a critical time for biodiversity in Ireland and globally".
"It's appropriate that we are launching it on World Earth Day," Minister Noonan said.
Mr Noonan explained that national park status is the highest protection a state can offer.
The next stage will be to develop a collaborative management plan with local communities, he said.
"We have a wide range of different habitats from pristine rivers, sand dunes, salt marshes, sea cliffs, shallow bays and limestone reefs, and a huge array of species from salmon, the freshwater pearl mussel, natterjack toads, basking sharks and gannets," he said.
Minister Noonan said the State had purchased the land around the Conor Pass for around €6 million. He said this represents really good value for money.
He said the management to be developed for the park will look at accessibility for the public and developing walking trails.
However it is very important this is done in a sustainable way, he said.
"We're all about responsible tourism and working with Fáilte Ireland to ensure that we have a good code of practice around not putting too much pressure on sites and damaging the very habitats that people are coming to see," he said.
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The Minister of State with Responsibility for the Office of Public Works reassured those living in the Dingle Peninsula that the project would not impact their daily lives.
Speaking to RTÉ's Drivetime, Kieran O'Donnell said they would be working with Kerry County Council and the local community, as well as farmers and fishermen in the area.
"We will be looking to put in place an overall universal master plan in terms of biodiversity and sustainability, and to grow the area in terms of tourism, but in a sustainable way," Mr O'Donnell said.
Speaking on the same programme, Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae gave the new national park a "guarded welcome".
"Anytime that something new happens and that the State makes an investment, of course it is welcome," he said.
"But I would have to say I had reservations at the very beginning because when it comes to our national parks, we have a beautiful national park in Killarney which suffers from continuous underinvestment and ongoing maintenance."
Trá Communications Officer for the Fair Seas Campaign Jack O'Donovan said the national park was a "vision" for development in the area on the side of nature and tourism.
Mr O'Donovan, who is also a marine biologist, said he was hopeful that new legislation would be robust, adding that they are asking for stakeholder consultation and management plans to be a mandatory part of any new designations.
