Ireland’s boglands are a unique part of the island’s landscape, culture and ecosystem. There are plenty of boglands you can visit on the island of Ireland. It’s great to see a mix of different boglands in order to really understand and appreciate them.
A bog is a flat wetland which accumulates peat or dead plant material deep below ground level. There are two main types of bogs occurring in Ireland – blanket bogs and raised bogs. Blanket bogs are found along mountainous areas near the coast and are made from the remains of grasses and sedges. Raised bogs can be found throughout
Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands. They are made by the accumulation of undecomposed plant material over thousands of years which form a thick layer of growing peat. Their upper surface is covered by plant species such as moss, and these boglands are home to rare plant species, too!
Clara Bog in
County Offaly is a great raised bog to visit because of its 1km-looped boardwalk which is accessible at all times. This bogland covers an impressive 464 hectares, and is home to many protected wildlife species. It used to be even bigger, but part of the bog has been lost to peat extraction and road construction. Check the opening times of the award-winning visitor centre ahead of your visit, as this is only open seasonally.
Whilst in County Offaly, you should drive to
Leap Castle – said to be the most haunted castle in Ireland. You can book a tour and see where peat collected from the bog was used in a traditional setting. Peat, also known as turf is the fuel source which has been extracted for centuries from the bogs of Ireland, and the distinctive smell of burning turf is one loved by many. Turf was once used to heat Leap Castle, but this fuel source is being phased out due to the bog’s ability to store large amounts of carbon making burning it unbeneficial towards averting climate change.
To see one of Ireland’s many blanket bogs, visit
Coad Bog in
County Kerry, located on the
Ring of Kerry along the
Wild Atlantic Way. Two of the most esteemed visitors to this 10 acre bogland are the orange-tip and green hairstreak butterflies. A visitor map and guide can be downloaded from the website – be sure to wear wellington boots as it can be quite mucky!
If you fancy a little relaxation and want to spend more time up close and personal with the bog,
Lough Mardal Lodge in
County Donegal offers glamping by 90 acres of blanket bogland. You can stay in a luxuriously furnished skydome yurt, and take time to explore the bogland and the incredible wildlife that comes with it.
The bogs have the capability to preserve, and have even preserved bodies… Thanks to the
Bog Bodies Research Project, two bodies discovered in Oldcraghan, County Offaly, and Clonycavan,
County Meath are available to see in the
National Museum of Ireland in
Dublin. Religious chalices, 2000 year old butter and gold are among the many items which have been found in the boglands. According to folklore, hares in the boglands know where to find buried treasure. If you do see a hare, resist straying from the path to follow it!
Has anyone in our community visited Ireland’s boglands?