Offaly

Clara Bog Nature Reserve

Location:
Clara Bog is situated about 2 km south-east of Clara town. The Visitor Centre for Clara Bog is co-located at the library in Clara. To the east along the N80 there is another guided walk which takes in the eskers and Doory Wood.
GPS:
Latitude: 53.322399
Longitude: -7.631337
Area (ha.):
460

Clara Bog is a naturally wet environment with many concealed dangers. Stay on the boardwalk. As with any outdoor activity, dress appropriately, be prepared for bad weather, and make sure someone knows your return plans. Please leave Clara Bog exactly as you would wish to find it. The Nature Reserve is home to many protected wildlife species. It is an offence to disturb these wild plants and animals.

Background

Clara Bog is perhaps the best remaining example of midland raised bog in Western Europe. It has been said that you can experience ten thousand years of history in the ten square miles that accommodate Clara Bog. This refers to the influence that the last Ice Age had on the Irish landscape. To the north of the bog, an esker runs in an east-west direction. Eskers were laid down by retreating glaciars over 10,000 years ago. These glaciars would also have scooped out a low-lying area south of Clara which would have become a shallow lake. Approximately 8,000 years ago, this lake would have become overgrown with reeds and in time the area would have gradually turned into a fen, and then, as decyaing plant growth chokes the fen, mosses take over and the bog is born. The bog lays down so much peat that it becomes raised above the surrounding landscape. This gives it a dome shape and its name. It differs from blanket bog which is found in upland regions. Raised bog is much deeper.

Clara Bog contains fine examples of hummocks, hollows, lawns, pools and flushes; all classic components of a raised bog. Typically a bog becomes mildly acidic. At Clara, there are soaks which are considered an important part of what makes Clara Bog special. These soaks are mineral-rich pools and small lakes that are fed from groundwater and rain, and support alkaline plantlife.

Plant Life

Most boglands are acidic, poor in minerals and waterlogged, so Sphagnum Moss (Sphagnum cuspidatum), and other mosses dominate. Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium), Deergrass (Trichophorum cespitosum) and other sedges, Ling Heather (Calluna vulgaris), Cross-leaved Heath particularly around the pools, along with bladderworts. Scrub woodland with Downy Birch occurs around the fringes. To the east there are some coniferous and mixed woodlands. The esker ridges are rich in grassland wildflowers, including wild orchids.

Animal Life

The drier areas of the bog are dominated by heather and this provides good cover for Red Grouse, Snipe and Curlew. The wetter areas and pools offer perfect breeding and feeding sites for various insects, most notably dragonflies (such as hawkers, chasers and skimmers) and damselflies. It is also rich in moths and butterflies (the Large Heath, for example, depends upon raised bog), newts, lizards and frogs. Clara Bog is the only known site for two rare midges, and a click beetle. The small bird of prey, the Merlin, breeds here. More common bogland birds include the Meadow Pipit and Skylark. Otters and hares also seen.

Conservation and Management

Turf-cutting and drainage will degrade any bog habitat, as will fires. At Clara, restoration work has had a positive impact in sustaining, and in some areas, adding to, the levels of good quality active raised bogland. Understanding hydrology (the relationship between water and land in terms of water table and drainage, etc.) is key to the survival of any bogland, as water is the lifeblood of a bog. Blocking off drainage ditches is one of the key parts to the management at Clara. We can play our part too by respecting this delicate environment. Take great care on the bogs, and stay on the boardwalk. Keep all dogs on a lead, take all your litter away with you, and never light fires near peatlands.

For more information visit the Clara Bog Website.

Animals and plants of interest:
Plant Life Most boglands are acidic, poor in minerals and waterlogged, so Sphagnum Moss (Sphagnum cuspidatum), and other mosses dominate. Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium), Deergrass (Trichophorum cespitosum) and other sedges, Ling Heather (Calluna vulgaris), Cross-leaved Heath particularly around the pools, along with bladderworts. Scrub woodland with Downy Birch occurs around the fringes. To the east there are some coniferous and mixed woodlands. The esker ridges are rich in grassland wildflowers, including wild orchids. Animal Life The drier areas of the bog are dominated by heather and this provides good cover for Red Grouse, Snipe and Curlew. The wetter areas and pools offer perfect breeding and feeding sites for various insects, most notably dragonflies (such as hawkers, chasers and skimmers) and damselflies. It is also rich in moths and butterflies (the Large Heath, for example, depends upon raised bog), newts, lizards and frogs. Clara Bog is the only known site for two rare midges, and a click beetle. The small bird of prey, the Merlin, breeds here. More common bogland birds include the Meadow Pipit and Skylark. Otters and hares also seen.
Established:
1987
Ownership:
State-owned

Mongan Bog Nature Reserve

Location:
Situated near Clonmacnoise.
GPS:
Latitude: 53.327
Longitude: -7.951
Area (ha.):
119

An excellent example of a midland raised bog. It is a valuable addition to the growing network of peatland reserves. Blocking of Bord na Móna drains was carried out in the 1990s in an effort to rehabilitate this bog.

Animals and plants of interest:
The bog is believed to be 9,000 years old and has formed in a basin between 2 east-west trending eskers. A typical midland raised bog vegetation exists with Sphagnum bog moss species that cause bog growth found in the wetter area to the centre of the bog. Mongan Bog has a notable lichen community due to the lack burning on the high bog in the recent past. There are a good number of wintering Snipe to be found, however, Greenland Whitefronted geese no longer use this bog to the extent that the did in the past. Hen Harriers occasionally hunt over the site in Winter.
Established:
1987
Ownership:
Property of An Taisce

Raheenmore Bog Nature Reserve

Location:
Situated 6 km north-west of Daingean.
GPS:
Latitude: 53.337
Longitude: -7.344
Area (ha.):
162

A well-developed and exceptional example of deep midland raised bog, which is regarded as being of national importance.

Established:
1987
Ownership:
State-owned

Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve

Location:
The Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve lies on the Offaly – Laois border, in the midlands of Ireland. There are several ways to access the range. The M7 motorway (from Dublin to Limerick) passes south of the nature reserve. There are a number of parking facilities available. At the Ridge of Capard , there is a car park, three way-marked circular trails and a viewing platform overlooking the surrounding countryside. Here the long distance walk, the Slieve Bloom Way, also passes through the nature reserve.
GPS:
Latitude: 53.10805556
Longitude: 0.926910429
Area (ha.):
2,300

The Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve is, at over 2,300 hectares, Ireland’s largest state-owned Nature Reserve. It was established in 1985, so that it could be managed in such a way as to ensure the conservation of the mountain blanket bog ecosystem. In addition, the Nature Reserve is designated a Ramsar Wetland Site and a Council of Europe Biogenetic Reserve. Much of the greater upland area has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The primary interest of the SAC is mountain blanket bog. The Slieve Bloom Mountains are also designated a Special Protection Area (SPA), of special conservation interest for the hen harrier, a rare bird of prey.

For more on Visiting the Nature Reserve, Activities, News and Events plus information on Conservation Projects and Wildlife click the link below.

Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve NPWS Site

Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve Website

 

Established:
1985
Ownership:
State-owned