Boglands of Mid Ireland
Boglands
Offaly treasures an abundance of peatland scenery with bracing air and primeval loneliness that are truly inspirational. Fleecy bog cotton, reeds and rushes wave in the summer breeze, wild flowers grow in quiet abundance, heathers in their autumn glory resemble the most elegant tweeds, wildlife flourishes and winter wraps the peatlands in an eerie impenetrable mist.
Tales and legends abound. Gnarled stumps and tangled roots of oak and pine rest on the surface after long years of saturation in the depths. Bog butter emerges intact if inedible and bog bodies buried for thousands of years come to the surface from time to time – Old Croghan Man lay in his oozy bed in North Offaly for two thousand years before he was found in 2003.
You can experience peatlands in Offaly as nowhere else. Visit Lough Boora Parklands: a vast open bog parkland with walkways, woods, grassland, lakes, fishing, sanctuaries for wildlife, historic sites and nature trails. Long and short loop walks are laid out and one follows the Sculpture Trail, an imaginative array of interpretations inspired by the bogland and its people from prehistoric times to the present.
A great diversity of wildlife awaits discovery. Clara Bog, an important natural heritage area preserved for its flora, fauna and soak system, enthused the world famous naturalist David Bellamy during his honeymoon. Mongan Bog near Clonmacnoise, another spongy dome of raised bog is being preserved for its intricate and unusual habitats.
