Fenor Bog is a regenerated alkaline

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...

and national nature reserve of approximately in

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

. It is the county's first national nature reserve and the only extant alkaline fen in the southeast of Ireland.

Features

Fenor Bog was legally protected as a national nature reserve by the Irish government in 2004, becoming County Waterford's first national nature reserve. The bog was purchased by the

Irish Peatland Conservation Council The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC; ) is a national charitable organisation established in 1982 to conserve and protect a representative sample of Republic of Ireland, Irish bogs, and to campaign on bog-related issues. History Having bee ...

(IPCC) and Moin Fhionnurach Development Association (MFDA) in June 1999 to protect the area from further decline. The funds were raised through bodies such as the Friends of the Bog. Fenor Bog is the only protected

in County Waterford, and fen habitats are amongst the most endangered wetlands in Ireland. Fenor Bog lies near the village of

Fenor Fenor, officially Fennor (), is a village in County Waterford, Ireland. The village itself is quite small, consisting almost entirely of the local school, pub, and parish church. It is on the R675 road around west of Tramore. History Ston ...

, and lies inside the

Copper Coast Geopark The Copper Coast Geopark is a designated area comprising a stretch of the southern coast of Ireland in County Waterford, extending for some 25 km of coastline from Kilfarrasy in the east to Stradbally in the west. It was the first geopark to b ...

. It is an alkaline fen, the only one of this kind still extant in the southeast of Ireland, with the bog located in a depression which is overlooked by Ballyscanlon Hill. There is a wet woodland on the site, with willow and alder trees, alongside areas of

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

, and flat, wet wild flower meadows. 200 species of mammals, birds, insects, and plants have been recorded within the site, including snipe, cuckoos, stonechats, warblers, reed buntings and barn owls. The site features a raised walkway.

References

{{Reflist Fens of the Republic of Ireland Landforms of County Waterford Protected areas of County Waterford Tourist attractions in County Waterford Nature reserves in the Republic of Ireland Protected areas established in 2004 2004 establishments in Ireland Bogs of the Republic of Ireland