Mongan Bog is a

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

bog in County Offaly,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The bog is located east of

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise ( Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th cen ...

, a monastic site on the river Shannon. A

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

covering about 120 ha protects part of the bog.

Protection designations

As a

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombrot ...

of ecological interest, it was designated a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

(covering 207 ha) in 2017. A larger area is protected for its birdlife as a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

(SPA): Mongan Bog SPA covers 1,843 ha and is also an Important Bird Area. This site was formerly important for wintering Greenland white-fronted geese ''Anser albifrons flavirostris''.

History

The bog began to form around 9,000 years ago between two

esker An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Ame ...

s. The bog remained relatively intact for most of its history, but during the 1970s machines were used to drain parts of the bog, which drastically shrunk it. This sparked the preservation movement that has led to the preservation of many bogs throughout Ireland. In the current decade, Mongan is the largest bog in the area.

Access

The nature reserve belongs to

An Taisce An Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland (; meaning "the store" or "the treasury"), established in June 1948, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) active in the areas of the environment and built heritage in Ireland. It considers itself t ...

, an organisation which preserves examples of Ireland's built and natural heritage. The nature reserve is open by appointment for research.

References

Bogs of the Republic of Ireland Important Bird Areas of the Republic of Ireland Landforms of County Offaly Natural Heritage Areas of the Republic of Ireland Nature reserves in the Republic of Ireland Protected areas of County Offaly Special Areas of Conservation in Ireland {{Offaly-geo-stub