Raheenmore Bog is 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 ...

north-west of

Daingean Daingean (; or ), formerly Philipstown, named after King Philip II of Spain, is a small town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated midway between the towns of Tullamore and Edenderry on the R402 regional road. The town of Daingean ...

, County Offaly, in

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 ...

. Since the 1980s the greater part of the bog has been maintained as a 162 hectare Nature Reserve, which is currently managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. 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 ...

covers 182 ha, including some land in private ownership.

History

Since the last Ice Age, Raheenmore Bog has developed in a small basin in the catchment of two major river systems, the Brosna and the Boyne. With a depth of 15 meters it forms the deepest raised bog known in Ireland. The bog was purchased in 1970 by Bord na Móna to mark European Conservation Year. It was later donated to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It was designated a Ramsar Site in 1988. Along with

Clara Bog Clara Bog is one of the largest relatively intact raised bogs remaining in Ireland. It lies southeast of the R436 regional road between the village of Ballycumber and the town of Clara, in County Offaly. Much of the bog is state-owned and ma ...

, another raised bog in County Offaly, Raheenmore bog has been twinned with Bargerveen, a Dutch Ramsar Site which required restoration after peat digging was stopped in the 1990s. Active management has been undertaken at Raheenmore because hydrological investigation showed that the bog was drying out. Peat dams were built to stop water loss. The progress of this is being monitored for the possibility of using it on other conservation projects. After Ireland adopted the

Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...

in 1997 Raheenmore was designated a Special Area of Conservation.

Access

Like some other Irish nature reserves (for example

Mongan Bog Mongan Bog is a peat bog in County Offaly, Ireland. The bog is located east of Clonmacnoise, a monastic site on the river Shannon. A nature reserve covering about 120 ha protects part of the bog. Protection designations As a raised bog of ...

), Raheenmore Bog is not open to the public. However, visitors are welcome at

, also in County Offaly, which has a visitors' centre.Taoiseach's speech: 7 March 2011
www.taoiseach.gov.ie

References

{{coord, 53, 20, 36, N, 7, 20, 17, W, display=title Nature reserves in the Republic of Ireland Bogs of the Republic of Ireland Landforms of County Offaly Protected areas of County Offaly Ramsar sites in the Republic of Ireland Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland

History

Access

See also

References