Interpretation on and beside peatlands: visitor centres and education
Case study
The Bog of Allen Visitor Centre, Ireland, and the wider work of the IPCC
Through the LEADER+ peatland project, several examples of good practise in peatland interpretation and provision of access were considered. One of these was the work of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council; in particular its peatland visitor centre and its work to give teachers training and tools for helping young people to appreciate their peatland heritage.
About the IPCC
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (Comhairle Chaomhnaithe Phortaigh na hÉireann) is an independent conservation charity. It campaigns for the conservation of a representative sample of living intact Irish bogs and peatlands as part of Ireland's heritage. It is based in the The Bog of Allen Visitor Centre in Lullymore, Co. Kildare
The IPCC use a range of activities and media to promote interest in and care for peatland sites. These include both on-site and off-site interpretation and environmental education. The facilities and activities are well planned and combine to give visitors a comprehensive and compelling bogland experience.
On site activities include:
- Guided walks
- An environmental education programme
- Beside-site facility Heading 4
- Bog of Allen Visitor Centre
- Off-site tools Heading 4
- Educational resources
- Web site
- Publications
Bog of Allen Visitor Centre
The Bog of Allen Visitor Centre opened in 2004. It is being developed as a centre for excellence in environmental and peatland education, conservation and research. The Centre is open all year round to school groups, special interest groups and casual visitors. Its facilities include:
- Permanent exhibitions on the Bog of Allen
- An audio-visual experience
- Bog themed gardens including a lake and marshland garden, a fen garden and a bog garden, which represent three of the main habitat types in the Bog of Allen.
- A carnivorous plants garden
- Field studies equipment and resources
- Research library
- Art gallery
- Eco-themed shop selling a mixture of field studies equipment, wildlife charts, books and educational resources as well as gifts and cards with a peatlands theme