Ireland
Site name
Location
This is a large (2,200ha) area in the centre of Co. Offaly, between Cloghan and Tullamore. It is a 'cutaway' bogland, where peat has been removed in horizontal sequence and commercial peat milling has ceased. Lough Boora Parklands consists of four areas: Finnamore's Lakes, Farmlands, Sculpture Park and Mesolithic Site
Areas within the site
Finnamore's Lakes
Consists of four fishing lakes at the eastern end of the Lough Boora Parklands. The lakes were developed with the advice of the Shannon Fisheries Board and provide an alternative to fishing on the nearby Shannon for both local fisherman and those who come from much further afield to fish the Shannon.
Farmlands
An expanse of cutaway that has been developed, through deep ploughing, to provide fertile farmland capable of supporting grazing pasture and even arable crops. In some parts, vegetable and cereal crops are grown to benefit Grey partridge Perdix perdix at its only Irish breeding site. In others, where ground conditions have not lent themselves to agricultural after-use, Bord na Móna has created large wetlands.
Sculpture Park
Lough Boora now hosts some of the most innovative land and environmental sculptures in Ireland. Since the 1990s, and continuing the LEADER+ project, artists inspired by the natural and industrial heritage of the area have created many large-scale outdoor sculptures. These are both a prominent part of the landscape at Lough Boora and a potent means of stimulating ideas about the history and present-day use of the area.
Mesolithic site
Subtle evidence of some of the earliest human occupation of the Irish Midlands, dating to more than 8,000 years ago, has been found at Lough Boora in archaelogical digs beginning in the 1970s. As is usual for such sites, the area of the middle stone age campsite has no visible remains. It is a wooded area, with a path running through it.
Ownership/management
Principal owner is Bord na Móna
plc, a company initially established as a statutory body in
1946. The primary responsibility of the company was to "develop
Ireland's peat resources". But a strong commitment to the
social and economic development of the Midlands of Ireland,
where the company is principally based, has been part of the
motivation of the company from the outset.
At the Lough Boora Farmlands, land has been sold to farmers, many of whom have entered management agreements with the Irish government's National Parks and Wildlife Service, which owns roughly 240ha of the Farmlands.
The Lough Boora Parklands have had most of the peat industrially extracted from them. Bord na Móna is now legally responsible for rehabilitating them to allow recreational, economic or environmental land uses to provide wider benefits for society. Since the early 1990s, the company has tried to establish a number of land uses in the Parklands, including forestry, agriculture, wetland creation and amenity facilities.
This has now developed to the point where there is a clear long term future for the Parklands, including some innovative and successful facilities which bring both local people and visitors to the region into this peatland area.
Key features
Where the ground conditions have not lent themselves to an agricultural after-use, Bord na Móna has created large wetlands (over 250ha so far). These areas have enhanced Offaly's landscape and provide good habitat for wildfowl and wading birds, with good numbers of species like whooper swan, lapwing and curlew now coming to this once-barren area.
At Turraun Wetlands, for example, an expanse of open water with reed-fringed islands contributes greatly to the scenic quality of the area and provides good habitat for birds. In the Farmlands, the principal interest of the Parks and Wildlife service is in grey partridge at the species' only breeding site in Ireland.
Previous use/cultural relevance
Evidence of human use of the area goes back to the Mesolithic period, more than 8,000 years ago, when hunter-gatherers used a peninsula jutting out into a shallow lake where the peatlands eventually formed.
Commercial peat extraction has a long history at Turraun. It includes a period from the 1850s until the early 20th century when moss peat was stripped from the surface of the bog and dried for use as horse bedding by the British Army. A peat-fuelled power station was operated in the early 20th century and became a model for development of nationally owned peat-powered electricity generating plants established from the 1940s onwards.
In the 1950s, the remnant of lake was drained, milled peat production began and an 80 MW a peat-fired power became fully functional.
In the early 1990s, a group of Bord na Móna employees formed a study group to investigate further potential of the cutaway boglands there. Since then, Lough Boora has been the pilot site for research, development and monitoring of cutaway peatland after-use. This gives it relevance to some 80,000ha of Bord na Móna ground across the Irish Midlands.
Visitor use before the project
Substantial, including a 20km network of paths, much of which uses old railway lines and roads previously used for transport of cut peat from the bogs to the power station or peat briquette factory. There are six fishing lakes. These include those at Finnamore's, well used as picnic sites and by casual walkers in addition to anglers (including wheelchair-using anglers).
Aim of LEADER+ work
To find out what is the best way to present information on peatland bog sites, through exploring best practice in interpretation when developing new walks and trails. This was done principally at Lough Boora Parklands, but also through consideration of other sites which could also be developed for use as recreational, cultural, natural, educational and heritage locations.
Illustrations
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