Raheenmore Bog facts for kids

Raheenmore Bog is a special place in Ireland, located north-west of Daingean in County Offaly. It's a type of wetland called a raised bog. Imagine a big, spongy cushion of peat that has grown upwards over thousands of years!

Since the 1980s, a large part of Raheenmore Bog has been protected as a Nature Reserve. This reserve is about 162 hectares, which is like 300 football fields! The National Parks and Wildlife Service looks after it. There's also a bigger area, about 182 hectares, called a Special Area of Conservation. This includes some land owned by private people.

How Raheenmore Bog Formed

Raheenmore Bog started to grow after the last Ice Age. This was many, many years ago! It formed in a small dip in the land, where water from two big rivers, the Brosna and the Boyne, collected.

Over time, dead plants piled up in the water. They didn't fully rot because there wasn't much oxygen. This created a thick layer called peat. Raheenmore Bog is super deep, with peat reaching down about 15 meters! That makes it the deepest raised bog known in Ireland.

Protecting the Bog

Becoming a Nature Reserve

In 1970, a company called Bord na Móna bought the bog. They did this to celebrate European Conservation Year. Later, they gave the bog to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to protect it forever.

Special International Status

Raheenmore Bog was given a special international title in 1988. It became a Ramsar Site. A Ramsar Site is a wetland that is important for nature around the world.

Raheenmore Bog is also linked with another important bog in County Offaly called Clara Bog. Both of these Irish bogs have a special connection with a Dutch Ramsar Site called Bargerveen. This Dutch bog also needed help to recover after people stopped digging peat there in the 1990s.

Helping the Bog Stay Wet

Experts noticed that Raheenmore Bog was starting to dry out. This is bad for a bog because it needs lots of water to stay healthy. So, people built special peat dams to stop water from leaving the bog. This helps keep the bog wet and healthy. They are watching to see how well this works. If it's successful, they might use this method to help other bogs too!

European Protection

In 1997, Ireland started following something called the Habitats Directive. This is a European rule that helps protect important natural places. Because of this, Raheenmore Bog was named a Special Area of Conservation. This gives it even more protection.

Visiting Raheenmore Bog

Raheenmore Bog is a very sensitive natural area. Because of this, it is not usually open for people to visit. Some other nature reserves in Ireland, like Mongan Bog, are also kept closed to protect them.

However, if you want to learn about bogs and see one up close, you can visit Clara Bog. It's also in County Offaly and has a special visitors' centre where you can explore and learn all about these amazing places!