PRESS RELEASE
Join the IPCC to celebrate International Bog Day on Sunday 28th July 2024
24.07.2024
This Sunday 28th July is International Bog Day, and to celebrate Ireland’s wet and wonderful boglands the Irish Peatland Conservation Council will be holding a special event at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre in Lullymore.
International Bog Day is held on the fourth Sunday of July each year, and aims to raise awareness of peatlands, including the benefits they provide, the threats they face, and how we can help protect them.
The Bog of Allen Nature Centre (R51 V293) will be open to the public free of charge on Sunday 28th July from 12pm to 4pm. Visitors can explore the peatland museum to learn about Irish bogs and their history and view some artefacts that have been recovered from the Bog of Allen such as bog butter. The wildlife gardens at the centre will also be open to wander around or relax in. Showcasing how gardening can be done with the environment and wildlife in mind, the gardens are peat-free and chemical free with composting and rainwater harvesting practised on site. Also waiting to be explored are the insect-eating plants in the greenhouse, including native sundew and butterwort as well as exotic species such as pitcher plants. A guided tour of the centre will be held at 12.30 pm. Throughout the day, younger visitors will also be welcome to pond-dip in the courtyard pond and see what kinds of interesting freshwater invertebrates they can discover.
IPCC’s special guest on the day will be Maynooth University who will be hosting an information stand and giving a talk at 1.30pm on the use of peat cores to track changes in climate over thousands of years.
Finally, at 2.30pm IPCC will lead a guided walk to Lodge Bog, a raised bog reserve, where participants can have a look at some of the fascinating plants that live there such as Sphagnum moss, sundews and heathers and learn about some of the restoration and monitoring being done on the site.
IPCC would like to acknowledge Kildare County Council who support IPCC’s Féile an Dúlra through their Festival Grant Scheme 2024.
