Press Release
Enjoy, Discover and Explore Your Natural Heritage – Ireland’s Wild Peatlands
13th August 2019
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) are getting involved in Ireland’s National Heritage Week 2019 celebrations and invite you to come along and join two events organised to help you explore and discover your natural heritage of Ireland’s wet and wild peatlands. The first event entitled ‘Pulse of Girley Bog’ will be an exciting wild safari of dragonflies, water mini-beasties, butterflies, bees and amphibians. This free family event will be held on Sunday 18th August on Girley Bog in County Meath. The meeting point for the event is the car park at Causey Farm, at 2pm, from where participants will walk with the IPCC to an area of the bog. Girley Bog is an example of a protected raised bog which is home to a variety of wildlife, on a calm sunny day expect to see peacock and red admiral butterflies, four spotted chaser dragonflies, carder bees and Ireland’s common frog. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council have been working throughout the year on a survey of wildlife on Girley Bog and recorded for the first time the presence of the smooth newt on an area of Girley Bog owned and managed by IPCC. This project was kindly supported in 2019 by Meath County Council through their Heritage Grant Scheme. Will the smooth newt make an appearance on Girley Bog on Sunday the 18th August? Come along and find out!
If you cannot join the IPCC at Girley Bog not to worry a week later on Sunday 25th August, again at 2pm, join the Irish Peatland Conservation Council at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre for a walk and talk to Lullymore West Bog. Bring your cameras as this site is known nationwide to be a habitat for a variety of butterflies and at this time of year the Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Small Copper, Silver Washed Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary are all in flight. You will also get a final chance to meet Neddy and Lexi two local conservation donkeys who have had a busy job this Summer feeding on the variety of grasses on the site allowing Devil’s Bit Scabious grow. This wildflower is the food plant for the threatened Marsh Fritillary butterfly, another butterfly resident on site. IPCC will also share their results from a vegetaion survey a project that has been ongoing this Summer supported by Kildare County Council through their Heritage Granst Scheme 2019.
If you choose to come along to either of these free family events it is recommended you wear clothes appropriate for the outdoors and strong footwear as you will be crossing rough terrain. National Heritage Week is a great opportunity for you to get to meet with the IPCC team and discover and explore your natural heritage found on Ireland’s wild peatlands.
Editors Notes:
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council are a registered charity that work towards the conservation of a representative portion of Irish peatlands for people to enjoy today and in the future.
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council would like to acknowledge funding support from Meath County Council through their Heritage Grant Scheme 2019 for a project exploring the diversity of butterflies, freshwater invertebrates and Amphibians on Girley Bog.
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council would like to 
acknowledge funding support from Kildare County Council through their Heritage Grant Scheme 2019 for a project exploring the vegetation and habitat structure on Lullymore West Bog.