| Clara Bog | |
|---|---|
| Irish: Dúlra Phortach Chlóirthigh | |
| Location | County Offaly, Ireland |
| Governing body | National Parks and Wildlife Service |
Clara Bog is one of the largest relatively intact raised bogs remaining in Ireland. It lies southeast of the R436 regional road between the village of Ballycumber and the town of Clara, in County Offaly. Much of the bog is state-owned and managed as a nature reserve covering some 460 ha. A Special Area of Conservation covers 836 ha.
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Clara Bog came to public attention in the 1980s when requests were being made to the Irish Government to preserve the area by a number of international naturalists, David Bellamy among them. The area was secured for preservation following the intervention of the Dutch Government who bought the land and donated it to the Irish State.
Clara Bog has been a nature reserve since 1987 and its development since the last ice age, flora, hydrology, have all been extensively studied. In 1988 it was designated a Ramsar Site. Clara Bog and Raheenmore Bog (also in County Offaly) have been twinned with Bargerveen Nature Reserve, a Dutch Ramsar Site, under the Eurosite twinning programme.[1]
For centuries the Irish have taken turf (peat) from bogs as fuel for their fires, and the tradition continues on the margins of Clara Bog.[2] In 1992 Ireland considered putting forward Clara Bog as a World Heritage Site, but after some years on UNESCO's "tentative list" it was decided that the bog's integrity had been damaged by peat extraction and its candidature was withdrawn in 2009.[3] [4] There have been negotiations to relocate turf-cutters to alternative sites of less ecological value.[5]
In 2011 Brian Cowen completed his last official public engagement as Taoiseach in his hometown of Clara, when he opened the €2.1 million Clara bog visitor centre and library. He commented that the siting of the visitor centre avoided unnecessary intrusion on the tranquillity of the nature reserve.[5]
Public access to the bog is via a trackway from a car park on its eastern edge. Visitors are advised not to leave the boardwalk for safety reasons.