After introductions, John from the Irish Red Grouse Conservation Trust shared how they protect this sedentary ground bird, resident on peatlands and upland sites. The Red Grouse eat young Ling heather, berries, insects, shoots, buds, leaves, and even grit to aid digestion. Unfortunately, the Red Grouse’s range has declined by 70% across Ireland over the past 40 years, so it has a Red Status on the Irish Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. Their sedentary nature increases their vulnerability to rapid habitat changes such as peat extraction, drainage, burning, forestry plantations, and infrastructural developments (e.g. access roads for wind farms). During the event, Pat from the Ballydangan Bog Red Grouse Project explained how they cut heather to stimulate young growth, provide water and grit to help the birds feed, and retain nearby taller stands of heather for them to nest.

Afterwards, two of FarmPEAT’s local project farmers, Alfie and Sean, spoke about their newfound appreciation of their peat soils’ contribution to fighting the climate and biodiversity crises. They shared how they’re coming full circle now with land management—where in the past, they were paid to drain the land and increase productivity, but now, the FarmPEAT Project rewards them for blocking these drains and raising the water table. Alfie and Sean noted that the wider public’s perception of what constitutes a ‘good farm’ needs to shift for farms like these to be recognised as good practice. FarmPEAT’s Project Manager, Caroline, also explained the process for assessing a field’s hydrology before doing any work to avoid unintended impacts on neighbouring land.

We also heard from Liam, Nicola, and Rosemary from the Uí Máine Kingdom Group, which is raising awareness of the karst landscape and local folklore in South Roscommon through art. Liam shared the importance of the landscape for the local area’s water supply and the unique interactions between karst features such as dolines and turloughs. Nicola then explained how they communicate these scientific values through pop-up banners, paintings, and digital animations created with the Celtic Eye Art Group. She noted that they reach a wider audience by linking the stories of the landscape with those of Irish goddesses such as Queen Maeve and St. Brigid.

On a crisp March morning, we were joined at the bog by Bernie, Anna, and Brian from the Clara Heritage Society. Anna started our event with a trip through time in her talk, 'Bogs as Liminal Spaces'. She described bogs as a transitional landscape "at once solid and soft, dry and wet, and highly motile. They are spaces of making and unmaking where water relinquishes to land and land to water." Anna framed bogs as gateways to Irish folklore and human history—referring to the shapeshifting Púca, the spontaneous flickering lights known as will-o'-the-wisps or bog sprites, and the discovery of offerings and bog bodies thought to have been sacrificed by our ancestors to appease the Gods. Past human history was also found in the Mesolithic site uncovered during peat extraction at Boora Bog in 1977, hinting that other early settlements may be present on bogs in the Midlands. Pollen studies show that forest clearance at Clara Bog began around 2300 BC. However, no archaeological studies have been carried out on Clara Bog to preserve its status as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive.

Brian continued the history of Clara Bog by pointing out the Clara-Rahan Road. This was constructed through the bog centre in the late 18th century and the associated drainage and peat subsidence has split the central dome into Clara Bog East and West. Brian explained how in 1983, Bord na Mona purchased a section of Clara Bog for peat production but was met with public protest. After being declared a National Nature Reserve in 1987, the drains were blocked and restoration has been ongoing ever since.

We then enjoyed a walk along the boardwalk to explore peatland plants and microtopography using the new Community Wetlands Forum field guides. The event concluded with two of FarmPEAT's project farmers, Jim and Colman, sharing their experiences of farming on peat soils. They spoke of the need for longer schemes and how results-based payments support nature-friendly farming, particularly on less productive parts of their farms.

After a round of introductions, we made our way to the boardwalk where Eugene Dunbar from ETHOS (Everything Tyrrellspass Has On Show) talked us through a map of Cloncrow Bog. It is a Natural Heritage Area bounded by bog woodland containing beautiful old Scots Pine trees. We also saw bird boxes installed in the woodland area, where an attendee involved with BirdWatch Ireland shared the best practice for installing boxes: 2-4m off the ground and facing between north and south-east away from strong wind and rain. Learn more on www.birdwatchireland.ie.

On the walk through the raised bog, we saw plants such as Bog Asphodel, Hare's-tail Cottongrass, Bog Rosemary, Cross-leaved Heather, Ling Heather, and various mosses and lichens. We discussed how a microtopography with pools and hummocks indicates better bog condition. We also highlighted the borrow pits created when building the peat dams. Eugene displayed a glass jug showing the different layers of peat formation, which we contextualised by measuring peat depth and the water table.

Seán from the Kilbeggan Community Group explained the function of the community employment scheme and how not-for-profit groups can avail of extra hands-on support. He gave examples of locals doing great work with the Tidy Towns and GAA Club. For more information, contact: www.kilbeggancommunitygroup.ie.

Afterwards, our project farmers, Donal, Mary, and Gerald, shared how drain blocking on the high bog can affect downstream farmland and how alternative livestock drinking sources may need to be set up. They noted the benefit of extra income from results-based schemes like FarmPEAT and how taking supporting actions allows you to maximise these payments.

We had a lovely chat at the Taughmaconnell Community Centre about peatlands, farm schemes, and biodiversity. The local Conservation Ranger, Chris, introduced the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme and answered questions about pine martens, Ireland's birds of prey, and the restoration plan for Ballynamona Bog SAC. We looked at the map for the proposed dams and discussed the need for proactive community engagement in peatland restoration. We also used the brilliant Community Wetlands Forum Peatland Guides again as we looked at the positive plant indicators in FarmPEAT's peatland scorecard.

Afterwards, Sean Butler from Hillside Holistic Farm spoke about his experience with social farming—the practice of linking farmers with people in need of a social support service. During the visits, Sean invites the participants to help him with various tasks around the farm. Social farming allows people to connect with the environment, socialise, and gain confidence. Sean feels that he gets as much out of the visits as the participants themselves because he has the chance to put himself in other people's shoes and gain new perspectives.

FarmPEAT's local project farmers, Martin and Brendan, then shared their thoughts on results-based payments. They are happy with their results-based payments as their land scores quite highly for environmental quality in FarmPEAT's scorecards. They also appreciate what they've learned through the training days and feel the low administrative burden was a big plus for taking part. However, they emphasised that a longer scheme would be beneficial in terms of planning ahead and deciding which farm schemes to sign up for.

Liam from the Uí Máine Kingdom Project, who had also joined us in February at Ballydangan Bog, spoke about how their pull-up banners illustrate the karst landscape and Irish folklore. We looked at the Geological Survey Ireland maps of Ireland's bedrock, to show the limestone underlying Co. Roscommon's landscape and discuss the link between karst and peatlands. In particular, we spoke about the turlough which forms part of the Ballynamona Bog & Corkip Lough SAC. The recent news around Lough Funshinagh was also raised to highlight the importance of understanding how the karst landscape operates.

To wrap up the event, Monica, a Climate Action Officer with An Taisce, shared details about their Climate Ambassador Programme which invites new volunteers each year. This programme brings together people from all over Ireland to learn about climate change and the environment, receive training on delivering talks and organising projects, and then implement some actions in their local community.

FarmPEAT's project farmers managing land around Raheenmore Bog came out to discuss their experiences and learn about peatland plants. Fearghal, our current Steering Group Farmer Representative, is a nearby dairy farmer and shared how he started to use low emissions systems to spread slurry in a more environmentally friendly way. Reducing ammonia pollution is vital for the health of Raheenmore Bog, which at 15m, is one of the deepest bogs in the country and is legally protected as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive. Ammonia is detrimental to the bog because it is alkaline and creates nitrogen-rich conditions in which peatland plants do not grow well. The bog builder, Sphagnum moss, needs waterlogged and acidic conditions to grow. Sphagnum creates its own ideal environment as its cells can hold 20x their dry weight in water and acidify their surroundings. However, ammonia disrupts this environment and results in Sphagnum's death, which in turn affects the health of the peatland itself.

As well as discussing the impacts of ammonia, we looked at the difference between Ling and Cross-leaved Heather, spoke about how Sundew is adapted to a low-nutrient environment by trapping insects, and saw other plants such as Common cottongrass, Bog Asphodel, and orchids.

Andy Kelly spoke about the recent renovation of the Kilclonfert Community Centre and how they provide a space for everything from bingo to farmer training days. He shared his hopes for the future, where they might create an exhibition celebrating the peatland heritage of the Kilclonfert area and work with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to improve public access to the bog by building a boardwalk.

We welcomed everyone to Ferbane Heritage Centre with delicious lemon and coffee cakes baked by St. Hildas Services. After a round of introductions, Ferbane Tidy Towns told us about their projects. As well as being custodians of the Ballylin Bog boardwalk and maintaining the town's green areas, they created a rain garden near the fire station. The rain garden captures water from urban runoff, which reduces the pressure on stormwater systems because less water enters drains. Another similar project was their swale near the road at the Heritage Centre which was planted with vegetation to buffer pollutants and store water. Seamus, who is involved with Tidy Towns, encouraged people to volunteer and sign up to the Offaly PPN newsletter to stay updated about local events and projects.

You might wonder why we called it Ballylin Bog! Although the Special Area of Conservation is formally known as Ferbane Bog, locals are calling it Ballylin Bog in memory of naturalist and scientist, Mary Ward. Ward's birthplace was Ballylin and the town wanted to honour her many scientific contributions by naming the raised bog in its name. Learn more about Mary Ward here.

As we sheltered from rain in the bog woodland, PJ Dooley from the Coole Eco Community told us about their experience with mob grazing. This is where cattle are moved from field to field to mimic the natural movement of grazers in an open environment. It allows grass to regenerate and grow to a taller height before being grazed again. One of the caveats to this method is that grass growth can be restricted by cooler Irish temperatures. The Coole Eco Community are using lots of other regenerative agricultural practices, learn more here.

We were also joined by the Farm Carbon EIP project manager, Doug McMillan, and project farmers, Donie and Adrian Egan. They told us about their paludiculture test trials of crops such as rhubarb, chokeberry, blueberry, sphagnum moss, and bull rushes. The idea of these plots is to show that paludiculture works in Ireland and then to scale it up. On group visits to the Egans' farm, many farmers were interested in learning more about the method! Watch this episode about paludiculture here.

Back out on the boardwalk, we admired the flowering Bog Asphodel and spoke about methane emissions during raised bog restoration. Studies show that CO2 reductions from raising the water table lead to overall long term climate benefits, despite the anoxic conditions increasing methanogenesis and CH4 emissions. A study by Wilson et al. (2022) concluded that the fast we rewet degraded raised bogs, the better!

Our discussions also raised the importance of bringing students to the boardwalk to learn about nature. We were delighted to draw attention to Sheola Rosney, a 5th Year from Gallen Community School in Ferbane, who told the group about her project "What's going out on our bog?" which won 1st Place in our 2024 Love Your Wellies Competition. Sheola presented this project to primary school students near Pullough Bog! FarmPEAT runs field trips to farms and raised bogs with schools, universities, and any other interested group. Contact us for more information!

Daingean Bog was drained for extraction but since the cessation of commercial turf harvesting, drain blocking has been completed to begin the peatland restoration process. Until recently, turf was transported out of Daingean Bog along the Bord na Móna railway line. This is the route we followed as we walked to the raised bog. Along here, we saw some of FarmPEAT's positive indicators for wet grassland such as meadowsweet, vetches, and yellow composites. We also spotted ragwort, which is a negative indicator in FarmPEAT's scorecards but is very valuable for biodiversity nonetheless. It is the main host for the Cinnabar moth caterpillar and is frequently visited by pollinators. Although it's not great to have on grazing land due to its toxicity, it's a great plant to encourage in corners that aren't accessed by livestock.

Our final event of the 'Farmers of the Bog' series took place during National Heritage Week. This year's theme for the week was "Connections, Routes and Networks", which fit perfectly with the story of Umeras Bog. The cutaway bog is the proposed site for Umeras Peatlands Park, a community-led tourism project. Eddie Smyth explained how the proposed development would connect the nearby Grand Canal Blueway and Ballykelly Mills in a "tourist triangle", along with a sculpture park, exhibition centre, walkways, and cycleways. By celebrating the industrial heritage of the cutaway bog, the Peatlands Park would maintain a connection between the past and present of Ireland's raised bogs. We're delighted to have Umeras Community Development as one of FarmPEAT's project partners and look forward to seeing the Peatlands Park develop!