{"id":3943,"date":"2026-05-14T12:30:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T11:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tocharwetlands.ie\/?p=3943"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:40:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T11:40:37","slug":"the-unique-and-magical-landscape-of-galways-living-bog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tocharwetlands.ie\/ga\/community-stories\/the-unique-and-magical-landscape-of-galways-living-bog\/","title":{"rendered":"The unique and magical landscape of Galway\u2019s Living Bog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Helen Shaw – T\u00f3char Stories<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a wild and wet Spring day on Carrownagappul Bog, near Mountbellew, Co Galway but Marie Gilmore, the guide at Galway\u2019s Living Bog, is animated about the life bouncing up from the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the bog at the moment, everything that was dormant during the wintertime is now coming alive, and you’ll see the colours slightly changing across the bog. It was all kinds of browns and greys, and now the flicker of heathers are beginning to come, and we can see the seedheads of the asphodel, and the moss itself with its beautiful, rich colours, beginning to shine through. And as the year goes on, it changes all the time. It is never the same\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photograph
Photo: Marie Gilmore on the boardwalk in Carrownagappul (credit Helen Shaw)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marie grew up close to the bog. It was part of her childhood and like many in the area her family were cutting turf there for generations. \u201cI have lots and lots of happy memories of being down in the bog with my family at a very, very young age, and I’ve always loved it, even the hard work side of it\u201d. Turf cutting on Carrownagappul has ceased and the landscape now reflects ten years of restoration work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u25cf<\/strong>WATCH<\/strong>: Bird\u2019s Eye view of the beauty of Carrownagappul Bog <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aerial
Photo: Carrownagappul Bog\u2019s colours (credit drone shot Stephen Crilly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Marie her relationship with the bog has evolved. It\u2019s grown and deepened the more she has got to know and understand its story. \u201cEven when we were in school, we were never told about the bog, the magic of it, what lived in it, how it was formed, ever. It was always seen as a wasteland or just a place where you got your fuel. And it’s only now, as I’ve got older, I just see the bigger picture of the bog, how amazing it is and so ancient and unique\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf LISTEN: <\/strong>Marie Gilmore on the magic of Carrowngappul Bog<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photos:
Photo: Carrownagappul Bog, drone shot showing the restored areas and its scale
(credit Stephen Crilly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Drone
Photo: Carrownagappul Bog, drone shot showing the road and the scale of the area
(credit Stephen Crilly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carrownagappul Bog is a national heritage treasure. It is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) <\/a>and at 850 acres it is one of the biggest, most accessible raised bogs in Ireland. It is also one of the largest areas of uncut high bog left in Galway. Maura Hannon, the manager at Galway\u2019s Living Bog, <\/a>the visitor centre where Marie is based, says the idea behind the centre was all about giving something back to the community when turf cutting stopped. \u201cWe started in 2019 and we were very lucky to have ex Minister Paul Connaughton on the bog committee. He wanted something set up for the community, hence the arrival of Galway\u2019s Living Bog\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photograph
Photo: Maura Hannon, manager Galway Living Bog, Galway
(credit Stephen Crilly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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