Raheenmore Bog is a raised bog north-west of Daingean

Daingean

Daingean , formerly Philipstown, is a small town in east County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated midway between the towns of Tullamore and Edenderry on the R402 regional road. The town or townland of Daingean has a population of 777 while the District Electoral Division has a total population of...

, County Offaly

County Offaly

County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...

, in the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. Since the 1980s the greater part of the bog has been maintained as a 162 hectare Nature Reserve, which is currently managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service

National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland)

The National Parks and Wildlife Service manages the Irish State's nature conservation responsibilities. It is part of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government....

. A Special Area of Conservation

Special Area of Conservation

A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...

 covers 182 ha, including some land in private ownership.

History

Since the last Ice Age Raheenmore Bog has developed in a small basin in the catchment of two major river systems, the
Brosna

River Brosna

The River Brosna is a river in Ireland, flowing through County Westmeath and County Offaly.The river rises in Lough Owel north of Mullingar and is a tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon at Shannon Harbour.-Course:...

 and the Boyne

River Boyne

The River Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newbury Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea between Mornington, County Meath and Baltray, County Louth. Salmon...

. With a depth of 15 meters it forms the deepest raised bog known in Ireland.

The bog was purchased in 1970 by Bord na Móna

Bord na Móna

Bord na Móna , abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland...

 to mark European Conservation Year.
It was designated a Ramsar Site in 1988. It has been twinned with Bargerveen, a Dutch Ramsar Site which required restoration after peat digging was stopped in the 1990s. Active management has been undertaken at Raheenmore because hydrological investigation showed that the bog was drying out. Peat dams were built to stop water loss. The progress of this is being monitored for the possibility of using it on other conservation projects.

After Ireland adopted the Habitats Directive in 1997 Raheenmore was designated a Special Area of Conservation.

Access

Like some other Irish nature reserves, Raheenmore Bog is not open to the public. However, visitors are welcome at Clara Bog

Clara bog

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....

, another raised bog in County Offaly which is protected as a national nature reserve.