Bogland Map
The distribution of bog types in Ireland.
Source: The Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape (1997) p. 107.Bogland Map
Source: The Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape (1997) p. 107.
Source: The Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape (1997) p. 107.
Bogland Map
The distribution of bog types in Ireland.
Source: The Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape (1997) p. 107.Ireland's boglands are very special places. Boglands are areas of peat bogs and they make up 5% of the Irish landscape. They are home to many rare plants and animals.
There are two types of bogland in Ireland.
Blanket bogs are found on mountain slopes and in areas of heavy rainfall. They are not very deep, at about 1.5 metres. They are mostly found in the West of Ireland and in the Wicklow, Galtee and Knockmealdown Mountains.
Valley in the Maumturk Mountains
The Maumturk Mountains are situated to the east of the Twelve Pins Mountain Range and west of the Maumtrasnas in the West of Ireland. This image shows upland blanket bog in the middle ground.
Valley in the Maumturk Mountains
Valley in the Maumturk Mountains
The Maumturk Mountains are situated to the east of the Twelve Pins Mountain Range and west of the Maumtrasnas in the West of Ireland. This image shows upland blanket bog in the middle ground.
Midland bogs, like those found in Offaly, are raised bogs. They have an average depth of 8 metres. Because they are flat and deep, these bogs provide a large-scale, commercial peat industry for the surrounding areas.
How Bogs were Formed
Bog of Allen Map, by Richard Griffith, 1810
Map showing part of the Bog of Allen in the Co. Kildare region. This shows the Bog of Allen as it was mapped by Richard Griffith, a Bog Commissioner, in 1810. The Bog Commissioners were responsible for organising the surveying and mapping of Ireland's bogs. Their task was to assess the bogs with a view to their drainage and possible use for tillage.
Bog of Allen Map, by Richard Griffith, 1810
Bog of Allen Map, by Richard Griffith, 1810
Map showing part of the Bog of Allen in the Co. Kildare region. This shows the Bog of Allen as it was mapped by Richard Griffith, a Bog Commissioner, in 1810. The Bog Commissioners were responsible for organising the surveying and mapping of Ireland's bogs. Their task was to assess the bogs with a view to their drainage and possible use for tillage.
Peat is a soil that is made up of the partially decomposed remains of dead plants. Over thousands of years, these plants have accumulated on top of each other in waterlogged places.Raised bogs were formed at the end of the last ice age, which is about 10,000 years ago. At this time, much of central Ireland was covered by shallow lakes left behind by the melting ice. Over the centuries, poor drainage and the build up of dead plants created layer upon layer of peat. Sphagnum (bog moss) is the most important plant in the formation of peat.