• Home
• About the Project
• Project Sites
  • Lough Lurgeen Bog and Glenamaddy Turlough
  • Camderry Bog
  • Curraghlehanagh Bog
  • Kilsallagh Bog
  • Lough Ree
  • Lisnageeragh Bog and Ballinastack Turlough
  • Drumalough Bog
  • Cloonshanville Bog
  • Killyconny Bog
  • Ardgullion Bog
  • Carn Park Bog
  • Crosswood Bog
  • Mount Hevey Bog
  • Coolrain Bog
• About Bogs
• Demonstration Sites
• Restoration Techniques
• Ecological Monitoring
• Flora and Fauna
• EU Life Programme
• Project Promotion
• Links
• Contact Us

EU Project Number:
LIFE 04 NAT/IE/000121

 

 

4 – Kilsallagh Bog, Glenamaddy, Galway, Ireland

SAC No. 285 Total area of the SAC = 280 ha, Project site area = 29.7 ha

Other protection status :

The site is also a proposed Natural Heritage Area – Kilsallagh Bog (Site Code 285).

Scientific description of site pre-restoration:

Kilsallagh bog is a small to medium-sized raised bog site located near the village of Glenamaddy in the east of Co. Galway. The site contains a reasonably large core of uncut raised bog - approximately 190 hectares in size – which is surrounded by cutover surface (Derwin et al., 2002). Typically the most prominent plant species on the intact bog surface are ling (Calluna vulgaris), deer grass (Trichophorum cespitosum), cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) and hare’s tail cotton-grass (Eriophorum vaginatum). Much of the intact bog surface also has a high cover of various Sphagnum mosses and lichens such as Cladonia portentosa and Cladonia uncialis. Although some extraction of peat still occurs within the cutover margins of the bog most of the uncut high bog area is in good condition with generally low levels of damage from grazing or fire.

A stand of lodgepole pine (c. 12 hectares), surrounded by intact raised bog, occurs in the north-western corner of the site. Although these trees are 25 years old, most have grown poorly, have not formed closed canopy and, as a result, there is still an intact raised bog flora present in places with a high cover of ling and Sphagnum. An important area of very wet, active raised bog lies just to the south-east of the planted area and this area contains numerous wet pools which are dominated by Sphagnum cuspidatum.

Importance of the site for the conservation of the species/habitat types targeted at regional, national and EU level (give quantifiable information wherever possible):

Kilsallagh bog is a nationally important raised bog. The site has been selected for the presence of the Annex 1 habitats Active raised bog, Degraded raised bog (capable of regeneration) and Vegetation of depressions (Rhynchosporion). The habitat assessment presented in the Natura 2000 form gives a global rating of B for active raised bog habitat at this site. Raised bog habitats are now very rare in Europe and it has recently been estimated that the Republic of Ireland contains 50% of the relatively intact oceanic raised bog systems in Europe (O’ Connell, 1998).

The bog is one of a cluster of raised bog sites which occur in close proximity to Glenamaddy village, Co. Galway. This cluster of relatively intact raised bog sites is one of the most important in the country.

Click here to view PDF Map of the Project site (Coloured yellow) within the SAC (Hatched in Pink)

Click here to view PDF of the Project Site Restoration Report

 

back to top