Saving the turf - 25 years on from a Laois eco blockade to protect Abbeyleix Bog

It is 25 years since members of the Abbeyleix community in Laois defiantly blocked the entrance to their local bog to prevent harvesting of peat by Bord na Móna.

It began a nine-year period of discussion and arguments that ultimately secured a 50-year lease for the community, who then set about rewetting and restoring the bog as a ecologically biodiverse carbon sink. 

While peat still continues to be harvested elsewhere in the Midlands, some of it illegally, the 500 acre bog they saved has become an award winning beacon of hope for environmental restoration, attracting experts worldwide to Laois.

Abbeyleix Bog Project committee are commemorating the occasion with a special programme of events from Thursday, July 24 to Sunday, July 27, coinciding with International Bog Day. Booking is essential for most of the events, with some events free, see the programme on Eventbrite.

It launches at 7pm on Thursday in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel. The evening will feature a mix of speakers and creative presentations; an exhibition from photographers Annie Holland and Tina Claffey, the RePEAT exhibition “The Changing Story of Ireland's Boglands”, as well as a short documentary screening by local filmmaker Brendan Phelan of Video Nation.

President Michael D Higgins walking in Abbeyleix Bog. Photo: Alf Harvey

The Speakers on the night will include ABP Director Garry Luttrell, festival co-coordinator Alison McEvoy, wetland ecologist and TAG member Jim Ryan, with members of the local community involved in the original blockade present. This special event brings together voices from across disciplines and generations to reflect on the evolving story of Ireland’s Boglands. 

Exhibitions will continue at the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel on Friday 25 July and will then move to the Abbeyleix Bog.

On Friday 25 July they will re-live the day with the return of “the broken down crane” ongoing throughout the weekend. There will be art activities with Lynda Gyves from 10am-1pm, in the outdoor classroom, and historical and biodiversity guided bog walks from 1pm-3pm and 5pm-7pm.

A Panel Discussion moderated by RTÉ's Ella McSweeney with Shirley Clerkin (NPWS), ornithologist Seán Ronayne and other special guests at 7pm, Abbeyleix Golf Club.

Then on Saturday, enjoy a Guided Dawn walk with Seán Ronayne at 5.30am, meeting at the Bog Entrance. ‘Mothing’; opening moth traps at 7am, Outdoor Classroom. A Cycle Around the Bog with High Nelly and Pedal Vintage, 11am. Textile Workshops with Jo Howard from 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm, Manor Hotel. Performance of ‘Distillation’ by Luke Casserly at 1pm and 4pm, Parish Hall. Guided Bog Walk at 5pm.

Photo: A sundew flycatcher on Abbeyleix Bog by Tina Claffey

On Sunday, “The Changing Story of Ireland's Boglands” RePEAT exhibition will move to Preston House, where Lily Toomey(Researcher) will be present from 12noon. There is a Morning Yoga Session at 7am, Boardwalk. A Building Bat Boxes class with Abbeyleix Mens Shed at 9am, Outdoor Classroom. A Bog Collage Workshop at 10am, Preston House. A Guided Bog Walk at 12 noon. Bug Hotel Making with Abbeyleix Mens Shed at 1pm, Preston House. Basket Weaving Workshop with Cathy Hayden from 3pm-6pm, Preston House. A Garden Party at 5pm, Abbeyleix Community Garden, and finally an Evening Yoga Session at 7pm, on the Boardwalk.

Read also: Appeal halts goahead to turn Abbeyleix chemical factory into tourism lets

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration describes Abbeyleix Bog Project as "this successful project to protect and restore Abbeyleix Bog, located in County Laois, Ireland, has been hailed as a model for community-centred peatland restoration efforts and recognized as a textbook example of sustainable peatland management." -

President Michael D.Higgins who has walked the boardwalk, says “Abbeyleix is a microcosm, and replicates in a localised way the five elements essential for integrated landscape management."

The Abbeyleix Bog Project is Supported by The National Parks and Wildlife Service. Events are subject to change, please check abbeyleixbog.ie Tickets available at Eventbrite   For further information please contact info@abbeyleixbog.ie