What to Expect on the Slieve Bloom Mountains Field Trip

Recently two members of the Irish Peatland Society Executive Board met up with five experts from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and ACRES Ireland in the Slieve Bloom Mountains of Co. Laois to discuss the programme for the field visits to two mountain sites on the 9th June this year.

Both sites were visited in February – on one of the wettest days of the year. Being up at an altitude of over 500m in the mountains did not help. We could hardly see in the cloudy mist and it was very cold – perfect conditions for the formation of blanket bog!

But to ensure we have a great experience in June including great weather, our intrepid explorers battled ahead. After a short briefing on the viewing platform on the mountainside we headed up the boardwalk for a distance of 1km stopping along the way to select points of interest in telling the story of the breeding Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) on this area of mountain blanket bog and wet heath in the centre of Ireland.

So, what’s new for 2026?

A Hen Harrier Recovery Programme was launched in 2025. Specifically, in the Slieve Blooms a landscape approach is being taken to assist these birds involving all stakeholders - the most important being farmers, nature conservationists and foresters. At first site, conifers are the biggest visible problem, with self-sown trees colonising the open bog habitat from the nearby plantations.

There will be plenty of fresh ideas and new opportunities to consider during this field excursion. Overall, by focusing on the life cycle of Hen Harrier, the whole landscape can be enhanced, recreation can continue, farmers can be paid for their work and commercial forestry can meet their biodiversity commitments.

We are grateful to support provided by the Peatlands and Natura Community Engagement Scheme 2026, National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Dr Catherine O’Connell, Chair, Irish Peatland Society

Plate 1: Discussing the outline programme for the International Peatland Conference visit to the Slieve Bloom Mountains are from the left Ciara Powell of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Padraig Cronin and Brian Dunne (both from ACRES Ireland). Photo: C. O’Connell

Plate 2: A boardwalk on the bog surface protects the sensitive vegetation from erosion, shows the route to walk and keeps the feet dry. The team following the route that we will all take in June 2026 in better weather conditions. Photo: C. O’Connell

Plate 3: Paddy Rowland of the Irish Peatland Society discussing an orthoimage and the habitat score cards used to engage farmers on the Ballyfin Commonage in the results-based ACRES scheme with Brian Dunne and Padraig Cronin. Photo: C. O’Connell