Community-Led Bog Restoration at Clonbeale More
Peatland restoration is becoming an increasingly important part of Ireland’s climate and biodiversity strategy. A recent restoration project at Clonbeale More Bog highlights how community collaboration can play a key role in restoring degraded wetlands and protecting valuable ecosystems.
The project was led by the Tullamore Lions Club, working in collaboration with Offaly County Council (Community Climate Action Fund) and the Tóchar Midlands Wetlands Restoration Project, an initiative funded by the Irish Government and the European Union through the Just Transition Fund.
Bri Waller
Restoring a Degraded Bog Landscape
Like many peatlands across Ireland’s midlands, Clonbeale More Bog had been affected by drainage and historical peat extraction. Restoration work focused on reversing these impacts and helping the landscape return to a more natural state.
Key restoration measures included:
-
Blocking drainage channels using peat dams
-
Constructing peat bunds to retain water on the bog
-
Removing invasive vegetation such as rhododendron
-
Monitoring water levels and ecological recovery
These techniques are commonly used in peatland restoration to raise water levels and rewet the bog, allowing peat-forming vegetation such as sphagnum moss to return over time.
A large bog pool before the installation of weirs
Peat restoration contractor, Brian Gorman checking the recently installed weir on Clonbeale More Bog
A Community-Led Approach
One of the most significant aspects of the Clonbeale More project is the role played by local volunteers and community organisations. The Tullamore Lions Club helped lead the restoration work, demonstrating how local knowledge and community engagement can contribute meaningfully to nature recovery.
Through partnerships like this, restoration initiatives can extend beyond government programmes and become locally supported environmental projects.
This rhododendrum removed was during recent restoration work
Supporting the Tóchar Wetlands Restoration Programme
The Clonbeale More project also forms part of the broader Tóchar Wetlands Restoration initiative, a multi-year programme focused on restoring degraded wetlands throughout Ireland’s midlands. The project aims to rehabilitate peatlands while supporting communities in the region as part of Ireland’s Just Transition towards more sustainable land management.
Wetlands play a vital role in the environment. Healthy bogs and wetlands:
-
Store significant amounts of carbon
-
Support unique biodiversity
-
Improve water quality and flood regulation
-
Provide valuable natural landscapes for local communities
Supporting the Tóchar Wetlands Restoration Programme
Following the completion of restoration works, the Clonbeale More site will now be monitored over time as natural processes begin to re-establish the bog ecosystem. Early restoration work is expected to gradually improve water retention and allow native vegetation to recolonise the area.
Projects like this demonstrate how collaboration between community groups, environmental organisations, and restoration specialists can successfully restore degraded peatlands and contribute to Ireland’s wider climate and biodiversity goals.