Moneygal Bog

Moneygal Bog is one of the most westerly active raised bogs in Northern Ireland. The site is a large one, with a well-developed dome and one the finest hummock and pool complexes in Northern Ireland. The pools are arranged concentrically around the site of an old bog-burst. The peatland flora is dominated by active bog vegetation with a high cover of bog-mosses, including the hummock-forming species Sphagnum imbricatum and S. fuscum.

Predominantly vegetated by ericaceous species, particularly Heather. This species is especially prominent on dry peat ramparts in the cut-over area. Sphagnum cover is generally low on the uncut transitional raised bog and rarely exceeds 20%.  Sphagnum hummocks are  mainly confined to the unburnt middle of the bog.

A bog burst in the northern end in 1910 has resulted in a soak surrounded by a large pool complex which extends to the centre of the bog. The linear pools are separated by ridges covered with Heather hummocks and many of the pools are covered with carpets of  Sphagnum. The soak supports a poor-fen which is dominated by Soft Rush and Tufted hair Grass and which intergrades into a poor-swamp with a high cover of Sphagnum .

There is very little information on the site’s fauna, although the invertebrate interest on lowland raised bogs is very high (RSPB 1992). Ornithologically, bogs do not host a diverse avifauna, although in some areas sites may hold significant populations of waders, passerines and wintering birds of prey and geese.

Several birds species have been recorded in and around the site that are considered to be of conservation concern in Ireland  as they have undergone large range reductions since the mid 1970s. These include Snipe, Curlew, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Stonechat and Sedge Warbler , and Red Grouse.