thE purchase of land at girley Bog by the Native woodland trust and the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC), has been announced by Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, heritage and the gaeltacht.
Situated south of Kells, girley Bog covers over 250 acres and is one of the finest bogs in the east of Ireland, the minister said.
the IPCC is purchasing 8.5 hectares of girley Bog so that the entire bog of 100 hectares inareacanenteraconservation management programme.
the bog is a designated Natural heritage Area and contains a rare raised bog habitat and a wealth of bogforming mosses or sphagna, according to the IPCC.
“the National Parks and wildlife Service of my Department has worked locally with a number of organisations such as Meath County Council and Coillte, as well as the local community, to help develop girley Bog for the benefit of both the local community and conservation generally,” added Minister Deenihan.
“As a keen walker myself, I am always very pleased to see more looped walks being developed, as there is a growing interest in this recreational activity,” he said.
there is now a 6km looped walk in place there, one of the National trails office’s ‘looped walks’, providing a well-used amenity for the area and an attraction for visitors.