Clara Bog
Clara Bog is the one of the finest remaining examples of a raised bog in Ireland and Europe and covers approximately 840 hectares of which 443ha is uncut high bog with the remaining 393ha mostly cutover bog (as a result of past turf-cutting).
It is home to hundreds of plant and animal species, some of which are rare or threatened.
It is large enough to give some idea of how the bog landscape of this region once appeared but in the last 200 years it has witnessed big changes, with extensive drainage, the extraction of peat and the creation of a road right over it. These activities have resulted in extensive drying out and shrinkage of the bog.
It is now protected under a number of national and international designations and is a Special Area of Conservation, a Natura 2000 site, a National Nature Reserve, a RAMSAR Wetland Site, and a Natural Heritage Area.
The surrounding land is mostly cutover bog and farmland.
