The Peatlands

Apart from the maritime heath at Loop Head and Kilcredaun there are no living peatlands on the peninsula itself. At its border to the mainland however lies a vast area of this quintessential Irish habitat, running roughly from Kilrush, past Kilkee and ending near Doonbeg and covering the townlands of Moanmore, Shragh and Tullaher.

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Most of this area is cutover blanket bog which has provided fuel to the local population for generations. In recent decades parts have also been transformed into commercial Sitka Spruce forestations and a wind farm has also been built here. Despite this interference some of the typical bog plants still thrive on the turf banks: Common Cotton Grass, Bog Myrtle and Bell Heather are common and widespread. In places small islands of intact blanket bog have survived, displaying the colourful and fascinating flora of the peatlands: Oblong-Leaved and Round-Leaved Sundew, Cranberry and Bog Asphodel thrive here together with sphagnum mosses and lichens. Bog pools feature Bladderworts and support dragonflies, damselflies and other invertebrates. Skylark, Cuckoo and Hen Harrier are also common in the area.

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A small area around Tullaher Lough (Tullaher Lough and Bog Special Area of Conservation) has been identified as one of the most westerly examples of a raised bog in Ireland and is also an important wintering site for the  Greenland White Fronted Goose.

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