Are there any frogs in county Offaly? 

Many people in Offaly will have childhood memories of encounters with frogs and frogspawn filled drains in early spring.
Ricky Whelan, Offaly County Council’s Biodiversity Officer, is no exception. He fondly recalls childhood adventures with his sister and friends along “the old canal,” where frogs and frogspawn were once abundant — perfect for the muchloved “school nature table.” He remembers the incredible variety of colours and sizes, and how, if you visited at just the right moment, the sheer number of frogs was “jaw-dropping,” as he puts it.
Such encounters, although often personally exciting, educational, and potentially formative regarding developing a connection with the natural world, may seem incidental in the broader scheme of things. However, we now know that these individual encounters can contribute to so much more.  

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By capturing small pieces of information, many people together can create powerful datasets that help scientists understand the environment, track changes over time, and support better decision-making for nature and biodiversity. This is why Offaly County Council, in partnership with the Irish Peatlands Conservation Council, is seeking the public’s help to paint a clearer picture of how Frogs are faring across the county.  making for nature and biodiversity. This is why Offaly County Council, in partnership with the Irish Peatlands Conservation Council, is seeking the public’s help to paint a clearer picture of how Frogs are faring across the county.  

Since 1997 the Irish Peatland Conservation Council has coordinated Ireland’s longest running frog survey, the ‘Hop to It’ frog survey.   This is a citizen science initiative that asks members of the public to record and submit their observations of the various stages of the common frog lifecycle.  You might be wondering why?  While easily recognised and well known, the common frog is Ireland’s only frog species and despite its name the common frog (Rana temporaria) is listed as a vulnerable species across Europe.   
To safeguard common frog populations both in Ireland and across Europe, the species is now legally protected under the EU Habitats Directive and the Irish Wildlife Act. Did you know that the common frog is also considered a biological indicator of environmental health?  Their smooth moist skin is very sensitive to pollution and the presence or absence of frogs in an area can tell us a lot about our environment.   
Annually monitoring the distribution and population of the Common Frog across Ireland supports our national efforts to protect the common frog and understand our local environment quality.   

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council need your help in 2026, as there were only one record received from Offaly in 2025.    

Does that mean that the population of County Offaly common frog is declining?   
Hopefully not, what the Irish Peatland Conservation Council are asking is for you to become citizen scientist and take part in the ‘Hop to It’ Frog survey this year.  If you are out and about and observe one the various stages of the common frogs lifecycle including frog spawn, tadpoles, froglets or adult frogs in their gardens or wider local community submit your observation to the Irish Peatland Conservation Council  at www.ipcc.ie or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie or call 045-860133.    

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You may already be a citizen scientist, did you know you can also submit your frog observation online at the National Biodiversity Data Centre at https://records.biodiversityireland.ie/start-recording.    

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council are asking you to ‘Hop to It’ in 2026 by sharing your common frog observations to support a greater understanding of the distribution and populations of this much-loved species across our island.