Proposal to restore six Fens in Offaly

A PROPOSAL is in place to restore six Fens across Offaly, with work starting before the end of 2026, as part of a wetlands restoration scheme.
The scheme is called Tóchar Midlands Wetlands Restoration and it is being run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, who are basing themselves in Birr Technology Centre for the duration of the project.
Founded in 2024, Tóchar Midlands Restoration is an EU Just Transition project that aims to restore wetlands and peatlands in the Just Transition territory in Ireland.
Tóchar is offering financial incentives to those landowners who agree to their land being restored. The scheme is voluntary.
Over many years scientific surveys have demonstrated a worrying reduction in the quality and extent of wetlands across the Midlands area.
Tóchar has begun the process of producing restoration plans and designing works for 36 fen sites, in Westmeath, Offaly, Laois Tipperary, Galway, Kildare and Roscommon, covering a total of 1,472 hectares. About 4.6% of Ireland's peatland habitats are Fens. A number of the Fen habitats are deteriorating badly.
During an information evening held in The County Arms Hotel last week Shirley Clerkin of Tóchar told those assembled what Fens are. They are a special type of peatland that rely on groundwater and springs, she said, creating special water chemistry to support a wide range of sedges, rushes, reeds, mosses, flowers, birds and invertebrates.
The six sites in Offaly are Fin Lough SAC, Island Fen SAC, Lisduff Fen SAC, Ballaghanoher, Killaun, and Annaghmore Lough Fen. Killaun and Lisduff are just a few kilometres from Birr. The Fens in these areas are just a small part of the overall peatland.
The meeting was told that a once off payment rate of €1,450 per Hectare, with a minimum payment of €725 and a maximum payment of €15,000, is available to landowners and turbary right holders to accommodate the restoration measures or for access to carry out restoration measures under the scheme. Applicants must have a legal interest in the land through freehold title, a turbary right or fee simple title.
The restoration plans are being developed for each individual site under contract by the environmental company Arup (who have 25 people working on the 36 Fen sites). The restoration measures will include drain blocking, scrub removal, removal of invasive species, and the installation of piezometers to measure the water tables across the seasons.
If you would like more information about this project then you can contact Shirley Clerkin by telephoning (01) 5393428 or emailing shirley.clerkin@npws.gov.ie