Ballycroy National Park
24 September 2018
We drove up along the County Mayo coast into the seaside bog lands. When you think of Ireland, you often think of the Emerald Isle and the bright brilliant green the land is famous for, but in this part of the country the brown, earthy tones are definitely the defining colors. The light tans, pale greens, and almost shining golds of the grass mix with the brown rocky hills and dark bogs for a very earthy, rugged feel. It's not what immediately comes to mind when you think of Ireland, but honestly those browns are every bit as beautiful as the emerald greens.
Ballycroy National Park covers area along the northern coast of County Mayo. The views were simply unreal! Not just the colors but the textures as well, and the way the mountains would shoot up from the flat bog land before plunging back down to the sea. The park was in patches, with a stretch of bog land and a pathway in one area, a larger park in another, and another park much further up at the northern end of the county. The main park area had lots of information about the park, along with a rest area and a highly recommended café, so we stopped in for a break.
As we walked into the park center we were greeted by Fintan, a very passionate park employee who eagerly educated us about the unique landscape. We love meeting people who are as passionate about these things as he was! He explained that the bog land in the area is known as a ‘blanket bog’. The grassy part dies and decays every year, with the new grass growing on top, and the decaying grass below becoming the peat bog. The land is constantly growing upwards, and this is how they have managed to date many of the megalithic sites they found, by seeing how far below the bog they sit. I knew that the peat bog is cut out and dried, and the Irish use this to burn instead of wood in the fireplace. That is probably the single most distinctive memory of Ireland for me, the heavenly smell of burning turf fires. What I didn't know was how the bog was made and how long it takes to replenish itself, as the bog grows only one millimeter per year. Amazing stuff! What I also didn't know, but honestly should have based on what we’ve seen before, is that this part of Ireland is a certified dark sky location. There is an international organization that determines the lowest points of light pollution and the clearest view of the sky around the world. Along with parts of County Kerry, this northwestern part of Ireland is identified as having some of the darkest night skies in Europe. The unfortunate part in Ireland is the clouds rarely break enough for that full starry view!
Fintan gave us some posters of the park and suggested we see their exhibits, which we did. It truly is a fascinating area which is important to preserve, but learning how fragile the landscape is just makes preservation that much more important. It is easy to see why the Irish government has an agency to regulate the turf harvesting.
We stopped in to the Ginger and Wild Café for great coffee and cakes, and a chance to review the map to decide where to go next. We chose to head back down to that stretch of bog land with the wooden pathway and go for a walk. There was a nice boardwalk-like path that led through the bog, winding its way through the grassland along the coast. The Atlantic Blanket Bog (make sure to call it that to make Fintan proud) was just incredible! As you look at the way the grass covers the ground it is easy to see why it is called the blanket bog. The grass itself is rough and rugged, but backing up and looking over the blanket bog as a whole it looked so soft like you wanted to just lay on it. The scenery surrounding the bog was equally as impressive. In the distance the sunlight cast highlights and shadows across the mountains, and the sea crashed in to the shoreline with that wild Atlantic force. Stunning!
The Atlantic Blanket Bog is one of those natural features that is easy to take for granted, but after visiting the park and walking through the bog itself, its uniqueness and importance were appreciated so much more. It is something that must be experienced, it is also something that absolutely must be respected and preserved.
