Who we are and what we are about

The Abbeyleix Bog Project (ABP) conserves and protects the bog which was once threatened with harvesting for peat moss. Our local community will manage our Bog for a period of at least 50 years. The Abbeyleix Bog Project is an open-access amenity developed by volunteers to benefit all.

The Abbeyleix Bog Project (ABP) stemmed from a local action group known as AREA (Abbeyleix Residents for Environment Action) which was established in 2000 to conserve and protect the bog which was threatened with harvesting for peat moss. Following negotiations with Bord Na Móna a lease was signed in 2010 which handed the bog over to the local community to manage for a period of 50 years with a primary focus on conservation. The ABP will develop, using a Community-Based Natural Resource Management approach, its Conservation Management Plan (CMP) and Business Management Plan (BMP) in order to maximize the ecological benefits to the local community in terms of education, employment, income, and recreation. Both the CMP and BMP documents are available on request.

Abbeyleix Bog Project Limited Company Registration Number: 494090 (Eire) - A Not for Profit Company.

Abbeyleix Bog Project Limited, Company Directors:

Yvonne Murphy, Derry Connolly, Ricky Whelan.

Abbeyleix Bog Project Limited Management Structure:

There is a three-fold structure in place for the management of the bog which comprises:

    • A Board of Trustees which ensures the various aspects of the lease are adhered to
    • A Technical Advisory Group (TAG) which includes two ecologists, business people, representatives from Bord na Mόna, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Laois County Council and the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC),
    • An eight-member Abbeyleix Bog Management Committee which meets regularly to discuss and approve various plans for the bog.

The management committee is advised by the TAG to ensure that plans for the bog do not impact the fundamental conservation objectives of the lease. All involved are voluntary workers, our volunteers and their efforts are key to our future.