Two Offaly Lions Clubs undertake major bog conservation project

PHASE One of the Peatland Conservation Project, commenced by Tullamore and Birr Lions Clubs in collaboration with the Grennan family, is currently being completed at Clonbeale More Bog near Rath.

Brian Gorman and his team from Gorman Earthworks are implementing a series of conservation measures that will reduce the carbon emissions from the site and significantly improve the biodiversity of Clonbeale More.

Completing this phase of the project is the culmination of 18 months of preparation. During that time the Clonbeale More Peatland Conservation Group was formed to manage the project and a feasibility study was carried out by Blackthorn Ecology in 2023. This included a full hydrological analysis of the site by the hydrology company RPS.

The output of the study was a detailed conservation plan for the site. In 2024, our application to the Community Climate Action Fund via Offaly County Council, for the necessary funding to complete the plan was successful.

The conservation measures being implemented include building peat dams, peat bunds, and plastic dams to stabalise the water table across the site and the removal of invasive rhododendron.

With these measures completed Clonbeale More has the potential to return to Active Raised Bog status which will provide the carbon and biodiversity benefits outlined earlier.

The Lions the Bees and the Bogs

Arising from the Clonbeale More Conservation Project it was decided to spread the message of peatland conservation in storybook format.

"The Lions, the Bees and the Bogs" is a delightful publication, superbly written and illustrated by Dolores Keaveney. It captures the essence of what the Lions Clubs are attempting to convey to future generations.

The book tells the beautiful story of a busy bee's adventure with a mighty lion on a bog in the heart of Ireland.

With the help of some magic pollen dust, the bee brings the lion on a magical journey all the way from the plains of Africa to Clonbeale More Bog in Offaly.

During this adventure, the lion learns how bogs were formed and how important they are. The bee explains to the lion how causing damage to our bogs can badly affect our climate. Luckily, many of these bogs can be restored which will be a big help to our world in the future.

Dolores’s stunning picture books, which celebrate the magic found in nature, have gained acclaim at home and overseas, with one story, Dee the Bee, even snapped up by an Australian publisher.

Frequently compared to Beatrix Potter, Dolores illustrates all her books with her own hand-painted watercolours. She is the first Irish person to have a series of story walks located all over Ireland dedicated to their work.

“I always say I am finished writing and illustrating books but then another story always comes to me, so we will see what happens next,” says Dolores.

With now more than 20 books to her name, Dolores published her first story at 60 and hasn’t looked back since, travelling the length and breadth of the country promoting her work as well as maintaining a strong online presence.

Tullamore Lions hope that the adventures of the lion in an Irish bog will raise awareness of sustainable life practices and inspire today’s youth to become guardians of the environment in the future.

Tullamore Lions Club received financial assistance from Offaly County Council and Creative Ireland towards the production costs for the book. Tullamore Lions Club is donating copies of the book to all Primary Schools in Co. Offaly.

The book will also be available for sale (€9.99 per copy) in bookshops around Tullamore. "The Lions the Bees and the Bogs" will be launched at the Hullabaloo Festival on Thursday, October 31 in Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore.