Educational Potential
The current project is the erection of a 350m boardwalk on the bog. This boardwalk will be hugely beneficial to tourists, students and researchers alike and will allow access to the more interesting areas of the bog whilst not interfering with its habitats and the sensitive vegetation of the fen. It is made from recycled plastic which is extremely durable and will last indefinitely through all the extremes of Irish weather. As it is non-toxic it will not adversely affect the various plant colonies of the fen. When the boardwalk is completed the bog will be a major attraction for recreational, educational and research activities. Research has already been carried out by scientists from WIT and UCC, zoologists from TCD, botanists from the National Botanical Gardens and by Dr MI. O'Meara from Waterford whose work on bird and insect life is well known. Some 118 species of. plant life have been identified. One of them, Calliergon giganteum, a moss of open, wet fens, previously unknown in Go. Waterford was a noteworthy find. Also among the species found on the bog are the insect-eating plant: sundew; marsh St. John's wort and the heath spotted orchid. Pathway to the Past
The bog has always had a pivotal role in the local community. It is a source of folklore and tradition as well as being a source of fuel and water for the village over past generations. A pathway, now only known to a few, leads through the bog to the medieval church at Riesk. Evidence of habitation dating from the late Stone Age is found in the form of a wedge-shaped gallery grave, which is situated 500 yds. west of the bog.
International Acclaim
Fenor Bog Conservation Scheme has received the highest awards from The Heritage Council, The ESB, AIB/Waterford News and Star Community Awards, The Ireland Fund, Limerick Civic Trust, Civic Trusts of Ireland and The Henry Ford Conservation Awards. This has evoked a sense of pride in all those linked to Fenor, at home and abroad. It has also been featured on Nationwide and has been filmed by Dick Warner for R.T.E. It has represented Ireland at the European Conservation Awards in Aachen in Germany.
Ongoing Creation
Now, as this bog enters its eleventh millennium it is perhaps symbolic that a significant community programme for its conservation, protection and development is a central focus of village activity. Fenor Bog is a place in which we glimpse a piece of the world as it was 10,000 years ago. With the exception of some peat harvesting it has changed little down the years and for the last century has been left to regenerate- surely a reminder to us all:
'That beautiful, beautiful, beautiful God Was breathing His love
by a cut-away bog'
Patrick Kavanagh
Rita Byrne (the author of this article) is honorary secretary of Moin Fhionnurach Development Association.
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