Student volunteers take on the tough work of protecting a raised bog in Roscommon.
Ballynamona bog was acquired by An Taisce (the national trust for Ireland) four years ago.
The site is of ecological importance as it is one of the few uncut raised bogs in the country, and as Mr Jones of An Taisce explains, it is
Known locally as the high bog.
The acquisition of the bog by An Taisce will enable university research and to undertake,
Botanical mapping of the plants growing in the area.
A group of student volunteers armed with shovels and spades have been carrying out conservation work here for the past three weeks. They are digging a fire break around the bog to protect it from damage by summer fires. Recent wet weather has added to the challenges of working on a bog. As one student puts it,
We’ve been almost up to our necks in water.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 2 August 1974. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
