Postcards from... Lough Boora

I grew up in Ireland and so it will always have a special place in my heart. That said, I very rarely go back. But in September 2012, I flew back there to spend a weekend in Co. Offaly with my best friend from university...

I travel so frequently, or at least I did at the time, V was afraid that I would be bored in the Irish midlands. I tried to reassure her that it was her I was coming to see rather than the area, but she wasn't having any of it. She went out of her way to find interesting things to do, one of which involved a walk in the beautiful Lough Boora Parklands.

Between the 1940s and the 1970s, Bord na Móna (the Irish Peat Board) harvested bogs in the Irish midlands for peat, which was the main source of fuel in the country at the time. Then, having served their commercial purpose, these cutaway bogs were abandoned. And that was the fate that befell Boora Bog. Over the years, mother nature began to reclaim what was hers, but her message did not go unheard.

In 1994, a group of local Bord na Móna workers formed the Lough Boora Parklands Group. The group came up with an integrated land use plan for the Boora cutaways and thus Lough Boora Parklands was born. Once considered an economic wasteland, Lough Boora is now home to a number of natural and man-made lakes, wetlands, woodland areas, 50km of walkways and an outdoor sculpture park. Join me for a walk...

Lough Boora under a blanket of grey skies



As we walked, the weather changed for the better

It wasn't long before we came across some of the sculptures, all of which have been designed using either natural materials such as stone or wood, or man-made materials such as steel, which are related to Boora's industrial past. I liked most of the sculptures, but the two that stood out for me were Boora Convergence by David Kinnane, and Cycles by Caroline Madden.

Trinny and Toby (the dogs) exploring the sculpture park

Reminiscent of a power station cooling tower, Boora Convergence is a tower-like arrangement created from steel and wood symbolising the industrial heritage of the bog. Industrial bogs are scarred with lines from machine cuts, drains and railways, and it was this that the sculptor referenced when creating his piece.

Boora Convergence by David Kinane

Using old train steel, Cycles, as the name might suggest, represents the cycles of life. The top of the sculpture is crown-like in reference to the early Kings of Ireland. The base of the sculpture has twelve blade forms, representative of the blades used to cultivate the earth.


Cycles by Caroline Madden

Later our wanderings took us past another rather pleasing sculpture – 60 Degrees by Kevin O'Dwyer. This sculpture consists of three equilateral triangles of different sizes that cast shadows on the landscape and on each other as the sun changes position. Like so many others in the Parklands, this sculpture is created from railway track, sleepers and steel plate, all materials associated with the industrial heritage of the cutaway bog.

60 Degrees by Kevin O'Dwyer

As we neared the end of our walk, it occurred to me how peaceful it had been. Even though the rain had long since cleared and the skies were now a faded blue, there were very few people taking advantage of this beautiful place...

A long and winding road

One final view...