Wild Nephin
Wild Nephin (Irish: Néifinn Fhiáin) is a national park in the north-west of County Mayo. It includes much of the Nephin Beg Mountains and one of the largest expanses of peatland in Europe, consisting of 58 square miles of Atlantic blanket bog.
The park is a unique habitat with a diverse flora and fauna. It was established as Ballycroy National Park in 1998,[1] then expanded and re-named in 2018, with plans to re-wild the area. Wild Nephin includes the most remote point of land on the Irish mainland.[2] The park is a candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) as part of a site known as the Owenduff/Nephin Complex. It is also a Special Protection Area and part of the Natura 2000 network.[3]
Features
Blanket bogs, cliffs and river habitats are found in the park. The blanket bog is one of the largest expanses of peatland left in Europe. Conservation of the bog is thus of international importance because of the niches it provides for various species, such as rare species of plants such as Hamatocaulis vernicosus. The Owenduff River is also an important conservation area because it is the only river in Western Europe that still drains a relatively intact and extensive blanket bog system. It is also a important salmon and brown trout river.[1]
The Owenduff area is an important roosting, feeding and breeding site for a number of migratory bird species, such as the Greenland white-fronted goose, that are protected by law.. Other rare species found in the park include the whooper swan, and the peregrine falcon.
Ballycroy National Park is part of the Mayo Dark Sky Park which is Ireland's first International Dark Sky Park.[3]
A visitor centre for the park opened in 2009, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Ballycroy village. It opens daily throughout the summer tourist season.
Location
- Location map: 54°1’1"N, 9°42’-0"W
Outside links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Parks and Wildlife Service
- ↑ Flanagan, David. "Into the wild: Where is Ireland's most remote location?". Irish Independent, 28 September 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mayo Dark Sky Park
- Wild Nephin National Park: Placenames Database of Ireland
| National Parks of the Republic of Ireland |
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The Burren • Connemara • Glenveagh • Killarney • Wicklow Mountains Wild Nephin • |