| Partner name | Ballaghurt |
|---|---|
| Country | Ireland |
| Latitude | 53.32696 |
| Longitude | -7.87594 |
| Partner type | Demo site – Sphagnum |
| Description | 50ha site formerly for peat production, now being rehabilitated. 20ha planted with sphagnum in 2025. |
| Site status | Trials ongoing |
| Year established | 2025 |
| Site contact | Conor.Mooney@bnm.ie |
About Ballaghurt
Ballaghurt is a key site for paludiculture trials in Ireland, with 20 hectares of the 50 hectares site planted with sphagnum.
The Ballaghurt Demonstrator was used for industrial peat production from 1981 until 2020. Currently the cutaway area comprises largely bare peat of depths from 2 – 7metres. Rehabilitation of the site began in 2024 as part of a Peatland Climate Action Scheme.
The entire Ballaghurt site consists of ca.400ha, while the area for Palus Demos comprises ca. 50 ha, of which 20ha will be planted with sphagnum. The sphagnum will be a mixture of propagated plugs (from project partner Micropropagation Services) and translocated material from nearby BnM areas. The plugs at the site are planted at different densities and some fields include co-planting with various grass mixtures.”