Wild Nephin

Ballycroy National Park, established in 1998, is Ireland's sixth national park, protecting over 11,000 hectares of Atlantic blanket bog and mountainous terrain in County Mayo. The park preserves one of Europe's last intact active blanket bog systems, a rare and threatened habitat that forms a living archive of thousands of years of environmental history. Located in one of the least populated areas of Ireland, the park encompasses the Owenduff Bog, a Special Area of Conservation under EU designation, along with the Nephin Beg mountain range. This wild landscape holds deep cultural significance, with archaeological evidence of human settlement dating back over 5,000 years, including ancient field systems now buried beneath the bog. The park protects important breeding grounds for birds such as golden plover and dunlin, while its pristine bogs continue to absorb and store carbon, playing a crucial role in climate regulation.