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Explore 84 protected areas in Ireland, rated across 10 categories

An excellent example of bogland habitats in Co. Longford. One of the finest small and medium-sized bogs, located 5km north-east of Edgeworthstown and 8km south of Granard.

Ardagullion Bog

480-hectare (1,200-acre) forest park on the Ards Peninsula along Sheephaven Bay, 5km north of Creeslough. Features diverse habitats including sand dunes, beaches, salt marshes, saltwater lakes, rock f

Ards

Historic estate on the west bank of the River Avonmore, covering 500 acres (200 ha) of woodland. Formerly the birthplace of Charles Stewart Parnell, it was bought by the Irish state in 1904 and used a

Avondale

Of international importance as a wintering area for Brent Geese. Wading birds that winter at Baldoyle include black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks and Curlews.

Baldoyle Estuary

A small but ecologically significant oak woodland nature reserve in County Donegal, one of the best remaining fragments of native woodland in northwest Ireland.

Ballyarr Wood

A semi-natural woodland nature reserve in County Kilkenny featuring oak and ash woodland on limestone, with a rich ground flora including wood anemone, bluebell, and early purple orchid.

Ballykeeffe Wood

A wildfowl sanctuary in County Kildare, close to Prosperous. The only national wildfowl sanctuary in County Kildare and an important ornithological site.

Ballynafagh Lake

A coastal sand dune system nature reserve on the south Wexford coast, featuring extensive dune grassland, salt marshes, and mudflats. Important for wintering waders and wildfowl, and for rare dune pla

Ballyteigue Burrow

The last remaining salt marsh on the south shore of Dublin Bay. An important feeding and roosting site for birds and home to 68 protected plant species.

Booterstown Marsh

Ireland's seventh national park, centred on the Dowth Estate within the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage landscape along the River Boyne in County Meath. Features species-rich grasslands, native wo

Boyne Valley

The Burren National Park is characterized by its unique karst landscape of limestone pavements, caves, and cliffs. The area contains a remarkable variety of flora, with Arctic, Alpine, and Mediterrane

Burren

Comprises all of Capel Island off the south coast near Youghal, part of Knockadoon headland opposite the island and the intervening sea area. The 37-metre high Capel Island is an offshore outcrop of t

Capel Island and Knockadoon Head

A large coastal nature reserve in County Kerry encompassing extensive sand dunes, salt marshes, and intertidal mudflats at the head of Dingle Bay. One of Ireland's most important estuarine systems for

Castlemaine Harbour

Perhaps the best remaining example of midland raised bog in Western Europe. Designated a Ramsar Site in 1988.

Clara Bog

One of the largest and best-preserved raised bog complexes in western Ireland, located in County Galway. Also known as Bealacooan Bog, it supports rare bog flora and invertebrate communities.

Clochar na gCon

A Special Area of Conservation featuring active raised bogs, degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration, and bog woodland.

Cloonmoylan Bog

Connemara National Park encompasses mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands. The park is home to the famous Connemara ponies and herds of red deer. The park's mountains, includin

Connemara

Coole Park and associated lands, combining deciduous woods, limestone reefs, lakes and turloughs. One of the most interesting Irish vegetation and faunal complexes still in existence.

Coole-Garryland

One of nine raised bogs in the midlands region, situated approximately 5km east of Athlone. Part of the bog restoration program.

Crosswood Bog

The most southerly intact lowland blanket bog in Ireland and is of international importance. Almost completely encircled by the Cummeragh River, located approximately 9km east of Waterville village.

Cummeragh River Bog

774-acre (3.13 km²) forest park 22km west of Limerick city near Kilcornan and Askeaton on the N69. The Hunt/de Vere family estate for 300 years (1657-1957), home of poet Aubrey Thomas De Vere. Feature

Curragh Chase

A woodland nature reserve in County Wicklow featuring native oak and birch woodlands in a scenic mountain pass setting.

Deputy's Pass

Located about 1.5 km south-east of Woodford on the eastern slopes of the Slieve Aughty Mountains, overlooking Lough Derg. Contains stands of oak and ash with holly and hazel understorey.

Derrycrag Wood

The best example of a damp-climate oceanic wood with luxuriant growth of mosses and ferns high up in the trees. Located just outside Killarney National Park on the scenic road to Molls Gap.

Derrycunnihy Wood

A nature reserve on a compound spit in the Tralee Bay complex, County Kerry, located on the Dingle Peninsula approximately 11 km west of Tralee. Features saltmarsh, pebble beach spit habitat, and wet 

Derrymore Island

243-hectare (600-acre) forest park in northwest County Kildare, 8km south of Kilcock. Opened in 1981 and includes Donadea Castle and estate, former home of the Aylmer family until 1935. Designated as 

Donadea

Approximately 400 hectares spanning the southeastern part of the Burren region. Varied habitat types include a river, lakes, turloughs, callows, limestone pavement, fen peat, reed beds, and lush woodl

Dromore Wood

229-hectare forest park on the County Cavan-Monaghan border near Kingscourt. Acquired by the Irish Forest Service in 1959 and developed as a forest park in the early 1970s. Part of the historic Cabra 

Dún a Rí

Set on 15.3 ha in County Donegal, rich in plant species with alder woodland on the valley floor and hazel-ash woodland on the valley sides. Features a 2.5 km looped trail.

Duntally Wood

An extensive blanket bog nature reserve in County Sligo featuring well-developed bog pool systems, rare bog flora, and important habitats for breeding birds including golden plover and dunlin.

Easkey Bog

44-hectare (110-acre) forest park on the southern shore of Inniscarra Lake, approximately 20km west of Cork city on the N22 towards Macroom. Formerly part of the vast Farran estate owned by Captain Cl

Farran

A river island nature reserve on the River Suir in County Kilkenny, featuring alluvial woodland and wet meadows. Important for breeding and wintering birds along this major river corridor.

Fiddown Island

A nature reserve surrounding the historic monastic settlement in the Wicklow Mountains, featuring native oak woodland, the Upper and Lower Lakes, and diverse birdlife within a glacially carved valley.

Glendalough

A large upland nature reserve in the Wicklow Mountains encompassing the glacial valley above Glendalough's Upper Lake. Features montane heath, blanket bog, oak woodland, and important habitats for per

Glenealo Valley

One of the best examples of oceanic sessile oak woodland in Ireland, rated at least as important as the Killarney oakwoods. Covers some 300 hectares approximately 1km from Glengarriff village.

Glengarriff Woods

The finest example of oak wood of its type close to Dublin. Largely Sessile Oak with an understorey of Holly and a dense carpet of Woodrush, Bilberry and Heather.

Glen of the Downs

Glenveagh National Park features rugged mountains, pristine lakes, and remote blanket bog in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains. The park is home to the historic Glenveagh Castle and its gardens. I

Glenveagh

Ireland's first National Park, 142 hectares (350 acres) in the Shehy Mountains near Ballingeary at the source of the River Lee. Reforestation began in 1938 with 20 tree species including Sitka spruce,

Gougane Barra

A UNESCO World Heritage Site island nature reserve off the Kerry coast, home to globally significant seabird colonies including puffins, storm petrels, and Manx shearwaters, as well as an ancient earl

Great Skellig

252-hectare (623-acre) arboretum on the Hook Peninsula, 12km south of New Ross. Established in 1968 by Irish-Americans as a living memorial to President Kennedy. Contains over 5,000 varieties of trees

John F. Kennedy Arboretum

A few miles south of Kinvara in the Burren. Extending over several hundred hectares, contains an impressive range of Burren flora and fauna, as well as cultural features.

Keelhilla (Slieve Carron)

A wetland nature reserve in County Cork featuring fen, marsh, and open water habitats. An important site for wintering wildfowl, with regular populations of whooper swans, and breeding birds including

Kilcolman Bog

Killarney National Park is known for its diverse ecology including the Lakes of Killarney, oak and yew woodlands, and mountain peaks. The park contains many architectural features including Ross Castl

Killarney

The first bog in Ireland to be classified as a Special Area of Conservation in 1997. Unusual in its 'figure of 8' shape, formed from two lobes that developed on adjacent ancient lakes.

Killyconny Bog

240-hectare forest park straddling Lough Oughter, approximately 13km from Cavan Town. Features mixed woodland including Norway and Sitka spruce, ash, oak, and beech. The park and lake are protected as

Killykeen

A large blanket bog nature reserve in County Mayo, one of the finest examples of western Atlantic blanket bog in Ireland. Features extensive bog pool systems and rare plant communities.

Knockmoyle Sheskin

Located in the valley of the Glencullen River near Enniskerry. The petrifying springs are listed as a priority habitat in the EU Habitats Directive, with one of the most diverse woodland invertebrate 

Knocksink Wood

A mixed deciduous woodland nature reserve in County Kilkenny dominated by old sessile oak, with a well-developed shrub layer and diverse ground flora including mosses and lichens.

Kyleadohir

An important blanket bog nature reserve in County Galway, supporting typical western blanket bog habitats with a range of Sphagnum mosses, heathers, and bog pools.

Leam West Bog

An uninhabited rocky island nature reserve off the Kerry coast hosting one of the largest northern gannet colonies in the world, with approximately 35,000 breeding pairs. No public access but visible 

Little Skellig

Best Parks in Ireland

Ireland's first marine national park and its largest, spanning 70,000 acres of land and sea along the Kerry coast from Kerry Head to Skellig Michael. Encompasses Mount Brandon, Inch Beach dunes, the S

Two reserves comprising 1,436 hectares only 8km from Dublin city centre. UNESCO Biosphere site and the only location on the east coast where sand dunes are accreting.

National Parks in Ireland

Top 10 Parks in Ireland

Great Skellig

Avondale

Clara Bog

Burren

Little Skellig

John F. Kennedy Arboretum

Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara

North Bull Island

Glengarriff Woods

Connemara

Top Parks by Category

Top 10 Parks for Uniqueness in Ireland

Great Skellig

Burren

Little Skellig

North Bull Island

Clara Bog

Boyne Valley

Mongan Bog

Avondale

John F. Kennedy Arboretum

Killyconny Bog

All Parks (84)

Great Skellig

Avondale

Clara Bog

Burren

Little Skellig

John F. Kennedy Arboretum

Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara

North Bull Island

Glengarriff Woods

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