Lough Boora Discovery Park is an ever-changing canvas where sculptures emerge from the landscape against a backdrop of wildflowers, grasslands, lakes and wetlands. This week, these innovative works were recognised by Arenike Adebajo as he compiled a list of the top ten sculpture parks in Europe for the Guardian newspaper. The Co. Offaly Sculpture Park is listed alongside other artistic havens such as the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, the Austrian Sculpture Park, and the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands.

Adebajo writes, “A peat bog in Ireland’s Midlands may seem an unusual setting for a sculpture park but Lough Boora, which once supplied over a million tonnes of peat every year, is now a sanctuary for wildlife and home to 24 land sculptures, inspired by the area’s industrial heritage. Pick up a brochure at the visitor centre for details on the more iconic artworks before setting off on the two-mile sculpture trail, one of five themed routes around the park.”

People who have visited Lough Boora Discovery Park will remember these fascinating works of art and how they dramatically change the landscape with varying contrast depending on the weather and the seasons. Industrial materials of the bog, such as locomotives, rail line, timber and stone have been transformed into magnificent sculptures. Over time, the effects of nature have altered the sculptures in colour and developed wonderful colonies of plant growth, enabling them to become part of the landscape once again. It is a unique environment where art meets nature.

If you would like to learn more about these beautiful pieces and the artists who created them click here or you can plan a visit by clicking here.

On Friday May 27th at 1.30pm the new Lough Boora Arts and Education Programne will be launched at the Lough Boora Discovery Park Visitors Centre by Gerry Ryan, Director of Land and Property in Bord na Móna.

The programme is an 8 page brochure which offers an insight into four of the more iconic sculptures at the park and has been developed with school groups and families in mind. Offering information about the artists who made them, from what inspired them to challenges to get creative, the programme will no doubt add to the experience of the many who visit weekly. It has been developed in partnership with Bord na Móna and Offaly County Council as part of a renewal process looking at the future development of the sculpture park at Lough Boora.

Since last summer, a steering group made up of staff from both organisations and Offaly Local Development Company as well as some of the artists involved have been working on maintaining and improving the setting of the sculptures which were commissioned between 2002 and 2011. The education programme has been developed by the Arts Office in Offaly County Council, in consultation with artists, teachers and others.

Gerry Ryan who will launch the programme said “We are delighted to continue to work in partnership with Offaly County Council on the development of the Sculpture Park and with the local and national agencies and artists who continue to have a keen interest in how it develops. This programme is one of the steps we are taking to further enhance the visitor experience at Lough Boora, where the sculptures remain a major attraction. They are much more than objects of interest, the artistic inspiration behind them is fascinating, thoughtful and meaningful and offers a way to interpret the landscape and heritage at Boora in a way that cannot be replicated”.

The programme is free and can be picked up at the centre. Following the launch it will be available to download from testing.loughboora.com