Offaly Walking Festival

As part of the Offaly Walking Festival 2014, a dusk to dark walk will take place at Lough Boora Discovery Park on Friday 10 October 2014 from 6.30pm.

Walkers are invited to join us for an amazing nature experience full of sights and sounds as night falls. Bring a torch and your walking shoes and meet at the new Visitor Centre car park to explore the soft bog land underfoot during this hour long moderate walk.

For further information, download the Offaly Walking Festival 2014 [PDF] contact the Kilcormac Development Association on 057 9135445 or email kdaoffice@eircom.net.

Walking at Lough Boora Discovery Park

Lough Boora Discovery Park offers trails ranging from a short stroll to longer treks to take you through our diverse amenities. All routes start and end at the new Visitor Centre, with a level walking landscape that can be enjoyed by all age groups.

The park’s walks are rated as easy, so mildly challenged walkers can estimate distances using the scales listed. This is advisable so as to ensure walkers can pace themselves comfortably.

The park is in a continuous state of flux depending on the season. Birds depart or arrive, breed and rear their young. Plants flower and fungi appear and disappear, while the resident animals go about their lives. The varying sights, sounds and smells ensure a walk through Lough Boora always has something new, exciting and interesting to offer.

Discover Lough Boora’s walking trails in your own time, year round.

Culture Night Offaly

Lough Boora Discovery Park’s Visitor Centre will host a free Landscape Photography Talk by Veronica Nicholson as part of Culture Night on Friday 19 September 2014 at 7pm.

Inspiring and informative, Veronica Nicholson is a renowned photographer who, against the backdrop of an exhibition by Athlone Photography Group will guide you through the techniques needed to perfect your landscapes.

Booking is essential as there are limited spaces. Call 05793 57400 to reserve your spot!

Culture Night is brought to you by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in partnership with Offaly County Council. Follow the conversation via our Twitter Account @loughboorapark and Facebook Page.

For more information about Culture Night events across the country, visit the culturenight.ie website, Facebook Pages for Cuture Night Offaly and Culture Night and follow @CultureNight on Twitter.

 

 

We’ve been nominated for the 2014 Web Awards!

The Lough Boora Discovery Park website has been nominated for three awards in two categories at this year’s Web Awards.

The new website has been nominated for the following awards:

The new Lough Boora Discovery Park website was launched in early August 2014 in the lead up to the Battle of Giants Family Day event and as part of the celebrations marking the new on-site Lough Boora Visitor Centre.

The website showcases this free amenity in the heart of Ireland, highlighting the activities that are available for all ages and abilities. Information about the park’s nature and biodiversity, history and the story of Bord na Móna encourages users to discover and explore all Lough Boora Discovery Park has to offer.

Finalists will be announced in the coming weeks, with the 2014 Web Awards taking place on Wednesday 22 October in Dublin.

For more information, visit testing.loughboora.com and connect with Lough Boora Discovery Park via Twitter @loughbooraparkFacebook and YouTube.

Lough Boora receives a visit from a rare waterbird

The Long-billed Dowitcher was spotted at Lough Boora Lake on 20 August 2014 and recorded on the Irish Birding website.

This rare, vagrant waterbird from North America occasionally arrives in Ireland when blown off-course or getting lost. This bird typically forages in shallow water or wet mud and is often seen near fresh water.

For more information on bird watching activities at Lough Boora Discovery Park and the available bird hides, visit our Things to do section of the website. Bird sightings can be shared via our social media channels on Twitter @loughboorapark and Facebook using the #loughboora hashtag.

Photograph courtesy of Irish Birding © Séamus Feeney.

A Family Day out of ‘Giant’ proportions at Lough Boora

Over 2,500 visitors from across the country participated in this year’s Battle of Giants Family Day event at Lough Boora Discovery Park in Co Offaly on Sunday 24 August 2014.

As part of National Heritage Week, the event celebrated Irish Myths and Legends and featured a battle between Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Scottish giant, Angus, with the assistance of mini warriors using their handmade armour battle shields, helmets and axes from the day’s workshop activities.

Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his army came away from the first battle with a victory, only to be defeated by Angus and his loyal warriors in the second battle of the day!

Children entered a Colouring Competition in the Kids Zone and took part in drumming workshops, archery tag and zorbing, with the park’s walking and cycling trails busy throughout the day.

The new Visitor Centre was humming with activity as families used the bike hire service and new cafe facilities at Loch an Dochais.

The free Family Day at Lough Boora raised over €4,500 for children’s charity Barretstown as part of their 20th Anniversary celebrations this year, through the generous donations of attendees.

For more information about future events and activities for families, schools and visitors of all ages and abilities, visit testing.loughboora.com, follow the #loughboora hashtag and connect with Lough Boora Discovery Park via Twitter @loughbooraparkFacebook and YouTube.