Following over 2 years of work, the Bog Bothy launch in Clara, Offaly, on the occasion of the Bog Trotters Festival from 19-22 June, will present a new bothy shelter, an exhibition of photographs and drawings, work by a resident artist, and a public programme of national and local conversations on our evolving relationship with Ireland’s peatlands through the lens of architecture and placemaking. The bothy structure has been co-created with communities in Offaly, Louth, and Meath and designed by architects Evelyn D’Arcy and David Jameson of 12th Field.

With Clara as the first stop, Bog Bothy will tour to Girley Bog, County Meath in August.

Join us this summer in Offaly and Meath. Tickets for Clara events are available from 3 June. All events are free, but booking is essential.

What to expect:

• Bothy: A purpose-built shelter and gathering space for deep engagement with the bog that builds on the design language of Ireland’s peatlands. 
• Events Programme: Peatlands panel talks, walks, workshops, and performances across climate action, architecture, and future heritage. 
• Exhibition: A curated exploration of labour, trace, and climate in the boglands – exploring the bog as both a historical archive and a future landscape, including photographs by Shane Hynan.
• Artist in Residence: Creative practitioner embedded in the landscape to create new work that responds to the peatlands and its people and the Bog Bothy project through deep engagement. 

The Bog Bothy project is a Creative Climate Action II – Agents for Change project, funded by Creative Ireland. The Bog Bothy tour, exhibition, and events programme are additionally funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Offaly County Council, Meath County Council, and the Heritage Council.

Image treatment by Oscar Torrans, original photograph by Shane Hynan.