ConTempo Countywide, Connemara National Park

World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February to raise awareness about wetlands. Nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, and we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests. Yet, wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies and more.

Connemara holds some of the most important wetland sites in the country. These peatlands are essential for maintaining biodiversity, providing habitats for a wide array of plant and animal species, including many rare and endangered birds like the curlew, merlin and golden plover. Beyond their ecological value, Connemara’s bogs play a crucial role in water regulation, acting as natural sponges that absorb rainfall and help prevent flooding. They are significant carbon sinks, storing vast amounts of carbon and thus contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability and more.

This special World Wetlands Day event features a performance by ConTempo Quartet, who will explore the flora and fauna of these important ecosystems through string quartet repertoire. Works will include Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 50 no. 6 – ‘The Frog Quartet’, Irish Composer Judith Ring’s ‘Of Wood and Water’ and traditional tunes ‘The Topped Hen / The Peat Dance’. The event will also feature the World Premiere screening of Wildlife on Roundstone Bog, a beautiful new short film by BirdWatch Ireland, highlighting the importance of the wetlands of Connemara boglands for our native biodiversity and the unique wildlife found there. This short film was produced through support from the Local Biodiversity Action Fund from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and features well known wildlife experts John Lusby and Dermot Breen.

Admission is free and open to everyone. No booking is required. The event will last around 75 minutes.