Westmeath is set to host a touring project that endeavours to bring people closer to our bogland heritage. Milltownpass and Ballymore will join with Cornafulla, Roscommon to host a unique biodiversity programme.
The Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF), in conjunction with architects 12th Field and Tóchar (the wetlands restoration project), have announced the return of 'Bog Bothy' for summer 2026. This marks a significant new tour which is made possible through a national partnership with Tóchar, one of Ireland’s major wetlands restoration programmes, which is coordinated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Bog Bothy is a touring, purpose-built shelter and community gathering space in Ireland designed to reimagine the future of peatlands through architecture, culture, and climate action. A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge.
When the Bog Bothy tours it can be used as a space for reflection, workshops, and exhibitions in communities across Ireland.
Following its inaugural successful tour in 2025, which was funded by Creative Ireland, Bog Bothy returns this year with a renewed focus on community co-design, capacity building and long-term engagement with Ireland’s peatland landscapes.
Bog Bothy 2026 will be hosted by three communities across the Midlands following a competitive national open call:
Milltownpass, Westmeath from May to June
Cornafulla, Roscommon from Mid-July to Mid-August
Ballymore, Westmeath from Mid-August to Mid-September
Through this new partnership, the project deepens its commitment to exploring how architecture, placemaking and collective action can shape evolving relationships with these sites of ecological and cultural transformation.
Speaking on the importance of the announcement, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan stated: “The restoration of nature is crucial for livelihoods, wildlife, climate and a healthy environment for everyone. My department recognises that this challenge cannot be achieved alone, that nature requires the whole of society to participate, sharing what they know about local landscapes and exploring together what can be achieved.
As we make a shift to nature recovery, initiatives such as the Bog Bothy tour will become even more significant as communities come on board with the collective objective of a healthy environment for all.”
IAF Director Emmett Scanlon added: “We in the IAF are delighted to be working again this year with architects 12th Field and our new partner Tóchar to tour the Bog Bothy to three new communities. Already, Bog Bothy has placed architecture and placemaking at the heart of community-led action in these precious landscapes, demonstrating the value of co-design practices in building capacity among communities.
“With this new tour we will reach even more communities, who we hope will be excited and empowered to develop sustainable ways to use their local knowledge and ambition to offer leadership and imagine new futures in the Irish peatlands.”
Shirley Clerkin, Tóchar Project Manager, said: “Tóchar is delighted to support Bog Bothy, which creates space for communities to actively participate in the future of their peatlands. As these landscapes transition from extraction to restoration, it is vital that local knowledge, culture and imagination are part of that process. As part of our restoration work, Tóchar encourages people to get involved in the profound shift that is underway in the midlands landscapes, and to explore their relationships with wetlands and these interwoven futures.
“Providing communities with places and spaces to engage with local landscapes in new ways is at the very heart of this collaboration with the IAF and 12th Field architects, and the wonderfully vibrant structure that is the Bog Bothy.”
The tour begins in Milltownpass, where the bothy will be installed from the May Bank Holiday weekend, with a programme of locally led activity including engagement with schools and community groups. Each host community will work closely with architects 12th Field through a series of site-based workshops, mapping sessions and discussions, collectively exploring new futures for their peatlands.
Speaking on working with local communities, 12th Field architects said: “Bog Bothy places communities at the centre of conversations around their bogs. We are excited to work with Milltownpass, Cornafulla and Ballymore to explore their relationships with these landscapes and to support new ways of thinking about their future.”
Alongside this, the IAF and Tóchar will convene a series of public conversations and events addressing themes of community capacity, energy transition and ecological entanglement, connecting local knowledge with wider national dialogues on climate and land use.