Visit Garriskil

At present, there are no visitor facilities at Garriskil Bog.

The bog itself is very dangerous to walk on (even more so after our restoration works) so unsupervised visits are not advised, encouraged or allowed.

Garriskil Bog SAC near Mullingar, Streete, Rathowen and Ballinalack. Pic: Skyfab/Declan Murray for NPWS

Should you wish to visit Garriskil Bog, please contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Public access to state owned land can only be arranged this way.

The LIFE project team had hoped to host open days and guided walks and talks but Covid-19 put paid to that plan.

Please check out our events calendar on the main page and also our social media.

Garriskil Bog is located approximately 2km from Rathowen and 2.5km Ballinalack along the main N4 Dublin – Sligo Road, 1 km southeast of the village of Streete, 20km west of Mullingar and 1km west of Lough Derravaragh in Co. Westmeath.

The River Inny runs to the southeast, the River Riffey to the south and southeast and the Dublin to Sligo railway runs to the north and is adjacent to the bog at the northwest. The site can be viewed from a bog road that runs to the north of the site. The road may be accessed from beside an old church close to the village of Streete.

The rail-line that bonds the north of the site is a working part of the Iarnród Éireann network and is busy with high-speed and frequent Sligo-Dublin trains. Do not trespass or walk on the tracks.

Mullingar’s Mount Street, photographed at Christmas 2016 by Declan Murray.

Nearby the villages of Streete, Lismacaffrey, Ballinalack and Rathowen offer a lot to entice the visitor with links and stories surrounding everyone from St. Patrick to astronomy discoveries to Bruce Springsteen! Mullingar, the impressive county town of Westmeath, is east on the N4, and has a lot to offer any visitor.

For more on the area, and things to see and do, see our HISTORY and LOCAL AND COMMUNITY pages.