Flora, Fauna and wild life

Until the 1970s the changes that took place locally ocurred very gradually. Until the 1930s the only road from Galway was by Moycullen Church. There were paths across the bogs  which  disappeared during the Corrib drainage scheme of the 1960s. Planks of wood provided the crossings for some time until these rotted or fell into the bogholes. Because of the  railway line from Galway to Clifden crossing at Rinneen  a Galway engineer had the idea of building a road from Rineen through the bogs and turloughs. This brought a road through wetlands which flooded every winter. Then the bogs had to be drained to stop the road flooding. The scenery is still spectacular although there is increasing pressure to improve the road.  Freshwater eels used to be found in the Turloughs . They are probably still there but their habitat is under threat. Turlough Lough is home to many breeds of wild fowl whose habitat is being disturbed by development . The ambition for a ferry across the lake at Knockferry is fueling the need to widen roads which  is leading to destruction of wildlife habitats.