Cultural
Many people in Ireland have used poetry, prose, song and
sculpture to express their special relationship with bogs
and the animals and plants that are an integral part of
them. Appearing at first to consist of large expanses of
bleak wilderness, on close inspection bogs yield a wealth
of colours, smells, sounds and treasures. It is little wonder
then that those who take the time to look and listen are
inspired by their natural beauty.
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Turf
stacking
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Bogs have always been treacherous places requiring the
expenditure of much time and effort in building trackways
to link villages on either side or to gain access for removal
of turf. Ever since bogs became recognised as a valuable
source of fuel for heating and cooking many summer days
have been spent in the bog cutting turf. This labour-intensive
chore often carried out as a solitary activity brought people
into direct contact with nature. Saving the turf and bringing
it home engendered much neighbourly co-operation and social
interaction.
During long winter nights the turf fire provided not only
heat but also light. Families and neighbours would gather,
and many stories and yarns were told sitting round the turf
fire.
So much of people’s lives were interwoven with turf
and bogs it is not surprising that poetry, prose, songs
and works of art have been created in appreciation of this
unique, rich habitat. Some examples of how people in Ireland
were inspired by peatlands are given below
