4.2 Case Study: Understanding Irish Bogs

When you think of a bog, what comes to mind? For some, it may be a soggy field of different shades of brown and green – but there is much more to the story of the bog and what it offers to the Irish landscape.

Ireland’s bogs are “freshwater wetlands” – in fact, Irish bogs are made up of 90% water and only 10% vegetation (The Peatlands n.d.). That 10% of the bog that comprises waterlogged plant materials, mud, and moss takes thousands of years to decompose (Banting 2002, 7). As the layers of vegetation build, they create new habitats for plants, insects, and other creatures who grow and thrive in boglands (Banting 2002, 7).

In Ireland, there are two types of bogs: Blanket bogs and Raised bogs:

• Blanket bogs formed around 4,000-5,000 years ago when heavy rain pushed iron in the soil deeper, creating an ‘iron pan’ that water could no longer penetrate. New rainfalls sat above the soil surface, and vegetation accumulated in this waterlogged area above the soil, eventually turning into peat and sphagnum moss (discussed below). Overtime, the peat and sphagnum moss spread like a blanket across parts of Ireland, hence the name ‘blanket bog’.
• Raised bogs are around 10,000 years old, developing in the last glacial period when ice melted and retreated, leaving behind shallow lakes; as plants filled in the lakes, the vegetation elevated; further rainfall pushed nearby trees and vegetation into the bog, eventually growing into a dome-shape over time, reaching heights above water-level, hence the name ‘raised bog’.

Two key aspects of bog vegetation in Ireland are peat and sphagnum moss:

Peat refers to decomposed vegetation under the surface, while the top layer of moss that forms on the bog is called sphagnum moss (Clara Bog Nature Reserve 2021). Sphagnum moss on the top of the bog is integral to the making of the bog; it is like a sponge that holds up to twenty times its weight, which allows for plants to grow on top of it. It simultaneously protects the bog materials underneath – as well as the many creatures that inhabit its ecosystem (Irish Peat Conservation Council. n.d.).

The vegetation material under the surface takes a long time to decompose because it is situated in a wet, acidic environment, where there is a lack of oxygen; over hundreds of years, the vegetation thickens and becomes peat (Clara Bog Nature Reserve 2021). Peat is an important resource for multiple reasons:

Irish Peat Bogs are said to cover around 15% of Ireland’s central and western farmlands alone (Banting 2002, 7). The sustainability of boglands is thus significant to the island; however, it has been under threat for decades, given the rise of industrial extraction of peat. Peat has historically been extracted from bogs in Ireland to create fuel to heat homes (otherwise known as ‘turf’); the practice of extracting peat for fuel – a clear example of human geography – was once done manually (and in some cases is still done so in certain communities), but it is now largely done en masse using industrial machinery. The large-scale extraction of peat has had serious impacts on bogs throughout the island of Ireland, and in many cases has degraded them. Of these impacts, the purity of water in bogs is compromised by the extraction process, as well as the ability for bogs to act as carbon sinks, at a vital time in the world’s confrontation with environmental crises.

In County Offaly, the Bog of Allen is one of such bogs that has been impacted by industrial scale peat exploitation. In the next chapter, you will also learn about the impacts that the building of canals had on the Bog of Allen. Author and designer Ian Malaney has created an interactive Bog Diary that explores the changing state of the Bog of Allen over time, using creative elements including audio and video recordings. Irish artists like Malaney have documented and depicted the bog in unique and creative ways, helping us to engage with bogs not only as a physical phenomenon, but also as a cultural phenomenon. Check out the link to see photos and videos taken by Malaney!

The Drummin Bog

The Drummin Bog Project is a volunteer-led community education project that seeks to protect and restore the only raised bog in County Carlow. Drummin Bog has experienced damage from peat cutting and drainage, as well as invasive species, that impact the current state of the bog and its future (Drummin Bog Project n.d. a). The project’s aims include restoring the bog to where it can actively form peat, and using the bog as an educational resource for surrounding communities through artistic strategies (i.e., artistic works and projects, as well as recording local stories and histories) (Drummin Bog Project n.d. a).

The project has been funded by a range of donors, including Creative Ireland for an ecoarts project, which will include an ebook and exhibit. It has also been sponsored by the National Parks and Wildlife Service for physical restoration, including the re-wetting of the bog (Drummin Bog Project n.d. b), a process through which areas of bogs that were damaged through peat extraction would be repaired through actions such as blocking drainage areas to restore it to its earlier conditions (Bord na Móna 2021; Creative Ireland 2021).

During the Drummin Bog project, volunteers found several historical artifacts preserved by the bog, including a 5,000 year old piece of bogwood and 8,000 year old plantlife (Creative Ireland 2021). Bogs are important physical sites that help Irish people to learn more about the human and cultural aspects of the past.

Some cultural geographers draw on creative practices such as visual art, music, and dance in order to understand experiences of physical environments. In the Drummin Bog project, artistic works have been developed to help build community connections with the bog, and to understand and experience the bog in new ways.  For example, the Drummin Bog project features the work of artist Mairead Holohan. Holohan received Ireland’s Artwork bursary in order to research and create artworks based on their time living near and visiting the Drummin Bog. Their artworks draw on sustainable practices, such as using natural materials like handmade crayons and watercolours. Holohan also engages with the physical aspects of the bog to create artwork available to the community, such as engaging with the quietness of the bog to inspire their work, but also drawing on pigments/shades/colours from the bog to create a variety of sketches. You can learn more about Holohan’s work through The Drummin Bog project, and explore more of their artworks on the project’s website here.

Looking at Holohan’s below artwork, what can you glean about the Drummin Bog through their artistic research and creative practice? Can cultural practice inform our understandings of physical and human geography?