Lissoughter

On our way to Kylemore Abbey, we stopped along the shores of Lough Inagh to enjoy the lake scenery. Walking towards the shoreline, we found ourselves in a bog field, with bricks of peat drying in the sun.

From what I understand, peat is formed by partially decayed vegetation and organic matter. Most of the bogs/peatlands seen today were formed some 12,000 years ago when glaciers receded at the end of the ice age.

Peat is used as a source of fuel in many places around the world, including Ireland. How long this natural source of fuel will remain available remains to be seen as the harvesting rate of the peat far exceeds its slow rate of growth... about 1 mm per year.

There is a benefit to the slow growth in that bog lands are like time capsules. They provide a record of past vegetation and climate changes. They’ve also preserved the bodies of victims sacrificed to nature gods during the Bronze and Iron Ages. In fact, when we return to Ireland in August, we hope to visit the Archaeology Museum in Dublin where some of the bog bodies are on exhibit.Read more