Donal Hickey: Easter Monday was once marked for the first trip to the bog

Perhaps some people will return to the bog, but it’s hard to see a major excursion

Turf-cutting by Thompson's Bakery employees at Nadd, Co Cork, in 1947. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive 

The warlike activities of a certain Mr Putin may yet start a revival of old, rural skills. With the price of oil threatening to go beyond the reach of many people, some people are suggesting a return to the bog for fuel.

The age-old art of turfcutting with a slean may be almost dead, and any remaining practitioners must surely be heading towards the extinct species category. Also, machines have been used for cutting for several decades now.