Go easy on the turf, for peat’s sake

OF the thousands of people out walking during the bank holiday, some will choose bogs and general peatland areas, but how many really understand how unique that landscape is?

A much-publicised controversy, which has been raging about the turf-cutting ban in parts of the country, centres on the fuel aspect, but bogs also have many other values. They have become magical havens where people can relax in the bracing fresh air and enjoy plant and animal life not seen in other places.

Ireland holds some of the last remaining and most valuable bogs in Europe. And, with bans on turf-cutting set to continue, bogs will increasingly be seen as recreational and protected areas.