Elaine Loughlin: Planned turf ban as clear as bog water

The move has been described as "Dublin-centric politics taking away one of the last bastions of rural Ireland".

For many in rural Ireland, the humble sod is far more than something to throw in the fire. File Picture.

You know things must be pretty fraught when a minister has to reassure the public that he won't be sending any Irish grannies to jail.

But that is exactly what Eamon Ryan, who has inflamed tensions within the Coalition over the issue of turf, promised when he was asked about controversial plans to ban the sale of the fuel.