Traditional Irish Peat Turf - Hand Cut in Ireland and Packed in a Traditional Hessian Turf Sack. Authentic Irish fire Experience with a Unique Aroma.

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Our friends at the University of Galway released recently, in the context of the GP3 Press Campaign, an interesting article that sheds light on the societal and political issues in Ireland regarding peat. As so often, moving towards a healthy climate and resilient nature can directly impact the life of stakeholders. Please read on below or the original GP3 Article here:

We, sophisticated Fermanagh boys (girls almost never were seen working in the bog), clamped turf. And, Mother of God, we would have been chased out of the bog, and shunned for life, if we ever referred to the noble turf as “sods.”Liam - I think your memories of "great days in the Bog" are pretty much the same as my husband's nightmares. He still talks about losing the best days of summer in the bog. He says footing the turf was the hardest part of the whole process. In Ireland, anecdotal evidence suggests there has been a sizeable increase in the use of so-called turbary rights which allow people to cut peat, said Ó Brolcháin, a former mayor of Galway city. “In many cases turbary rights had lapsed but people are using them again all of a sudden. There is plenty of evidence of people selling peat door to door. It’s quite understandable, given the economics.” The ban, which will come into effect on 31 October 2022, is viewed as controversial for two primary reasons: because turf-cutters fear losing their ‘way of life’ and energy ‘ independence’; and because peat is often the cheapest fuel in rural Ireland for heating homes. Use of the Irish foot plough called a loy nearly died out in the 1980s, after centuries of farmers and gardeners using it to dig neat furrows all over the island. From the Irish laí, meaning “spade,” the loy’s fall from grace had been a long time coming: In the mid-18th century, the familiar broad-bladed spade you can find today in every hardware store — and nearly every garage and garden shed in the U.S. — began to take over the loy’s traditional position as the main tool for hand tillage in Ireland. Many years later, farmers adopted tractors as the most efficient way to work large areas of land with few laborers. Increased urbanization saw fewer and fewer market gardens and kitchen plots planted. Ploughing a New Furrow Interreg North-West Europe Care-Peat (2021) ‘Towards a Carbon Credit and Blue Credit Scheme for Peatlands’.

Very high quality would make an excellent gift too (we never send a invoice in box so we can post to a friend or family member on your behalf) Nine farmers help a 10th to cut his turf from a bog in Ireland, circa 1940. Photograph: Hulton Deutsch/Corbis/Getty ImagesWe Fermanagh boys knew how to cut, “fill,” wheel, spread, “clamp,” and “draw” turf much better than the Donegal boys. So, to help your readers and your Donegal husband, here’s all about the art of cutting turf. Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has claimed that there has been huge misinformation around these regulations and insisted that nobody's granny would be arrested for burning turf to heat their homes. They are The new rules do not outlaw the burning of turf and instead focus on the sale of turf and other solid fuels like smoky coal and wet wood. Turf-cutters can no longer advertise these products for sale online or in retail premises but they can still sell them privately if they have the necessary turbary rights.

According to Niall Ó Brolcháin of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics / Data Science Institute at the National University of Ireland, Galway, “there appears to have been an upsurge in turf cutting as a result of the current energy crisis, which has pushed up the price of other kinds of heating fuel and led many people to use turf instead. Turf cutting is, of course, very destructive to peatlands, but the way that turf is cut is important as some ways of cutting are much less harmful than others. Education and training on minimising harm to peatlands should help reduce the damage to peatlands until alternatives to turf, such as geothermal heating and district heating schemes, become more accessible and more affordable”. The briquettes naturally hold around ten percent moisture and will give you a nice hot but slow burn providing a calorific value of around 4.5kWh/Kg. Additionally, they are easy to light making them the fuel of choice for many of our customers. Easy Storage The state should pay turf cutters to restore bogs and fund retrofitting of homes that rely on turf for heating, said Renou-Wilson. “This is a resource that has been mismanaged. We need to get our act together.” Boland, the head of Irish Rural Link, agreed. “The only way to stop turf burning is to provide a way for households to change their systems.”

Key Features:

If you are looking to create a garden that welcomes a colourful and diverse range of flowers without weeds invading, Summerhill’s Wildflower turf is for you. Not only creating a beautiful flowery meadow, wildflower turf helps to enhance the biodiversity of our environment and re-establish wildflowers that are under threat. It is both low maintenance and low price and creates a stunning, immediate visual effect. Summerhill’s Wildflower turf is made up of so many different species including foxglove, meadow buttercup, wild carrot and yellow rattle. The eclectic mix grows suppressing weeds and blooming from early spring to mid-autumn. How do I lay my grass in a roll?