The History of Turf Cutting in Ireland

June 1st, 2010 | Tags:

The evocative smell of a blue-smoked turf fire can transport many an Irish person back to their own childhood in an instant; I am no different. Turf was part of life as well as the actual: cutting, turning, footing, rickling as well as clamping at the ‘Moss’ marked out there a childhood summer through May to August.
Bid with regard to your own Bank

Long prior to virtually any turf was cut the particular father of the actual house set out there to be able to negotiate with a local farmer who owned ‘moss’ land. Your men would agree a rental price with regard to a bank of moss to be used regarding the incoming summer. A bank was a small portion of bogland, carefully measured, pertaining to the purpose of turf cutting. Family size dictated how many banks were bid for but generally a single or perhaps two would suffice.
Weather

As with all rural activities, turf-cutting hinged on your weather – a wet summer would mean a cold winter! May was the ideal starting point. The first suggestion of dry weather towards your end of May along with the local schools would find themselves bereft of students as families, young along with aged, were rounded up with regard to the turf cutting.
Slean

Turf-cutting itself was a man’s job along with one particular that certainly elicited awe and admiration coming from the younger members of your family. Your peat was cut by hand using a special turf-spade or perhaps, sleán. The turf was cut three at a time with your satisfying squelch of the particular spade as this lifted in and away of the actual peat punctuating the particular still May air. A tuft-cutter’s aim was to leave a ‘straight-face’ in the cutting pertaining to the actual next cutter.
Lifter

Your turf cutter was followed along your bank by a ‘lifter’ who lifted the actual sods onto the bank to dry. A lifter’s job was very important. The particular lifter had in order to ensure in which your wet sods wasn’t broken as they were transferred for you to the bank.
Turning

The sods were left to dry before being turned. The actual purpose of drying and turning at that stage was for you to allow the actual sods for you to develop a ‘skin’ thick enough for ‘footing’.
Footed

A fortnight later (weather permitting) along with the sods were ready for being ‘footed’. Footing was a back-breaking activity of which involved all the particular family. Four sods were lifted and also ‘footed’ together which meant stacking these people together in a pyramid style for you to allow air in order to circulate around your sods.
Rickling

Rickling began about a week later. Rickling could only take place when the actual sods were sufficiently solid. Rickling was like building a wall with eight/nine sods three in a horizontal row East-West with approximately one sod space between all of them topped with a further three placed North-South with an additional two/three placed East-West on top.
Clamping

Clamping was one more wall-building exercise commenced regarding a week later. The particular clamping was very similar for you to the actual rickling only this kind of time with no spaces left between the particular sods.
Bagging

By the time I was able in order to help with the turf cutting ,the actual turf was collected in strong bags. The particular turf collecting constantly happened on a hot summer day. My childhood memories of bagging are fond. A social outing with a gaggle of cousins. After an early night we’d set off at what felt like dawn.
Preparation

An all-important stop was made at a local shop to be able to get juice for you to keep us hydrated through the day. This was an adventure in itself . Having a bottle all to be able to yourself was a treat. We were often torn between using more decision time on our selection,and fear of being your last 1 out there of your shop as well as thus responsible with regard to holding up proceedings unnecessarily. 1 of the best things concerning having a drink just with regard to yourself was being able to be able to submerge it in a moss-hole pertaining to the particular day.
Moss-hole

A moss-hole was a hole dug available of your bog of which filled naturally with peaty water. There was no better place to keep your drink cool all day than a moss-hole. We did work hard for you to get all the turf bagged as well as loaded onto vehicles in which would make the particular journey home. My most vivid memories though are of chasing around with my cousins, jumping over clamped turf walls and also generally having a excellent day’s cráic and also banter.
Stacking

By my generation, turf was stacked in bags in a ‘Turf Shed’–effectively a three-walled barn-like structure. Your fourth side of your structure was open. Ahead of such structures however, turf was traditionally stacked against your East wall of your house,in order in order to protect it coming from the actual elements. Turf bricks were lifted pertaining to use from the particular inside available, for you to ensure they were dry.
Turf Use

Your primary use for turf in rural areas was as a source of fuel in order to generate heat through the actual winter. In my grandmother’s house however , a turf fire fuelled the actual range. The particular range was a forerunner of the particular AGA status symbol much beloved by city folk who wish for you to have a ‘country-style’ kitchen.
Your range

The particular range was the particular heart of the kitchen; the idea was the first port of call regarding anyone entering the particular house. There are few things better than coming in via the actual cold and also standing with your bottom toasting in front of a turf-fired range. The actual range was not only a source of heat, but was used regarding cooking. An iron-bottomed kettle was constantly bubbling only off the actual boil.
Essential

Turf formed an essential part of rural life as well as even as a small child I felt the idea. The idea was a job of honour among my cousins to be sent available ‘to fill the turf bucket’. We each tried for you to outdo each other by picking your biggest and also driest sods for the particular bucket , when we were chosen pertaining to your job. It was a simple task, but we learned quickly to respect your importance of turf in our lives and also I with regard to one loved how that shaped our summer.
Bogland

Your beauty of your bogland landscape, on the particular other hand, was some thing I took with regard to granted as a child. Bog cotton and the purpling heathers that grew on top of the peat could not really feature on my childish radar. When the particular turf was collected we replaced the top layer of vegetation in which experienced been removed and set aside so your rich peat underneath could be reached. This allowed the particular heathers for you to take root again as well as flourish after we were done. It is unfortunate of which modern turf-cutting machines show no respect regarding the surface vegetation along with are rapidly damaging a fragile ecosystem.

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