BSW2 16. Turf cutting

Speaker: John McGroryFrom the Bluestack Way Part 2 playlist.Patrick Campbell wrote: -'On our way we pass by a famous bog in Clogher where in my young years was used extensively by large farmers who came several miles to cut and save turf, and paid them two shillings and sixpence per day. They claimed that a mountain man would cut more turf in one day than they themselves would cut in two days. They usually save the turf themselves and towards the harvest time it was not unusual to see up to ten horses load of good black turf homeland bound, as the sun was sinking behind the hills. What a charming scene or picture this made, with fine well-groomed horses and bright red painted carts fitted with high turf creels and well crivined* loads of good dry black turf. There was a contented look on each man’s suntanned face, as he sat and smoked his pipe on a sack of hay on top of his load of turf, and listened to the hollow sound of cartwheels as they rolled over the stone-surfaced road in the silence of an autumn evening’.  *The crivin is the ‘top’ on a creel of turf.  Our audio piece comes from local guide, John McGrory, who tells us a bit more about this famous bog. It has a few names as you'll have seen!