| Story |
A Burrishoole Lodge farmhand places recently dug potatoes in burlap sacks and then buries them under mounds of clay. These clay hillocks protected the harvest from vermin and weather. Later the potato sacks were transported to storage closer to the home. This image was taken on Helen Hooker O’Malley’s own farm at Newport, Co. Mayo. |
| Location |
Burrishoole, Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1943 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
Since turf played such an important role in Irish rural life, it is not surprising there were turf-cutting competitions for locals to prove their prowess at an extremely difficult task. This is a photograph of the annual, national turf-cutting competition in the Bog of Allen, Co. Kildare. Spectators and judges are stationed to look down on the participants who work in teams of two. One man cuts the sod then heaves the wet pieces to his teammate on the bank who “foots” the turf in stacks for drying. Cutting turf was backbreaking and essential work. |
| Location |
Bog of Allen, Co. Kildare |
| Date |
1937 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
Given the amount of rainfall in Ireland, bogs are generally quite wet and dangerous to traverse. In this scene, a bog face has been recently cut. Its damp sods of turf are tossed upon the bank to begin the drying process. Farmers will then stack the pieces to allow more air to flow through the turf. Once dry enough, the peat is stacked in ever larger mounds and eventually into an enormous reek. Turf reeks are frequently positioned near a bog path to allow easy access for the horse and cart that bring the fuel home. |
| Location |
Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1975 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
Ireland was originally covered with trees. Over the centuries their remains have been transformed into bogland. Even today, bogs reveal evidence of the large trees that once grew there. As the trees decayed, the bogs developed. In turn, locals cut the bog to provide turf to burn in their hearths to warm their homes and cook. This image depicts the silvered stump of an ancient tree just below the earth’s surface. Above it, a turf reek awaits transport to the farmer’s home. |
| Location |
Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1975 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
This image depicts several stages of the cutting of turf from a bog face where the spade or slean marks can be seen. The slimy, limp, heavy sods are thrown on the ground above to begin to dry. When firm enough, they are built. In the distance, two farmers are seen “footing” the turf. Ultimately, the turf is stacked into long reeks. These are later transferred to the farmer’s home by donkey or horse and cart. |
| Location |
Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1938 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
This image clearly shows the herringbone pattern remaining on the face of the turf bank after four layers of turf have been cut by the spade or slean. Once a sod is cut, it is placed on the ground to dry. After a few days when the turf is firm, four or five sods are stood on end in small triangles to allow the wind and air to freely flow through to continue the drying process. Several more stages ensue before the sods are carried out to a large turf reek on the side of a bog path. Later the dry turf is transported home. |
| Location |
Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1938 |
| Purchase |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
| Story |
Rural Ireland, particularly Mayo, is populated with numerous bogs from which the local farmers cut turf sods in the summer to heat their homes during winter months and to cook their food year-round. There are many stages in the ”harvesting” process from preparing the surface of the bog for cutting to carrying the turf home. In the final stages, the farmers stack the turf in long high reeks ready for transport. The sods on the top are arranged to protect the turf below from rain. |
| Location |
Co. Mayo |
| Date |
1938 |
| Order |
BUY NOW or CUSTOM ORDER |
