Turf

I remember my granddad, dad and uncle hacking away with sleans in the early 1980s. Us kids used to help with footing and stacking the wooden wheelbarrow to bring it to the "reek" when it was dry. Then getting it home in a car trailer while the undergrowth tore the hole off the car driving out of the bog... (Older folk used a big wooden creel drawn by a donkey!)

I used to love the heather & bog cotton. Bog smell is lovely.

There were always a couple of abandoned cars which were reclaimed by nature over time.

My dad and brother got a few "hoppers" this year, nearly saved and home now...

I'm a dyed in the wool bogger: my earliest memory is falling into a boghole!!! :D:D:D

When drawing turf home from the bog, we childer used to get a lift home on top of the trailer which has stacked right up with turf, with the grape forks and all. Wouldnt have been the safest when the tractor would go through a pothole on the road.

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It has come to my notice that not everyone here is familiar with this most fundamental of Irish traditions. 'What's footing?' the say. 'What's windrowing?' What's 'bogging to the hoozles?'

How well are you up on your turf?

Never referred to windrowing when doing turf.
Hay yes.

Cutting turf with spades, spreading, footing, clamping and bagging to get out of the soft spots to load into trailers.

And speaking of hay who has shook, lapped, cocked and reeked it ?

The Backwards Man wrote: »

It has come to my notice that not everyone here is familiar with this most fundamental of Irish traditions. 'What's footing?' the say. 'What's windrowing?' What's 'bogging to the hoozles?'

How well are you up on your turf?

Oh my very dear.

Who gave your kind internet access?

Persephone kindness wrote: »

My family is Five generations Dublin on one side and three generations on the other.

Dublin pride!

Shibboleth failure.

If you had typed pry-yead, you would have suckered me in.