Cutting turf in the old fashioned way in Derrymore bog to supply the household with fuel for the winter. A slean is used to cut the turf (sometimes called peat) and a barrow to take it out and...

Apr 13, 2020 · When the bank is clean the turf is cut by means of a tool called a Sleán. It has a sharp edge. The turf cutter takes layer after layer and through the sods to Barrow man, who will wheel out the...

Turf cutting with a slean (also known as a sleán or slane) is a traditional method of harvesting peat or turf from bogs. Peat, also known as turf. Danny Duggan, Mr & Mrs Cremin, Jack Kelly,...

Apr 1, 2023 · To harvest it, a farmer and often their extended family will use a large sharp Turf spade (also known as an ‘underfoot slane’ or ‘sleán’) to cut thick strips of peat. This traditional process of peat harvesting has been a part of Irish culture for generations, and is still practiced in many rural parts of the country.

The sleán (turf spade) would slice through the dark peat with a satisfying ‘swoosh’, creating neat blocks about the size of a brick. It was skilled work – too thin and the turf would crumble, too thick and it wouldn’t dry out properly.

Turf was cut from the bog by hand, using a two-sided spade called a sleán. Entire families often helped to save the turf on the bog. This image of a man cutting turf was taken in 1935 by Dorothy Hartley. It was taken between Athlone, Co. Westmeath and Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly.

Sep 25, 2024 · Cutting the Turf: The primary tool for cutting turf is the slean, a long-handled spade designed for slicing through soft peat. The cutter stands over the selected area and uses the slean to create rectangular blocks of turf, referred to as turf sods.

During our traditional turf cutting demonstration you learn how peat was formed thousands of years ago, be shown how the turf was cut using a Slean, the technique to stacking the turf and bringing it home. This was known as ‘Saving the Turf’ .

Jul 13, 2018 · In the past, Irish people heated their homes and cooked their food using turf taken from from the bog as fuel. Turf was cut from the bog by hand, using a two-sided spade called a sleán. Entire families often helped to save the turf on the bog.

Oct 29, 2018 · In the face of EU sanctions for non-compliance and legal restrictions on turf cutting, the following observations show the unbroken connection to “saving the turf” and how it is deeply intertwined with values of ownership, rural identity, and tradition.