BOGS AND BOGWOOD             FROM A LAKE TO A BOG

Bogs are a recent phenomenon on
the landscape of Ireland, perhaps
no more than 4,000 years old.
Before the bogs there were forests,
so great it is said a monkey could 
swing from tree to tree between 
Dublin and Galway and only had to 
swim the river Shannon. Due to 
some great climatic change those 
trees became enveloped in the peat 
that grew on them up to a depth of
20 to 30 feet. It was then that the 
wood from those trees underwent a
unique transformation , the oak is 
now black the yew has changed to a
reddish brown colour and the pine 
to a golden yellow.While harvesting
peat for fuel,these trees appear on 
the surface.It is then retrieved from
the bogs and dried very slowly until
most of the moisture is removed 
from it.This can take many years for 
the larger pieces of wood.This wood 
which was once as soft as cheese 
when taken from the bogs,is now as 
hard as steel.When found, many of 
the bog wood forms are unique in 
shape-"Pure miracles of nature",and 
when helped along by the hand and 
mind of the artist , they bring forth
a new life to the pieces, a 
transformation from a piece of wood to a beautiful sculpture.In contrast to this, some of the sculptures are pure designs of the artist.He imposes his design onto the wood.

"In the early
morning mist which
covers the bogs,
they would go in
search of wood,for,
where no frost
would lie,bog wood
surley lay."

Carbon Dating Letter from Queen's University,Belfast