A look at how raised bogs in the midlands are formed.
Most bogs in Ireland started off as large pools of water containing plants which grew during the spring and summer. In autumn they died off and fell to the bottom in the autumn, but because there was not enough oxygen they did not rot away completely.
Over thousands of years all these layers of partially decomposed plants form a dark wet soil known as peat. When the level of peat rises above the water, sphagnum moss takes root, and the bog continues to grow.
The raised bogs of the midlands are very deep and characteristically
Grew in great humps, with hollows in between.
Today the peat is harvested from bogs. When burned it releases energy, which can be used as a source of heat in your home. It can also be used to generate electricity and as Martin Downes explains,
You can cook your meal using...3000 year old sunshine.
This episode of 'Youngline' was broadcast on 15 March 1979. The reporter is Martin Downes.
'Youngline' was a once weekly, half-hour magazine show for younger viewers. The first programme was broadcast on Tuesday, 23 November 19
