On the R341 road between Ballyconneely and Roundstone in County Galway, you’ll pass an impressive peat bog. The latter, nicknamed “Roundstone Bog”, covers several square kilometers and is one of the country’s most important extraction sites. A place not to be missed!
As everyone knows, Irish peat bogs can be dangerous. Essentially made up of organic matter, it doesn’t take much to sink into it, lose a boot, or worse, be up to your neck in it! That’s why we recommend you admire the Roundstone Bog from the road (caution is the better part of valour!).
In any case, the discovery of this peat bog is nothing short of impressive. Sometimes left uncultivated, sometimes fully exploited, the peat bog will show you the different stages of peat extraction.
You’ll also find them in small piles, drying quietly in the sun: these are the logs that the Irish later used for heating, distilling some of their whiskeys… and so on.
If you come across the Irish working on the bog, don’t hesitate to approach them: their methods of using the bog’s resources are meticulous and really interesting!