The Material World of Midlands Ireland
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Transcript of The Material World of Midlands Ireland
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AmyJessup
ResearchHandout
MyresearchpaperisbasedonthephysicalworldofIreland,specificallytheMidlands,whereMarinaCarrmayhavesetBytheBogofCats.Thisisdonetogaina
betterandmorethoroughexplanationaboutthelifethatCarrscharactersmayhavelivedontheBog.
TounderstandBytheBogofCatsonemustunderstandbogsfirst.Therearetwotypesofbogs.RaisedbogsandBlanketbogs,thelatterofwhichareactually
formedthroughinterferenceofhumansfarming.ThemythicalBogofCats,however
isthoughttoresidenexttoaraisedbog,whichcoverthemajorityofMidlandsIreland.
Orangerepresentsthelocationofraisedbogs.
BlanketBogs-Blanket bogs are found wherever there is high rainfall, which is
typically in western Ireland and also in mountainous areas.
OrangerepresentingthelandcoveredinBlanketBogs
With almost 1 million hectares of Ireland covered by blanket
bog, it is far more common than the smaller-scale raised bogs. Contrary to
popular belief, blanket bogs are essentially a man-made feature, if inadvertent
and aided somewhat by the climate.
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RaisedbogsarecreatedthroughalengthyprocessthatdatesbacktothetimewhentheglacierswereretreatingfromthelandthatwouldbeIreland.Theseglaciersleft
behindindentsintheland,whichcollectedwaterandformedpondsandlakes
(Abbot).Thelakeswerethrivingwithlifeandusedbyearlyhunterstocatchfish.Alongthesideofthelakewasavarietyofplantlifesuchasreedsandgrasses.When
theseplantsdied,theremnantsfelltothebottomofthelaketostarttheprocessofmakingpeat(Abbot).Normallywhenplantsdie,microorganismsdecomposethe
piecesintousable
parts,
howeverin
oxygen-deficien
tareas
suchaslakebed
softenthereis
no
oxygentobe
found.
Thusthe
plantparts
never
getfullybroken
down,
slowlycausing
abuildup
ofpeat,
whichwill
eventua
llyoverwh
elmandcrowd
outthe
originallake.
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AnimalsontheBog
Thewaterloggedboglandmakesitverydifficultforburrowinganimalsand
largerootedtreestosurviveandthrive,butothercreatureslikeinsectsandbirds
finditperfectlysuitingtotheirtastes.
ForourresearchonraisedbogstheonlyanimalsthatarecommontoitareIrishHaresandthePygmyShrew.FoundonlyinIreland,theIrishHareissimilarto
themountainhare,bothofwhichhavestronghindlegsanddonotburrowbut
ratherhabitatinhollowdepressions.Irishharesusedtobeacommonsightandwerehuntedthoroughlyenoughtowarrantafull-yearbanonthehuntingofIrish
haresin2004.(Peatlands)
AnotherinterestinginhabitantofboglandsistheGreenlandwhite-fronted
goose.Ithasamostlygreybodywithawhitefront,itisoftenfoundinIreland
grazingonthedeergrassthatgrowsonpeatbogs.(Peatlands)Whilethesebirdsarenotcommontoraisedbogs,theydobearaheavyresemblancetotheblackswan
mentionedinCarrsBytheBogofCats.ThesegeesetonotliveinIrelandfull-timebutrathermigratetodifferentlandsdependingontheweather.
Found in the Bogs
Oddlyenough,themostcommonitemfoundinbogsisbarrelsofbutter,withanamazing270kegsofbutteruncoveredinthebogsofIreland.Inadditionto
butter,itemssuchasmedievalweaponryandbodieshavealsobeenpulledoutofpeat(Madrigal).
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WeatherinMidlands
IrelandisdirectlyinthepathoftheGulfStreamwhichmeansitcanhavethe
climateofthemid-eastunitedstateswhilehavingthelatitudesimilarto
NewfoundlandinCanada.(IrelandWeatherMaps)SnowisnotacommonoccurrenceinIrelandexceptforinthemountainousareas,whichhelpsustonarrow
downalocationforthemythicalBogofCats.Howeverthewintermonthsstillhavequiteahavequiteaheavyrainfallandwithtemperaturesgenerallyaround41
degreesFitwouldnotbefar-fetchedtoimagineawinterstormthatcouldcoverand
freezethemidlandstocreateascenesimilartotheopeningofBytheBogofCats.
PopulationsintheMidlands
BelowisalistofthetenlargestsettlementsintheMidlandsregion,countycapitalsareincludedandinbold.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midlands_Region,_Ireland
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MidlandsIrelandFarms
ThisisatypicaltraditionalfarmcottagetobefoundintheIrishMidlands.Builtin
1911,itisuncommonforfarmhousestobemadeofstone.
The Traditional Travellers Caravan
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Bog/Peat Houses (Midlands homes)
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Sources:
Abbot, Patrick. "Ireland's Peat Bogs." Wesley Johnston. 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
.
Bartlett, Thomas.Ireland: a History. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print.
De, Paor Liam. The Peoples of Ireland: from Prehistory to Modern times. London:
Hutchinson, 1986. Print.
"Information About Bogs from the Blanket Bog Restoration Project in Ireland.",Restoring the Wildlife Habitat Peatlands of the West of Ireland. Coillte, 2007.
Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .
http://www.theworld.org/2010/02/irish-uilleann-piper-paddy-keenan/
"Irish Peatland Conservation Council - Information Sheets - Bog Bodies."Home Page forIPCC. 2000. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .
"Ireland Weather Maps Provided by MET EIREANN."Ireland Bed and Breakfast Guide,
. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .
Madrigal, Alexis. "Bogosphere: The Strangest Things Pulled Out of Peat Bogs | Wired
Science | Wired.com." Wired.com. 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2011..
"Peatlands."Department of Environment Homepage | Department of Environment
Northern Ireland. 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011..
Wibberley, Leonard. The Trouble with the Irish: or the English, Depending on Your
Point of View. London: F. Muller, 1958. Print.
Wilson, Thomas M., and Hastings Donnan. The Anthropology of Ireland. New York:
Berg, 2006. Print.