Birr writer celebrates the workers of Boora Bog

BIRR POET Eileen Casey has published a very fine book which is celebrating the lives of the workers who were employed over the years by Bord na Móna on Boora Bog.
Eileen lives in Tallaght but she remains very proud of her Birr roots and often visits the town.
Her intention in writing this latest book of poetry is to offer an insight into the lives of the men who spent their working lives in peat production, and to offer an insight into the bog environment in which they worked.
It's a timely book as many of these men have lost their jobs in recent years because of the government's decarbonisation programme to tackle the Climate Change problem.
Their departure and the lack of job replacements has left a massive gap in the life of the West Offaly region. As Eileen writes in her introduction: “Over many years they supported families and built communities while creating lasting friendships. Those days of peat production are now no more. 'Green' energy, alternative fuel sources are currently sourced; bogs rewetted and drains blocked.”
While the job problem created by decarbonisation has not been solved (with many critical of the Just Transition programme), the improving landscape is a big positive: “Bog is the perfect carbon sink,” says Eileen. “Lough Boora Parklands provide a tremendous recreational landscape. Nature walks, bicycle trails and engagement with bog flora and fauna keep the visitor enthralled.” Boora was once cutaway bog and was a brown desert. Since the peat harvesting stopped it has been allowed to regenerate, producing in the process a place of great beauty. The high visitor numbers are testament to this beauty. Further afield, a number of other bogs are being allowed to regenerate.
Eileen says the built heritage of the region is also important. “Kilcormac,” she says, “is a historical wonder in itself.”
The title of the book, “Bogmen First and Last” refers to bogmen's unique identity, their proud heritage. “Midlanders who grew up with this landscape regarded it to some extent as a place of work, work which included the 'footing' of turf, the drawing home of the fuel by ass and car for winter burning.” And yet it's much more than just a place of work. “The tiniest clump of moss, when viewed under a microscope, reveals myriad wonders. The bog is not stagnant but alive with its own ecosystem.... Artists are drawn to the bog because of its otherworldly patina, its ability to conjure images and provoke imagination.”
Poetry is a suitable medium to celebrate all of this. She quotes Wordsworth: “Poetry is the first and last of all knowledge - it is as immortal as the heart of man.”