tourist dig turf at a peat bog????

Does she really have to dig? You can buy pieces of peat turf. On our tour we stopped at a peat bog. We didn't dig but we did do a Bog Hop --- create your own dancing to feel the earth move.

I saw a man digging peat in the Ring of Kerry area with a long thin spade made specially for the job. I've never heard of it as a tourist attraction. If it's something she really wants to do, ask a local at a pub. The question itself will probably start a memorable adventure. The Irish are so accomodating they will at least try to find a way for her to do it.

Yes, she REALLY does have to DIG IT HERSELF...

mom is one of a kind, not at all the group tour type, marches to her own drum... that has made making her travel plans, lets say "fun"

she grew up in Appalachia, living off the land and collecting coal from worked out mines for winter heating, carrying water from the creek for all the household needs of a family of 8 and so forth.

This is her way of bonding with traditional Irish country life...

The pub idea is great. Mom is very social and that would go over well. The Irish are going to love her, but then again, we have some of the Scots-Irish ancestry... so, she will fit right in!

If anyone knows of a place very near Cork or Dublin (cab type distance - they won't have a car) please let me know. She travels on April 4.

Thanks much!

Those old guys at the pub are gonna love this. A new way to make money-charge the tourists to dig peat. A bit daft.

Actually, you describe it wonderfully and it all makes perfect sense now. I do hope she knows she will not be able to bring her peat back to the US? It would go against the soil/plant regulations.

We spent about 10-days in Ireland last year. For part of that time we rented a home in county Clare. It had a peat bog behind the house and several areas with ditches with standing (peat) water.

The owner of the house was the nicest Irish gentleman you could hope to meet. He was commenting how he was amazed that so many tourists wanted to walk around in the peat bog. He also said that some people asked if they could take some of the peat water with them. Apparently it is desirable for spa treatments in some places he was told.

They definitely couldn't understand why crazy tourists would be so interested in "dirt".

"The Irish are going to love her, but then again, we have some of the Scots-Irish ancestry... so, she will fit right in!"

You Mom sounds like quite a character and I am sure will do fine. The Irish look at us as Americans (or Canadians, Australians, etc) no matter what our ancestry. One thing to know though -- there isn't going to be a great affinity for Scots-Irish in certain parts of Ireland.

In the Republic (like in Cork) it will probably be met with indifference, however remember few people in the Republic share the Scots-Irish (i.e. settlers or invaders depending upon your perspective) background.

In the North it can be polarizing. If you are in a Nationalist pub don't expect a round to be bought if you announce your Scots-Irish ancestry.

Dublin would be harder - kind of like asking where you can dig for coal in New York City. It's a big city and probably a long way from a peat bog (unless it's drained and built over).

I think Cork will be your best bet.

A couple of thoughts:

1. I would look into local farms in these areas and see if she could offer to volunteer one day. Maybe this is a crazy idea, but I'm wondering if one of them would need someone to dig up peat, or if they might allow her to do so in exchange for other work.

2. If she's into traditional Irish country life, then she may be interested in the traditional farms experience offered on the grounds of Muckross House. They have various types of Irish country farmhouses staffed with women who can explain which class/type of people lived in each dwelling and what their lives were like. This is in Killarney and would be doable as a day trip from Cork.