BBC Alba Documentaries

The story of peatlands around the world. They have inspired myths, legends, poems and songs for centuries, and many families spent days on end in their own bog, cutting turf to fuel the home fires. Cormac Ó hÁdhmaill explores the cultural, economic and environmental significance of peatlands, from how the Dutch dug deep for their fuel supply to how the bogs preserved our ancestors, as evidenced by Old Croghan Man. He meets those advocating for the peat industry to continue in Finland and also the scientists looking for medicine within bog plants in Ireland. We hear of the devastating effects of bog slides and bog fires, and we visit a Dutch city which is sinking into its peaty soil. Peatlands play an important role in the delicate balance of the world’s ecosystem, covering a mere three per cent of the earth but storing more carbon than all the world’s forests. We meet those who are working to restore the world’s peatlands, including Line Rochefort, a Canadian bog restoration expert w