Kerry Bog Village

The Kerry Bog Village Museum, located in Ballincleave, Glenbeigh, on the beautiful "Ring of Kerry," gives people an insight into how people lived and worked in Ireland in the 18^th Century. The village is the only one of its kind in Europe.

The village was well researched prior to being recreated. Great care was taken to ensure the dwellings that visitors see before them, are exact replica's of those used in Ireland in the early 1800's. Old sites were visited, old ruins measured, and old documents consulted.

The Bog Village
It all began with a certain Jeremiah Mulvihill. Jeremiah came from the town of Listowel in North Kerry and settled in Glenbeigh in the very early 1800's. Jeremiah was a turf cutter by trade. He discovered that the turf to be found in this locality was of a very good quality, that of a black sod, and he prospered well. Prosperity brought its own problems as he found it hard to transport the turf to the nearby town of Killorglin. His donkeys and ponies were becoming lame from the old stony roads. He needed a blacksmith.

One day while he was in the town of Killorglin at the annual festival of Puck Fair, he came across a very fine character by the name of Jack Bell O'Sullivan. Jack, a blacksmith by trade, agreed to Jeremiah's request to come to Glenbeigh and set up a forge.

Later, there was to be a third house - Phil McGillycuddy's. The village needed their own milk supply - cream, butter, etc. - and Phil readily agreed to help out. A village started to develop.

Soon after, they came across another character by the name of Denny Riordan. Denny was well known in the area at the time for his farming ability. Denny always kept a fine flock of hens and chickens of different varieties. Because of this, there was always a good egg to put on the table. Denny was readily employed and they built a house for him. He, in his own terms, was a very poor man, so they gave him the house.

Next to arrive in the village was a man by the name of Paddy Brown. Paddy was from the nearby district of Caragh Lake. A thatcher by trade, he was also a great man to tell a story (a seanchaí). Paddy was a well-off individual and built his own house. He would also maintain all the other houses in the village.

Located 4.5 km outside Killorglin, on the Killorglin-Glenbeigh route (N70).

A notable feature of the Bog Village was the facility for leisure time, usually on the Sunday afternoon. There was a football pitch nearby, horseshoe throwing, as well as Cap Derby, where the men attempted to hang their caps onto a particular branch of a tree in the village by throwing them. It is said that many a wager was placed on this particular game.

History of Irish Peatlands
Peat is a soil that is made up of the partially rotted remains of dead plants that have accumulated on top of each other in waterlogged places for thousands of years. It consists of Sphagnum moss along with the roots, leaves, flowers, and seeds of heathers, grasses and sedges. Occasionally the trunks and roots of trees such as Scots pine, oak, birch, and yew are also present.

Areas where peat accumulates are called "peatlands" or "bogs." There are three main types of peatlands in Ireland.

Blanket Bogs - consist of a carpet of peat extending over large areas of land.
Raised Bogs - dome-shaped bogs which have developed in former lake basins in the midland counties.
Fens - flat bogs which are found around lake margins and in waterlogged areas.

In Ireland two factors contribute to the existence of peatlands:

High Rainfall
Poor Drainage

Uniqueness of Irish Peatlands
Peatlands originally covered more than 17% of the land area of Ireland - a higher proportion than any other European country with the exception of Finland. Peatlands, together with their unique assemblage of plants and animals, are a seriously endangered western European habitat. Most countries in Europe have exploited the majority of their peat resources for fuel. Ireland is one of the few countries where a wide range of peatlands still exists in a near natural state. The importance of conserving the best examples of Irish peatlands has been recognised by the international community through the European Parliament, the International Mire Conservation Group, and the Irish Union of Professional and Technical Civil Servants.

Bog Ponies This rare breed of small sturdy ponies, with characteristically thick and long manes and tails, were used to carry turf from the bog. Fewer than 20 of the breed remained at the start of the 1990's. It is largely due to the remarkable effort and dedication of the owner of the Red Fox, Johnny Mulvihill, that they survive and now number more than 2000. Distinctive Features of the Kerry Bog Pony Size: The Kerry Bog breed is a small pony evolved as such due to its use as a draught animal in the bogs of Kerry over the centuries. Thus the height of the Kerry Bog Pony is under 12hh for stallions, geldings and mares, on natural habitat. Colour: Any whole colour is to be found, but they are generally chestnut, brown or bay. Grey, dun and roan are also to be found. Coat: The coat of the Kerry Bog Pony is long and dense and easily capable of withstanding harsh Winter conditions without shelter.
Head: The head is pleasant, sweet and sometimes dish-faced with small, pointed eyes. Nostrils allow large intake relative to body size and the jaw is strong and well formed with excellent dentition to facilitate grazing on heath, gorse and heather. Body: The neck of the Kerry Bog Pony is strong and of medium length with shoulders rounded and muscular. The body is strong and compact and the chest is deep with well sprung ribs and good girth. Loins are powerful and the hindquarters are strong and well formed. The tail is full, abundant and well set and carried.Legs: Forelegs are strong and muscular with a strong forearm. Hind legs are muscular and powerful. The cannon bone is short with flat hard bone of good size. Pasterns are short and upright hooves, wide open and well formed of hard horn and require little trimming.
Action: The Kerry Bog breed is a powerful pony with good bone and of great strength relative to its weight. This, together with its excellent conformation, gives the pony a lovely straight and level action with good balance. This intelligent pony is very sure footed and well capable of thinking for itself in the soft underfoot conditions of Kerry bogs. Temperament and Character: This pony, while kind, sensible, confident and well mannered, also possesses great courage and endurance. Viciousness has been bred out of the Kerry Bog Pony at a much earlier stage. Soundness is also a feature of the Kerry Bog Pony. Hereditary unsoundness is extremely rare and because of the pony's innate strength and toughness it scarcely ever develops any unsoundness. The animal's constitution is also first class being possessed of a large heart and lung room which in turn enables it to thrive well in spite of harsh weather or other difficulties. The excellent temperament of the pony allows it to be easily trained to saddle or harness and it can be easily worked as a children's riding pony.