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The Wild Beauty of Bogs Exhibition Report

The Wild Beauty of Bogs Exhibition is presented by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council.

The traveling exhibition looks at bogs in Ireland and the Netherlands, especially their formation, distribution, plants and animals, archaeology, the threats to their survival and the ways to conserve them.

The exhibition aims to increase public awareness of the beauty and uniqueness of Ireland's bogs. It includes a living bog display, bog models, peat products, tools, information panels and a special bi-lingual video by Éamon de Buitléar. A full guide book and student work book accompany the exhibition.

Where is it now?
The Wild Beauty of Bogs Exhibition toured Ireland for four years (from 1990 to 1994) and is now on permanent display in the Peatland World Visitor Centre in Lullymore, Co Kildare. This centre is located in the Bog of Allen. The Peatland World Visitor Centre consists of a museum and natural history gallery and is situated in the beautifully restored stable yard buildings of Lullymore Lodge.

Origin
The concept of an Exhibition comparing and contrasting bogs in Ireland and the Netherlands was conceived by the Dutch Foundation for Conservation of Irish Bogs. To that end, the Dutch Foundation prepared a travelling Exhibition on bogs entitled "De Venen Geturfd" (which translated means Peat Crossing Borders). This was launched in the Netherlands in the Natuur Museum, Nijmegan in December 1986. The Exhibition consisted of a series of panels which dealt with peat formation, peatland distribution, flora and fauna, cultural history, exploitation and conservation of peatlands in the Netherlands and Ireland. It was accompanied by a slide show, guide book and quiz book. The entire Exhibition was presented in the Dutch language for a Dutch audience. The Exhibition toured for two years before being shipped to Ireland to the Irish Peatland Conservation Council.

At that stage the IPCC decided to overhaul the Exhibition and make it suitable for a national tour of Ireland. It was renamed the Wild Beauty of Bogs Exhibition.

The comparison between Holland and Ireland is very significant. In Holland, the destruction of bogs started as early as the sixteenth century. Today, there are no intact bogs remaining in the Netherlands. Only five damaged bog nature reserves remain, which are being restored at a cost of £33 million. The Dutch people have lost their peatland heritage. They are anxious that other European countries do not follow in their footsteps.

The Dutch people now know that they can never replace their lost heritage.

Aims of the Exhibition

* to increase public awareness of the beauty and uniqueness of bogs in Ireland and the Netherlands.

* to increase knowledge and understanding about the value of our peatland heritage.

* to foster the educational use of peatlands.

Target Group
The Exhibition is aimed at the general public and in particular school children.

Content - General
The exhibition deals with many aspects of peatlands. It indicates the stages in the formation of bogs, as well as the conditions required for the initiation of their growth. It displays some of the plants and animals that have adapted to the harsh environmental conditions that occur on bogs. There is a section dealing with research into peatlands, covering archaeological investigations and finds in bogs. The exhibition shows how the climatic and vegetation history preserved in bogs has been revealed through pollen analysis. The importance of peatlands to agriculture and the forestry industry are detailed. Alongside this, there is an inventory of peatlands (at 1990) that have been conserved and the management strategies required for these areas.

The traditional importance of peat in daily life is highlighted, together with the inspiration that peatlands provide to sculptors, painters and poets. To most Irish people, the bog is synonymous with hardships and the poorest way of life. In its undisturbed state however, it can act as a magnet, drawing thousands of people from all over the world to savour its beauty and tranquility.

A special bi-lingual video was produced in association with Éamon de Buitléar to accompany the exhibition. The programme is 16.5 minutes long and presents a similar story to the exhibition.

Technical Details
The minimum floor space needed for the exhibition is 12 x 8 meters. The exhibition includes:

* 21 free-standing display panels measuring of 2.25m tall by 1.15m wide which contain photographs, integrated models, microscopes, display cases and text

* a dry bog model measuring 2mx2m which include hummocks and a pool with spaces for stuffed animals and birds of bogs which include a Greenland White-fronted Goose, Irish Hare, Kestrel, Shrew, Red Grouse, Skylark, Snipe and Lizard.

* 3 free standing bog wood sculptures by Peter Sweetman in bog oak, pine and yew

* a living bog display in a perspex tank

* a peat stratigraphy in a perspex tube

* peat product samples including Peat fibre, Activated carbon, Bale of Briquettes, Bag of Moss peat, Bag of Brown Gold Soil Enricher, Bag of Shamrock compost, Peat walling blocks and a Grow Bag.

* a turf basket containing turf sods

* a peat shovel or sleán

* a series of six models of the different stages in bog formation

* a display case of bog insects

* landscape models of raised and blanket bogs

* a subfossil pine tree stump

* two microscopes showing the structure of Sphagnum moss leaves

* a TV/Video unit to show the feature video - Discovering the Wild Boglands

* a games table guessing different peat products

The details of the exhibition panels are as follows:

Title Board - The Wild Beauty of Bogs Exhibition

1. The Reasons for this Exhibition
2. The Bog - How It Formed
3. Sphagnum Moss - The Bog Builder
4. Climatic Conditions Required for Bog Growth
5. Peatlands - Past & Present
6. Fen Plants
7. Bog Plants (2 panels)
8. Peatland Wildlife
9. Unlocking the Secrets of the Past
10. The Bog Treasury
11. Turf Cutting - Dutch Style
12. Irish Turf Cutting
13. Future Utilisation of Bogs & Peat
14. Bogs Under Threat
15. Bog Conservation in the Republic of Ireland
16. Bog Conservation in Northern Ireland
17. The Alternative Cost of Conservation
18. The Story to Date
19. The Living Bog

Publications
The exhibition has 3 publications:

Advertising poster
This poster was drawn by Don Conroy and featured a curlew in a bogland setting. Size: 62 cm by 42 cm. The poster has a blank space at the bottom for venue details to be added.

Exhibition Guide book
Size: A5. It has 40 pages printed two colours with a colour card cover. It retailed at £1. The contents of the exhibition guide book were as follows:

• Bogs - How they form
• Sphagnum Moss - The Bog Builder
• Peatland Flora
• Peatland Fauna
• Studying the Past Preserved by the Bog
• Bog Inspiration
• Peatland Exploitation and Conservation
• Why should the Remaining Peatlands be conserved?
• Organisations Involved in Peatland Conservation
• Future and Alternative Uses of Peat and Peatlands
• The Last Word
• Peatland Nature Reserves to Visit
• Further Reading About Bogs
• Useful Addresses for Correspondence

Exhibition Quiz Book
A4 sized, printed in two colours throughout with a card cover. It contains 18 pages. It includes an introduction and 31 questions relating to information presented on the Exhibition panels, a cross word, reading list and visitor survey. Answers to the quiz and crossword are provided.

Tour Venues
The Exhibition toured Ireland from 1990 to 1994 and is now permanently housed in Peatland World, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare. The venue details of the tour are presented below together with the number of visitors who attended where this is known.

Over 300,000 people visited the exhibition on its four year tour.

Tour Dates, Number of Visitors and Venues were as follows:

1. August 1990 2,000 Craggaunowen Centre, Quin, Co.Clare
2. September 1990 2,000 Thomond College of Education, Plassey, Castletroy, Co. Limerick
3. October - November 1990 2,000 Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB, Northern Ireland
4. December 1990 2,000 Offaly County Library, Edenderry, Co. Offaly
5. January 1991 6,500 ENFO Centre, 17 St Andrew Street, Dublin 2
6. February 1991 1,500 Garter Lane Arts Centre, 5 O'Connell Street, Waterford
7. March 1991 4,000 Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald Park, Mardyke, Cork
8. April 1991 3,000 Athlone Castle Museum, Athlone, Co. Westmeath
9. May 1991 1,000 Roscrea Heritage Centre, Co. Tipperary
10. June - November 1991 109,000 Glenveagh National Park, Co. Donegal
11. December 1991 - January 1992 2,500 The Crank House, Banagher, Co. Offaly
12. February - March 1992 300 Franciscan Friary, Merchants Quay, Dublin
13. April 1992 1,000 Clara Public Library, Co. Offaly
14. May - June 1992 90,000 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Co. Clare
15. July - August 1992 1,000 Foras Cultúir Uladh, Gleann Cholm Cille, Co. Donegal
16. September 1992 1,000 Sonairte, The National Ecology Centre, The Ninch, Co. Meath
17. October 1992 - May 1993 3,000 Peatland World, Co. Kildare
18. August - October 1993 7,000 ENFO Centre, Dublin
19. November 1993 Mountmellick Development Association Co. Laois
20. December - 1993 University of Limerick, Limerick
21. January - March 1994 Clonmel County Museum, Co. Tipperary
22. April - May 1994 Kerry County Museum, Tralee, Co. Kerry
23. June - September 1994 Glenveagh National Park, Co. Donegal
24. October 1994 to present Peatland World, Lullymore, Co. Kildare

Sponsors

• Irish Peatland Conservation Council
• Dúchas - the National Parks and Wildlife Service
• Dutch Foundation for Conservation of Irish Bogs
• Natuur Museum, Nijmegan

Publicity

• Peatland News: Issue 20 Winter 1995
• Peatland News: Issue 24 Winter 1997
• An advertising poster - produced by the ENFO Centre
• Article in the Limerick Leader in 1991
• Article about Milford National School
• Article about exhibition in Edenderry Library in Your Garden column

Exhibition Launch
The exhibition was launched by Mr Brendan Daly T.D. in the Cragganowen Visitor Centre near Quin, Co. Clare in 1990. The launch was attended by sponsors and members of the local community.

Transportation
The exhibition was moved around in a 16 foot van by P Hanway Ltd. IPCC had a contract with the removal company, which was renewed annually. Using the same company was an advantage in ensuring that all the crates and boards were removed from a venue and that delicate items were safely transported in the van. Transportation costs were between £440 and £470 between venues depending on the distance travelled.

Venue Costs
There was no charge for displaying the exhibition at a venue other than the cost of transportation from the previous venue.

Constructing the Exhibition at a Venue
Prior to the arrival of the exhibition at a particular venue IPCC forwarded the venue a detailed set of instructions as to the installation of the exhibition. We encouraged each venue to go and see how the previous venue had set up the exhibition so as to help with their own installation. These steps ensured that it was not necessary for an IPCC staff member to accompany the exhibition on each of its moves.

Servicing and Maintenance of the Exhibition
Each year IPCC staff visited the exhibition at one venue and undertook a complete servicing which included: washing the panels, repairing and repainting if necessary, replenishment of the dry bog and living bog models, replacement of the video film, touching up and restoration of the landscape models, replacing peat samples in the interactive display game and repairing photographs, stuffed animals etc.

Irish Peatland Conservation Council
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council is the country's leading charitable non-governmental organisation dedicated to conserving bogs and raising public awareness of their unique natural heritage.

It's mission statement is to ensure the conservation of a representative sample of Ireland's peatlands. Developments like horticulture, energy, forestry and intensive agriculture have resulted in the destruction of 80% of our bogs.

Entirely supported by voluntary contributions the IPCC campaigns for the protection of bogs on a national scale. The IPCC has a membership of 1,500 with a further 1,500 supporters. At it's headquarters at 119 Capel Street, Dublin it runs the Enviro Shop where all the profits generated go directly towards bog conservation.

IPCC is involved, on an on-going basis, in site protection and purchase. Apart from trying to recruit more subscribers and supporters it has also become very involved in environmental education providing in-service training courses for teachers and the publication of wide-ranging educational resource material.

IPCC's work for the environment has won national and international recognition. It has been the recipient of eight Environmental awareness awards from the Department of the Environment for educational and public awareness initiatives, received three Ford European Conservation awards for campaign work and was the winner of two Praeger Committee awards for Natural History Research.

Further Information
Dr Catherine O'Connell, Head of Education
Irish Peatland Conservation Council, 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1.
Tel/Fax: +353-1-8722397. E-mail info@ipcc.ie