During Phase I

An oral history archive from community members with different connections to the bog was gathered:

• This was mainly local people with generational connections to their local bog however we also included some other perspectives such as recent additions to the community with different perspectives, Bord na Móna workers, former employees of Allenwood Power Station.

• We ensured that female and male voices were both represented.

• We engaged with communities in Allen, Allenwood, Ballyteague, Carbury, Coill Dubh, Lullymore, Prosperous, Rathangan, Robertstown and Ticknevin and reached out to local groups such as the Allen Historical Society, Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park and Carbury & Knockirr Bog Committee who all indicated an expression of interest in taking part in our project and showed their support.

• We obtained data consent and image consent from all our participants interviewed during Phase I, having reached out to the Oral History Network Ireland, Karel Kiely (Kildare County Archivist) and National Museum of Ireland for their advice on developing a consent form to ensure we can use the recorded material and portraits in our project and in the future donate it to a county or national archive.

Phase I Outcomes

• A collection of oral history with people’s stories, experiences and memories relating to bogs which is now available to the general public on our website In due course, this may be donated to a relevant county level or national archive (clearly noted on consent form).

• A collection of photographs of the participants (taken when the interview happened).

• A short film featuring video footage of the bog voiced with excepts of the collected interviews.

• A digital collection of archival material collected while meeting community members, also visible on the project website. The photographs and other visual material were scanned by a member of our team (and returned to the owners) and used as part of the slideshow during the public facing event at the Bog of Allen Nature Cenre which concluded Phase I. The archive draws upon Kildare’s specific connections to peatlands including the All-Ireland Turf Cutting competitions (which started in the 1930’s), the setting up of the Turf Camps during WW2, the building of Coill Dubh Frank Gibney estate, Lullymore Briquette Factory, Allenwood Power station and all the work in the bogs associated with these endeavours.

• Phase I officially ended with a public facing event in the Bog of Allen Nature Centre which launched the online oral history archive, a short film, a slideshow of collected visual material and an open informal chat between the three team members and participants in Phase I. It was a public social event and an opportunity to start a conversation about Phase II and raise awareness about it.