books ‘n’ bogs
Books ‘n’ Bogs is an ongoing partnership between RE-PEAT and libraries in Co. Laois, Ireland (primarily, Abbeyleix library) to collate and exhibit residents’ stories of and relationship with their local bogs. The project seeks to highlight the complex historical and present-day relationships between local communities and peatlands, against the backdrop of contentious ‘Just Transition’ policies being pursued in Ireland.
The project draws upon multi-faceted and creative methods to achieve its goals, including:
Exhibiting personal stories relating to bogs in the Abbeyleix library, through curated audio recordings and photographs. Two methods are employed to gather stories:
One-on-one interviews with numerous residents to understand individual histories and relationships with peatlands
Group photo elicitation workshops to foster collective storytelling and imagining relating to local peatlands
Creation of a podcast based on the gathered personal stories to be shared online and through library networks
Running a children’s storytelling contest and collating a section of stories in a book, to be stocked and circulated in the Laois libraries’ network
Showcasing of Irish literature relating to peatlands in the Laois libraries, including procurement of new materials
The project’s impact comes through its documentation and dissemination of local stories, making visible previously-untold histories. The workshops and interviews, bringing together local residents of various backgrounds, provided an open space for shared remembering and dialogue on contentious issues. The project also coincides with a Plein Air festival in Abbeyleix, reinforcing an environment of continued artistic expression and celebration of bogs in Laois.
Books ‘n’ Bogs has been made possible by the financial support of the Europe Challenge, an annual programme supported by the European Cultural Foundation and its partners, which fosters partnerships between libraries and communities across Europe to address social isolation, inequality, disinformation, climate crises, and other local challenges. Learnings from this project will feed into the collective knowledge of this network, creating a toolkit for implementation in other areas.
In the future, we hope to refine and expand the project based on these initial experiences.
