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AmyJessup

ResearchHandout

MyresearchpaperisbasedonthephysicalworldofIreland,specificallytheMidlands,whereMarinaCarrmayhavesetBytheBogofCats.Thisisdonetogaina

betterandmorethoroughexplanationaboutthelifethatCarrscharactersmayhavelivedontheBog.

TounderstandBytheBogofCatsonemustunderstandbogsfirst.Therearetwotypesofbogs.RaisedbogsandBlanketbogs,thelatterofwhichareactually

formedthroughinterferenceofhumansfarming.ThemythicalBogofCats,however

isthoughttoresidenexttoaraisedbog,whichcoverthemajorityofMidlandsIreland.

Orangerepresentsthelocationofraisedbogs.

BlanketBogs-Blanket bogs are found wherever there is high rainfall, which is

typically in western Ireland and also in mountainous areas.

OrangerepresentingthelandcoveredinBlanketBogs

With almost 1 million hectares of Ireland covered by blanket

bog, it is far more common than the smaller-scale raised bogs. Contrary to

popular belief, blanket bogs are essentially a man-made feature, if inadvertent

and aided somewhat by the climate.

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RaisedbogsarecreatedthroughalengthyprocessthatdatesbacktothetimewhentheglacierswereretreatingfromthelandthatwouldbeIreland.Theseglaciersleft

behindindentsintheland,whichcollectedwaterandformedpondsandlakes

(Abbot).Thelakeswerethrivingwithlifeandusedbyearlyhunterstocatchfish.Alongthesideofthelakewasavarietyofplantlifesuchasreedsandgrasses.When

theseplantsdied,theremnantsfelltothebottomofthelaketostarttheprocessofmakingpeat(Abbot).Normallywhenplantsdie,microorganismsdecomposethe

piecesintousable

parts,

howeverin

oxygen-deficien

tareas

suchaslakebed

softenthereis

no

oxygentobe

found.

Thusthe

plantparts

never

getfullybroken

down,

slowlycausing

abuildup

ofpeat,

whichwill

eventua

llyoverwh

elmandcrowd

outthe

originallake.

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AnimalsontheBog

Thewaterloggedboglandmakesitverydifficultforburrowinganimalsand

largerootedtreestosurviveandthrive,butothercreatureslikeinsectsandbirds

finditperfectlysuitingtotheirtastes.

ForourresearchonraisedbogstheonlyanimalsthatarecommontoitareIrishHaresandthePygmyShrew.FoundonlyinIreland,theIrishHareissimilarto

themountainhare,bothofwhichhavestronghindlegsanddonotburrowbut

ratherhabitatinhollowdepressions.Irishharesusedtobeacommonsightandwerehuntedthoroughlyenoughtowarrantafull-yearbanonthehuntingofIrish

haresin2004.(Peatlands)

AnotherinterestinginhabitantofboglandsistheGreenlandwhite-fronted

goose.Ithasamostlygreybodywithawhitefront,itisoftenfoundinIreland

grazingonthedeergrassthatgrowsonpeatbogs.(Peatlands)Whilethesebirdsarenotcommontoraisedbogs,theydobearaheavyresemblancetotheblackswan

mentionedinCarrsBytheBogofCats.ThesegeesetonotliveinIrelandfull-timebutrathermigratetodifferentlandsdependingontheweather.

Found in the Bogs

Oddlyenough,themostcommonitemfoundinbogsisbarrelsofbutter,withanamazing270kegsofbutteruncoveredinthebogsofIreland.Inadditionto

butter,itemssuchasmedievalweaponryandbodieshavealsobeenpulledoutofpeat(Madrigal).

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WeatherinMidlands

IrelandisdirectlyinthepathoftheGulfStreamwhichmeansitcanhavethe

climateofthemid-eastunitedstateswhilehavingthelatitudesimilarto

NewfoundlandinCanada.(IrelandWeatherMaps)SnowisnotacommonoccurrenceinIrelandexceptforinthemountainousareas,whichhelpsustonarrow

downalocationforthemythicalBogofCats.Howeverthewintermonthsstillhavequiteahavequiteaheavyrainfallandwithtemperaturesgenerallyaround41

degreesFitwouldnotbefar-fetchedtoimagineawinterstormthatcouldcoverand

freezethemidlandstocreateascenesimilartotheopeningofBytheBogofCats.

PopulationsintheMidlands

BelowisalistofthetenlargestsettlementsintheMidlandsregion,countycapitalsareincludedandinbold.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midlands_Region,_Ireland

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MidlandsIrelandFarms

ThisisatypicaltraditionalfarmcottagetobefoundintheIrishMidlands.Builtin

1911,itisuncommonforfarmhousestobemadeofstone.

The Traditional Travellers Caravan

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Bog/Peat Houses (Midlands homes)

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Sources:

Abbot, Patrick. "Ireland's Peat Bogs." Wesley Johnston. 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.

.

Bartlett, Thomas.Ireland: a History. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print.

De, Paor Liam. The Peoples of Ireland: from Prehistory to Modern times. London:

Hutchinson, 1986. Print.

"Information About Bogs from the Blanket Bog Restoration Project in Ireland.",Restoring the Wildlife Habitat Peatlands of the West of Ireland. Coillte, 2007.

Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .

http://www.theworld.org/2010/02/irish-uilleann-piper-paddy-keenan/

"Irish Peatland Conservation Council - Information Sheets - Bog Bodies."Home Page forIPCC. 2000. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .

"Ireland Weather Maps Provided by MET EIREANN."Ireland Bed and Breakfast Guide,

. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .

Madrigal, Alexis. "Bogosphere: The Strangest Things Pulled Out of Peat Bogs | Wired

Science | Wired.com." Wired.com. 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2011..

"Peatlands."Department of Environment Homepage | Department of Environment

Northern Ireland. 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011..

Wibberley, Leonard. The Trouble with the Irish: or the English, Depending on Your

Point of View. London: F. Muller, 1958. Print.

Wilson, Thomas M., and Hastings Donnan. The Anthropology of Ireland. New York:

Berg, 2006. Print.