Kildare village hosts 15th Bogman’s Ball

A CELEBRATION was held recently in south Kildare which honours the age-old tradition of turf-cutting – the Bogman’s Ball in Martin’s Bar in Kildoon, between Nurney and Suncroft.

Held on the last Friday of each August for the last 15 years, it celebrates the ancient local skill of hand-cutting the turf with a sleán.

“We have the festival every year for the bog men after they’ve cut their turf,” explained host Paddy Reilly, owner of Martin’s Bar. “Eddie Molloy and Eddie Crowe were on the bog years ago cutting turf by hand and they started all this about 15 years ago.

“They cut the turf in the day, have a picnic in the bog, and then wheel the turf up into the village of Kildoon with donkeys and two Conemara ponies.

“Some friends of ours from Cree in Co Clare who do the same in their part of the world came up to see.

“Mickey O’Dea, Pat Caman, Terence and Nora O’Brien brought up about 20 (turf cutters). You’d want to see it. It was great craic!

“Then John Howard – he’s another local man – he has a Bog Cottage which he brings every year.

“His father, the late Dandy Howard, was very important in helping getting this all started, and we just kept it going.

“You’d see people coming into the pub whose grandparents own the banks (of turf) who you wouldn’t see all the time because they’re not from here, but they’d be back in July and August to help with the footin’.

“We had a great oul’ night. As my mother used to say, you have to laugh at yourself first.

“There was no growlin’, and everybody had a great time!

“It just gets bigger and bigger every year,” said Paddy who has been running Martin’s for 30 years with wife Eilis, but whose family has been doing so “for over 100 years”.