Youth camp in Laois for peat’s sake

YOUNG people will gather for peat’s sake in Abbeyleix in August, when a camp fostering restoration of peatlands will be held in the midlands.

People aged 18-30 will gather for RE-PEAT’s Peat in Practice restoration camp from 24 to 28 August, hosted by the Abbeyleix Bog Project and a number of sites in Offaly.

The five-day RE-PEAT camp is run in collaboration with Green Restoration Ireland’s Farm Carbon Transitions EIP, Abbeyleix Bog Project and Clara Heritage Society.

A youth-led, non-profit collective that is active across Europe, RE-PEAT says it aims to ‘change hearts and minds for and through peatlands’, bridging culture, policy, science and grassroots advocacy. The collective educates and activates through immersive experiences and programmes.

Organisers say the camp aims to build ‘a cohort that reflects the full diversity of people who can shape the future of peatland restoration’, from farming families, rural communities and those with generations of connection to the land to people from urban backgrounds who have never visited a bog.

After a day of restoration work on Abbeyleix Bog on Wednesday 26 August, the group will host a public evening event in Abbeyleix, open to all, where stories on the myths, legends, folklore and history of Irish peatlands will be told.

The camp is a youth-led programme that brings people to a range of peatland sites - healthy, degraded and restored - where they will take part in hands-on restoration activities and experience different practical restoration settings.

The programme offers a diverse mix of expert talks, restoration work and creative workshops, allowing people to engage with peatlands from ecological, scientific, social and cultural perspectives.

The Peat in Practice programme addresses what the collective describes as a critical gap in peatland restoration: the need for long-term, hands-on, community-based care, which is often overlooked and underfunded because it cannot be mechanised or outsourced.

The programme empowers the next generation of ‘peatland stewards’ by giving young people from diverse backgrounds practical restoration skills. At the same time, it supports local conservation efforts while celebrating the history, heritage and cultural relationships that connect people to the bog.

During the week, the group will explore paludiculture at Donie Regan’s family farm in Shinrone, Offaly, which is a demonstration site for the national Peatlands for Prosperity: Farming for the Future project.

They will also visit both degraded and protected peatland sites that include Clara Bog, a Natura 2000 area, gaining insight into conservation frameworks, regulations and peatland rights.

Creative engagement sessions with local artists will explore how peatlands can inspire creative restoration practices. A cultural strand runs throughout the camp, bringing together basket weaving, storytelling and music.

In advance of the midlands camp, Peat in Practice programme development coordinator Holly Bartley said: “I really believe camps offer something special. They give young people the chance to immerse themselves in the landscape, learn by doing and experience what it means to care for peatlands.

“I really hope this is just the first of many camps and that more and more young people will feel inspired to get involved and reconnect with their peatlands and local communities.” 

She added: "Last year, during our visit to Ireland, everywhere we went we were reminded of the value of local rootedness and the deep relationships people have with their bogs. We came away inspired and convinced of the potential of youth-led restoration camps.” 

Green Restoration Ireland founder Doug McMillan explained: “We see peatland restoration and carbon farming as two sides of the same coin - both are about giving farmers and communities practical, hands-on ways to work with the land rather than against it.

“The Farm Carbon Transitions EIP exists to build exactly this kind of bridge between science, farming practice and community knowledge, so supporting RE-PEAT's Peat in Practice camp felt like a natural fit from day one.

"It's also a brilliant way to bring young people into direct contact with Irish peatlands, local farmers and the restoration work already happening on the ground. This is exactly the kind of grassroots engagement Farm Carbon Transitions EIP is built around. We can't wait to welcome the camp to the midlands this August.” 

Registration is already full for the free camp, which is funded through the Peatlands and Natura Community Engagement Scheme (PNCES), operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.