Ireland's Black Gold

Peat is commonly known by the Irish as 'turf' and has been harvested for centuries by a method known as 'cutting.' Peat has been an invaluable source of heat and energy throughout history in Ireland. It was found to be a useful alternative to firewood for cooking and heating throughout Ireland and other parts of the European continent. Harvested from the bogs scattered throughout the Irish landscape, peat forms over time from decaying vegetation.

The Forgotten Fuel

Peat is the forgotten fuel. While oil, coal and natural gas are exported around the world, few people outside Northern Europe are aware of this energy source. Peat is thick, muddy and when harvested, looks like dark, earthen bricks. Traditional peat harvesting involves a farmer cutting thick strips of peat with a large, sharp hoe. 

Siobhán's Irish Firewood is this traditionally harvested, rough Irish turf. Industrial turf harvesting involves huge tractors that scrape peat from the surface of bogs. This scraped peat is then shredded, and collected into bricks. The bricks are compressed in order to force out any moisture, and then dried further using heat and pressure. The resulting peat brick (or briquette as they are commonly known) is a fuel that is virtually smokeless, slow-burning, and easy to store and transport. Briquettes are widely used to heat homes and business throughout the country. Siobhán's Irish Fire Logs are Irish peat briquettes made from the finest milled peat, Ireland's answer to burning wood.