Formation

Millions of years ago, the island of Ireland was covered in forest.   The climate in some parts of Ireland began to change and became much wetter. Forests died and were buried in swamps before they had time to decay. The dead plants did not rot due to the facts that there wasn't any air in the water but gather together and formed a soggy pile. New plants which liked living in wet areas grew on top of the dead plants and in turn they died.  Over millions of years the soggy plants turned into peat and formed a bog.

On this photograph we can see the different layers within the bog. Top Layer -Living plants and animals Middle Layer - Decaying material Bottom Layer - Peat