Turbary Writes at Artful Parks Celebrated as Heritage Week Success

Artfulparks was delighted to welcome approximately 150 visitors to Clonaghadoo for Turbary Writes, a special evening of heritage, nature, music, storytelling and spoken word held as part of National Heritage Week 2026.

Taking place on Saturday, 22 August, the event brought people together in the heart of the bog to celebrate its rich cultural heritage while exploring the exciting new chapter being written for this unique landscape.

The evening began with a guided tour led by Artfulparks founder Brian Gorman, giving visitors an insight into the transformation of the family’s former peat-harvesting bog. Once part of a working landscape that supplied fuel to generations of local families, the land is now being carefully restored and reimagined as a place for biodiversity, education, recreation, art and sustainable tourism.

Visitors explored the developing trails and learned more about the ongoing restoration of the bog, including the rewetting of the peatland and the return of native plants and wildlife.

Following the tour, the bog provided a truly unique setting for an evening of poetry, storytelling and live music, presented in collaboration with Amanda Kelly of Power of Words Events. A wonderful collection of writers, musicians and performers shared work inspired by nature, heritage, community and the landscape.

The event perfectly reflected the theme of National Heritage Week 2026, Heritage at Risk, recognising both the generations of people who worked the Midlands bogs and the importance of protecting and restoring these landscapes for generations to come.

The success of Turbary Writes – and the fantastic response from everyone who attended – has already led to calls for an encore.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who joined us on the evening, along with all of the performers, contributors and organisations whose support helped make the event possible.

Turbary Writes was organised with the support of the Offaly and Laois Heritage Offices, Creative Ireland Offaly and the Heritage Council.