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An evocative social history of Europe''s peatlands, moors, bogs and heaths. Donald S. Murray spent much of his childhood either playing or working on the moor, chasing sheep across empty acres and cutting and gathering peat for fuel. The Dark Stuff is an examination of how this landscape affected him and others. Donald explores his early life on the Isle of Lewis together with the experiences of those who lived near moors much further afield, from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and even Australia. Examining this environment in all its roles and guises, Donald reflects on the ways that for centuries humans have represented the moor in literature, art and folktale, and he reveals how in some countries, these habitats remain an essential aspect of their industrial heritage and working life today. On his journey, Donald confronts the unexpected - how Europe''s peatlands are part of the dark heart of that continent, playing a crucial role in the history of crime and punishment in several countries. He also examines our current perception of moorland, asking how - for the sake, perhaps, of our planet''s survival - we can learn to love a landscape we have all too often in our history denigrated, feared and despised.
List of contents
PART 1: Ru`sgadh - TurfingChapter 1: Fraoch (Scottish Gaelic) - Heather
Chapter 2: Lyng (Danish) - Heather
Chapter 3: Heide (Dutch) - Heather
PART 2: Mo`ine Bha`n - White PeatChapter 4: Vaalea Rahkasammalturve (Finnish) - White Peat
Chapter 5: Grauveen (Dutch) - Grey Turf
Chapter 6: Skyumpik (Shetland) - Mossy Peat
Chapter 7: Svörður (eastern Iceland) - Turf, Peat
PART 3: Fa`d a' Gha`rraidh - The Wall PeatChapter 8: Möini¿n Pollach (Irish) - Small Pitted Bogs
Chapter 9: Bluster (Shetland) - Rough Peat
PART 4: Mo`ine Dhubh - Caoran - Black PeatChapter 10: Blue Clod (Shetland) - Dark Peat
Chapter 11: Musta Turve (Finnish) - Black Peat
Chapter 12: Schwarztorf (German) - Black Peat
PART 5: Rathad an Isein - The Birds' PathChapter 13: Su`il-chruthaich (Scottish Gaelic) - Quagmire or Bog, literally 'the eye of creation'
Select Bibliography
A Spadar Gives Thanks...
Index
About the author
Donald S. Murray comes from Ness at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis and now lives in Shetland. An award-winning writer, playwright and poet, Donald is the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction books including
As the Women Lay Dreaming,
The Guga Stone and
Herring Tales, which was one of
The Guardian's nature books of the year in 2015.
