A group in North Clare are hoping to rekindle Ireland’s relationship with bogs and reclaim them as a positive heath and community space.
Ireland’s first ever bog sauna will open this weekend at Common Knowledge in Kilfenora. The sauna, which is set in the centre of 50 acres of bog and trees, was built this year by volunteers taking part in a sauna building workshop.
The sauna is fitted with a large window overlooking the bog and is fed with bog water. Local bog plants are also used to give scent to the sauna, which has a mini plunge pool filled with mineral rich bog water.
There are also plans to construct a outside bog bathing area for people using the sauna.
According to Daithí O’Reilly, Centre manager at Common Knowledge, this is all part of a move to rehabilitate the value of bogs in the minds of Irish people.
“If you think about going out onto the bog in January, you might not associate that with being warm or convivial. Having the sauna here is a way for us to help connect with the elements a bit more,” he told The Clare Champion.
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Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and podcaster who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.