{"id":1470,"date":"2013-08-31T16:57:24","date_gmt":"2013-08-31T08:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nolligan.co.uk\/SU\/?p=1470"},"modified":"2021-12-01T10:26:15","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T02:26:15","slug":"turf-cutting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nolligan.ie\/SU\/turf-cutting\/","title":{"rendered":"Turf Cutting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"turf<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My grandfather cut more turf in a day
\nThan any other man on Toner’s bog.
\nOnce I carried him milk in a bottle
\nCorked sloppily with paper. He straightened up
\nTo drink it, then fell to right away<\/p>\n

Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods
\nOver his shoulder, going down and down
\nFor the good turf. Digging.<\/p>\n

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
\nOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
\nThrough living roots awaken in my head.
\nBut I’ve no spade to follow men like them.<\/p>\n

Between my finger and my thumb
\nThe squat pen rests.
\nI’ll dig with it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

from “Digging”,\u00a0Death of a Naturalist<\/i>\u00a0(1966)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  My grandfather cut more turf in a day Than any other man on Toner’s bog. Once I carried him milk in a bottle Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up To drink it, then fell to right away Nicking … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"quote","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[27,67],"class_list":["post-1470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-quote","hentry","category-eire","category-poetry","tag-eire","tag-poetry","post_format-post-format-quote"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t