++Amy Jessup By the Bog of Cats Research Paper Senior Project Class

Saw it writ in a bog-hole When first embarking on the journey that is By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr, it is crucial to first take into account the location of the setting. It is assumed that the playwright did not set her play into Midlands Ireland simply because it is her homeland. There is a deeper compulsion that requires the use of a location that is well-known inside and out to the writer. More simply put, if the playwright did not think location was important, then there would have been no point in mentioning one. Instead Marina Carr uses the passion of the Irish, the pride and collective consciousness of the whole as a stage to play out her version of the Greek tragedy Medea.

The Making of Bogs Since bogs are featured prominently in Carrs By the Bog of Cats, it seems only sensible to detail what exactly makes up a bog. While there are two main types of bogs, they appear similar and produce the same effect. Ireland has more bogs than any other country, except Finland. They are targeted for exploitation, due to

the mass amounts of peat found in bogs, which was the main source of fuel in Europe for many hundreds of years. Bogs are not suitable farmland for crops, as nothing grows on a bog, so for many years cutting the peat from the bog was the only way to get use from it. Livestock could be placed on a bog, since bog grass was common. However the nutrients of this land are very poor and require very hardy plants and animals to have a sustained growth. Most likely the type of bog featured in By the Bog of Cats is a Raised Bog, which are almost solely located in central Ireland, or the Midlands. These bogs are created through a lengthy process that dates back to the time when the glaciers were retreating from the land that would be Ireland. These glaciers left behind indents in the land, which collected water and formed ponds and lakes(Abbot). The lakes were thriving with life and used by early hunters to catch fish. Along the side of the lake was a variety of plant life such as reeds and grasses. When these plants died, the remnants fell to the bottom of the lake to start the process of making peat (Abbot). Normally when plants die, microorganisms decompose the pieces into usable parts, however in oxygen-deficient areas such as lakebeds often there is no oxygen to be found. Thus the plant parts never get fully broken down, slowly causing a buildup of peat, which will eventually overwhelm and crowd out the original lake. Since the plants havent been broken down, the peat has very little nutritional value and thus very little can grow. (Peatlands) This process takes hundreds and hundreds of years to accomplish, since it takes about 10 years for 1cm of peat to grow. This gives you a time frame as to how long bogs in Ireland have been growing as it would take 300 years to build a foot of peat.

Critters and Bugs The waterlogged bog land makes it very difficult for burrowing animals and large rooted trees to survive and thrive, but other creatures like insects and birds find it perfectly suiting to their tastes. Dragonflies, beetles and moths find an easy time surviving, as would any insect with an aquatic-based part of the life cycle. Small mammals can also make a life for themselves in the bog, but the types of animals differ depending on the type of bogs. For our research on raised bogs the only animals that are common to it are Irish Hares and the Pygmy Shrew. Found only in Ireland, the Irish Hare is similar to the mountain hare, both of which have strong hind legs and do not burrow but rather habitat in hollow depressions. Irish hares used to be a common sight and were hunted thoroughly enough to warrant a fullyear ban on the hunting of Irish hares in 2004. (Peatlands) Another interesting inhabitant of bog lands is the Greenland white-fronted goose. It has a mostly grey body with a white front, it is often found in Ireland grazing on the deer grass that grows on peat bogs. (Peatlands) While these birds are not common to raised bogs, they do bear a heavy resemblance to the black swan mentioned in Carrs By the Bog of Cats. These geese to not live in Ireland full-time but rather migrate to different lands depending on the weather. Bog bodies and other strange finds

While bogs are mainly comprised of dead plants and water, sometimes more exotic things are found buried in the peat. All of these things are helped by the preservative properties of the Sphagnum moss, which lends its properties to the things buried around it. Oddly enough, the most common item found in bogs is barrels of butter, with an amazing 270 kegs of butter uncovered in the bogs of Ireland. In addition to butter, items such as medieval weaponry and bodies have also been pulled out of peat (Madrigal). Bog bodies are an especially unappetizing find due to the distinct lack of aging of the bodies. The bog preserves the bodies, clothing even hair far more than normal. This usually leads to a quick summation of what killed them. In a few unlucky cases, ropes and nooses used to kill the people were still around their necks as bog bodies (Madrigal). Because of the number of bog bodies, scientists believe that bogs were the place of ritual sacrifices. On a less gruesome note, there is a body dated back to 300 BC that was found with an ancient form of hair gel, made from vegetable oil mixed with pine resin. Weather in the Emerald Isle With a name like the Emerald Isle, it is only to be expected that the island receive a substantial amount of rainfall to maintain its legendary emerald color. Ireland is directly in the path of the Gulf Stream which means it can have the climate of the mid-east united states while having the latitude similar to Newfoundland in Canada. (Ireland Weather Maps) Snow is not a common occurrence in Ireland except for in the mountainous areas, which helps us to narrow

down a location for the mythical Bog of Cats. However the winter months still have quite a have quite a heavy rainfall and with temperatures generally around 41 degrees F it would not be far-fetched to imagine a winter storm that could cover and freeze the midlands to create a scene similar to the opening of By the Bog of Cats. Heart and Head of the Irish People To understand the reasoning behind the Irish setting, one must either have grown up in it, as Marina Carr did, or make a careful study of it. However even the most in depth study couldnt cover everything since the Irish spirit is far too inexplicable. In the Irish culture there is a sense of pride that holds them far tighter than anything else, indeed it is the first thing one recalls about the Irish and many a thing that gets an Irishman into a fight. In Lenoard Wibberlys The Trouble with the Irish he recounts when he had been relocated to an English school to escape the dangers of the clashing sections of Ireland, an art teacher made an innocuous comment, Do not let the yellow and blue mix, the result will be a dirty green. The authors reaction to this comment was explosive. To him the color green was synonymous with his country, people and their culture. (Wibberly 16) At the time of this comment, the author was 11. This should give an idea as to just how early and strongly pride is instilled into the Irish culture. Importance of being dead There is an indistinct line drawn between the world of the living and dead in By the Bog of Cats, there is an even more indistinct line in the real lives of the Irish. As Wibberly cleverly quoted in his book, It has been said of the Irish, and the saying

greeted with a clap of delight, that they are ruled more by the dead than by the living. (Wibberly 20) This is proven over and over in the course of Irish history, as they cherish their past as if the past is the dinner service on the table out of which they eat a daily meal (Wibberly 21) There has been such a rift between Ireland and their neighbors that the past cannot help but affect many. The wars between the two countries have left behind scars that can still be widely felt among Irish people. And while it is one thing to fight another country, it is even more unsettling to fight against yourself. The troubles between Ireland and Northern Ireland are still almost too recent to remark upon. The war has left the two cultures so different that they even act and react differently. In addition the religious aspect of the country as a whole is changing from what it once was. The Catholic religion was widespread and an everyday part of life for all Irish. However, lately Ireland has been changing and is in a process of secularization that is slowing changing the prevalent way of living for all Irish. (Wilson 174) Wibberlys quote holds even more water when the Irishs spiritual beliefs are under consideration. A large part of the population is Catholic, which has been the dominant organized religion for centuries. However there are many Irish that also share those beliefs with those of the occult. These beliefs, like their folklore, vary from person to person as do the seriousness of these beliefs. Characters like Catwoman, in By the Bog of Cats are not a far stretch of the imagination. Especially considering that there is folklore or ancient traditions embedded in almost everything and every aspect of the Irish life. Its no surprise that Carr set her play

here with the combination of the strict rulings of the Catholic church and the more mystical and unknown world of the occult. Family The heavily catholic point of view has for ages affected the birth rate and size of families in Ireland. The Catholic rejection of birth control methods led to large Irish families of ten or eleven children were common. Large families in addition to struggling job markets has been blamed as a key reason poor Ireland has stayed poor so long (Bartlett 472) Into the twenty-first century things in the Irish household began to change. Suddenly one-third of all children were born out of wedlock and one-third of all marriages ended in divorce, which had been recently legalized. The country that had once been ruled and guided by the church was slowly slipping away from it. The clerical sex abuse scandals also caused even more substantial mistrust in the church. The number of vocations reached an all-time low (Bartlett 473) These troubles also mirror the familial troubles that are at the root of Hesters problems in By the Bog of Cats. There is no guarantee that if she had been officially married to Carthage the story would have ended differently, but she would have been able to have a better side to her argument. While divorce had been legalized at the time of the play, it was still frowned upon by the smaller and more Catholic-driven towns. Travelling People, Tinkers and Gypsies

The Travellers certainly have managed the most colorful histories of the Irish people, choosing to live a migrant life instead of settling in a single place. Though plenty of land was available for these people to settle in, they chose to live a traveling life and see to their needs by tinsmithing and peddling items from one side of Ireland to another. Their unique way of living made it hard for the Irish people to categorize the Travellers, this turned into a debate as to whether or not the Travellers can be considered a minority ethnic or not. All the while anti-traveller racism has been promoted through propaganda, false testaments as well as simply fear of the different (Wilson 75). Many of the arguments posed against the Travellers are valid. The schooling of children that belong to the Travellers as well as health care is difficult to put to a group of people that insist on moving from land to land. While the obvious method of reaching an understanding lies in compromise, this is often easier said than done. While the non-Travellers have a hard time relating to their wandering cousins, it is even more difficult for young Travellers to understand their options outside of their lifestyle. For example, There is a strong leveling tendency within Traveller society which can result in the application of negative sanctions against an individual who takes a job and thus appears to be rising above his proper station in life. (Wilson 76) This statement shows that the desire to remain equal amongst the Travellers is so strong that they would even put down on of their own because he was able to rise to a better station. No matter what the individual wish or dream is amongst the Travellers, they must continue to earn their way as they having, distaining anything that would put them higher in the realm of the settled people

even if such actions led to a more wealthy and affluent Travellers (Wilson 76) These largely misunderstood people are even more difficult to comprehend in a world of people striving to better themselves and to get ahead. While their culture seems completely backward and strange, it must seem equally so for the Travellers when they look at what has become of our modern society and way of living. After looking in-depth at some of the nuances of Irish culture, its pretty clear to see that there is proof that Carr relied heavily on the Irish culture to uphold her play. From the family relations to the treatment of the travellers, there are many examples of modern Irish culture that Carr has written into her play. When you consider how much culture exists in the country of Ireland it is not surprising why she would place her plays here. When a country is universally known for its fierce loyalty, courage and passion in everything they do, who wouldnt use this beautiful locale to set a play? When constructing characters, the playwright seeks to make the characters as strong and complex as possible, which would make setting By the Bog of Cats in Ireland an extremely sensible decision. That fact, coupled with Carrs own personal and in depth knowledge of the country and culture as well as detailed grasp of the accented language make this play the richly colored story that is By the Bog of Cats.

Sources Cited:

Abbot, Patrick. "Ireland's Peat Bogs." Wesley Johnston. 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/geography/bogs.html>. Bartlett, Thomas. Ireland: a History. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. Print. De, Paor Liam. The Peoples of Ireland: from Prehistory to Modern times. London: Hutchinson, 1986. Print. "Information About Bogs from the Blanket Bog Restoration Project in Ireland." Active Blanket Bog Restoration Project Ireland, Restoring the Wildlife Habitat Peatlands of the West of Ireland. Coillte, 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.irishbogrestorationproject.ie/about_bogs.html>. "Irish Peatland Conservation Council - Information Sheets - Bog Bodies." Home Page for IPCC. 2000. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ipcc.ie/infobogbodies.html>. "Ireland Weather Maps Provided by MET EIREANN." Ireland Bed and Breakfast Guide, Cheap Advertising for Irish Vacation Holiday Home and B&B Hotel Accommodation Owners. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.guide-toireland.com/irelandweather.php>. Madrigal, Alexis. "Bogosphere: The Strangest Things Pulled Out of Peat Bogs | Wired Science | Wired.com." Wired.com. 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/bogosphere/>. "Peatlands." Department of Environment Homepage | Department of Environment Northern Ireland. 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/biodiversity/habitats-2/peatlands.htm>. Wibberley, Leonard. The Trouble with the Irish: or the English, Depending on Your Point of View. London: F. Muller, 1958. Print.

Wilson, Thomas M., and Hastings Donnan. The Anthropology of Ireland. New York: Berg, 2006. Print.