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Doire Magazine is a creative exploration into wood as a natural material, individuals whose work and lifestyle revolve around wood, and places surrounded and enthralled by wood. Doire is the Irish Gaelic word for ‘wood’. Having explored wood within Northern Ireland, the Irish influence is very apparent throughout the magazine. - Ellen Green
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Contents
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The Material Bark | 8
Wood comes in many different varieties.
Burnt Wood | 14 A Photo Essay.
The Tool
Tommy Patterson | 22 A woodsman living and working in the heart of the Mourne Mountains.
Down Woodturners | 34 A group of woodturners who meet to share their passion for creating beautiful wood pieces.
The Roots
Peatland Park | 54 A look at Northern Ireland’s decreasing peat trade and one of the main peatlands keeping it alive.
Tollymore Forest Park | 68 A chat with the Forest Officer of County Down about the current projects in Tollymore.
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The Material
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A look at wood as a natural material, in its realist form
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Bark
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Firewood
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The Tool
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A look at people whose lives revolve around wood
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Tommy Patterson A woodworker living and working in the heart of the Mournes
Tommy Patterson is a very talented woodworker in Northern Ireland. He is 55 years old and has made a successful career out of creating wooden furniture from scratch. Being his own boss, he works alone in his workshop, only accompanied by his adorable German-Sheppard dog, Benji. Tommy has worked in this trade, for the past 30 years, inheriting his passion for woodwork from his father. Located just outside Bryansford, a small village in County Down, Tommy’s workshop borders Tollymore Forest Park, situated at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. On one side lies the dense and eerie woodland of Tollymore, and on the other a vast array of fields stretching as far as the eye can see. Being in such a great location, the view is stunning from every angle. His house sits in front of the workshop with cream walls and beautiful red wooden detailing along the roof edging and windows, making it look almost like a traditional fairy-tale house. The workshop behind is purely functional and therefore isn’t quite as charming being made out of dull grey plaster with a green tin roof. 22
Step into his workshop and you are bombarded with an outrageous amount of wooden. Everywhere you look there are wooden planks newly made furniture and cut offs. To the left of the entrance is Tommys’ small office, scattered with huge stacks of paperwork, old shabby clothes and a desktop computer that must be at least 15 years old. The first room is like a huge warehouse filled with masses of wood and dirty machinery. Everything is packed around the sides and the middle of the workshop, leaving one thin, circular pathway to walk around. The entirety of the space is a organised chaos.
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Some would describe Tommy as a Luddite but his creations speak for themselves. He is a very successful, unassuming
and talented craftsman.
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“The entirety of his workshop is covered in a layer of sawdust, making it difficult to take a step without treading on wood chippings and discarded wood.”
Through another door you enter even larger, darker room. Unlike the previous, this is tidy and organised. There is a further mass of wooden planks, this time stacked in tall shelves specific to their wood type and size. As I arrived Tommy was working on a set of wooden stairs. He gave me a whistle stop tour of his space, telling me of all the different work he is commissioned to do. Amongst other things, his main orders are for stairs for people’s homes. Other projects include furniture such as tables and chairs. Tommy doesn’t have any internet presence, or even have his own official business title. Having lived in the same area all his life, he has built up an admirable reputation, as well as a good relationship with many people in surrounding town and villages. These are the people that give him his custom, as well as advertising his
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skills through word of mouth. Tommy was the primary contractor area all his life, he has built up an admirable reputation, as well as a good relationship with many people in surrounding town and villages. These are the people that give him his custom, as well as advertising his skills through word of mouth. Tommy was the primary contractor to a project renovating the inside of Clonduff Presbyterian Church, only a few miles from his home. He used solid Oak to build all the pews, doors, stairs and feature walls in the church. I had the opportunity to visit the church and see the finished product. As it was only completed a year ago, everything still looked very bright, modern and professionaly finished. Some would describe Tommy as a Luddite, but his creations speak for themselves. He is a very successful, unassuming and talented craftsman.
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Down Woodturners A small group of People who meet up and share an interest in woodturning 35
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Down Woodturners are a small group of people who meet the last Friday of each month to share their passion for woodturning. The group have around 15 members from across County Down in Northern Ireland. They meet in a small workshop in the stunning Dromara Hills, just outside a small town called Ballynahinch. When the group come together they learn about the traditional practice of woodturning. Each week they have a ‘professional’ come in to demonstrate different methods, techniques and crafts they can undertake. These vary from professional to beginners techniques depending on the level of experience each person has. The majority of the members that come are over 60. Woodturning, for them, is a hobby however some of the group are professionals whose occupation is centered around woodturning and crafting. The youngest member is a 19 year old boy who is at least 40 years younger than the other members. He wants to learn the craft and ideally develop his passion for woodworking into a successful business.
“In the modern age, so much of our work and daily lives can be removed from the physical act of creation. Woodturning is a romantic art that returns to the traditional roots.” In the modern age, so much of our work and daily lives can be removed from the physical act of creation. Woodturning is a romantic art that returns to the traditional roots. It is a form of woodwork that is used to create wooden objects on a rotating tool machine called a lathe, accompanied with a hand held chisel. Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it. One of the pleasures of woodturning is that it is possible to start with a scrap piece of wood harvested from natural sources and turn it into a beautiful finished product in the space of a weekend.
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“I was, and I still am baffled by the transformation into this The place they meet is in Tony Rea’s workshop, which is used for his own business, ‘Tony Rea’s professional looking, Creative Woodturning’. Tony and his wife Lorraine run their own business of carving and crafting wood into different objects, such as finished article.” bowls, platters, lamps and birdhouses. Their work
has been published in various Irish magazines, and they have travelled to America to demonstrate at large workshops. The workshop is behind his house and is a small, old-fashioned style building with a slab of wood above the door carved with the words ‘Creative Woodturning’. When I walked into the workshop, it was quite tiny with tools and machinery stacked around the edge of the room. Being late evening and poorly lit, the workshop was very dark with only 2 bright bulbs shining directly onto the main machine at the front of the room, looking quite theatrical. In preparation for the meeting, there were 15 chairs placed in the middle facing the front of the room. The whole workshop looks old fashioned and out-dated with old machinery, wooden tools and finished projects. At the back of the room, on display there are different handmade bowls the group have made in various woods and shapes beautifully crafted and finished. Tony explained how each member brought in a scrap piece of wood and throughout the evening used the lathe and chisel to turn the wood into a stunning piece, some more experimental and creative than others. The group were so eager to show off their previous work they had made, ranging from volcanoes to mini farm animals. As the members started to arrive, the little workshop got very crowded. This week they had a professional woodturner called Eugene Grimely who travels all around the UK running workshops and demonstrations. He came in to show them how to make a few different objects. Being quite well known in the woodturning community, the Down Woodturners feel quite privileged to have him as their president.
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To begin the session, the chairman of the group passed around an article in a magazine that featured some of the members from a recent event. He then proceeded to introduce Eugene and explain what he would be doing throughout the session. Eugene started off with what he claimed was the easiest object to make. This was a small wooden duck. He told us of how in preparation for the Easter holidays, he and a small group of artists volunteered for a charity in Northern Ireland making and painting 1,000 of these wooden ducks. When they had finished, the ducks were sent to hospitals and given to the children who had to spend Easter in hospital. He picked up a small piece of scrap wood that looked like it had just been cut off a tree, secured it to the lathe and began to chisel as it rotated. Bits of woodchipings flew everywhere as he worked into it. Surprisingly it began to take shape very quickly and in no time at all a little duck was produces out of the rough, scrap piece of wood. I was, and I still am baffled by the transformation into this professional looking, finished article, and how little time it took to complete. Running on from this, using the same technique he quickly produced a wooden knife and a candlestick, each getting progressively more difficult and impressive. When the session ended, Eugene distributed leaflets on each craft piece detailing how each piece was produced offering the members the opportunity to attempt this themselves. As the evening came to an end, the members chatted about the evenings events over a cup of tea and biscuits. Before I left, the chairman gave me my very own professional, wooden pen to keep that he had hand crafted himself. I was so overwhelmed by their kindness and willingness to pass on their knowledge and experience that evening. It was great to see a group of people still so interested in the traditional act of woodturning and be able to experience something that is going so much out of fashion.
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The Roots
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A look at places surrounded and enthralled by wood
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Peatlands Park For many years, peat was Ireland’s main source of fuel 54
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Peat is a mixture of decomposed plant material that has gathered in a watersaturated environment. It is the first stage of transformation of plant matter into coal. Peatlands, particularly bogs, are the most important source of peat. Other less common wetlands such as fens or swamps also deposit the substance. Peat is used for fuel, and for much of the 20th century, it was Ireland’s main source. In Northern Ireland, large-scale domestic and industrial peat usage is widespread. Evidence of turf cutting, can be dated back 1500 years. There is small scale domestic turf cutting in rural areas, however areas of bog lands have been diminished because of changes in agriculture. Afforestation has seen the establishment of cautious steps towards conservation, such as at Peatlands Park, which is now an Area of Special Scientific Interest. The peat has been forming in this land for about 10,000 years. It is a country park just off the coast of Northern Ireland’s biggest lough, Lough Neagh. As peat farms are becoming so scarse, Peatland Parks has become a popular attraction for families and schools to learn about the traditional method.
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Peat is a mixture of decomposed plant material that has gathered in a watersaturated environment. It is the first stage of transformation of plant matter into coal.
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Each locality developed their own particular cutting techniques and tools. These have been demonstrated throught the park with quotes from a man whose daily life revolved around peat. “Easter was a busy time on the farm but I had a make a start when the weather was dry and get the moss ready for cutting. Of course you had big off the oul’ scraw to get all the heather out of the way before you cut a single turf. It was hard going but it did your heart good to hear the skylark singing and feel the sun on your back. If your kept your eyes peeled you might be lucky and see a hare and her leverets running across the bog.” “To cut turf we used these special spades which some people call slean’s. You could tell where a man came fro just by looking at their turf spade, with every district making their own type. On furm turf like this we use choppers and breasting spades to cut the turf at chest level. The turf was light and easy to throw onto the bank but on most the bogs the turf was heavy and then you had to use the common turf spade to cut underfoot.”
“A couple of weeks after I had finished cutting the turf, the backbreaking work of footing the turf started. By the time the wind and the sun had dried out these small stacks, the youngsters were getting off school and could help out making the big stack. We took great pride in our turf stacks and indeed its fair to say that there was a bit of competition between families to have the tidiest turf stack on the bog. With the turf won we were busy saving the hay but when we had time we would draw the turf home.” “When we first heard of these machines we though they were a great idea. They could cut more in 1 hour than I could in a week with my spade. But over the years I’ve noticed that they leave no room for people and many of the plants and animals we know so well have disappeared. In our day we burned turf but most people nowadays seem to use peat in their gardens. Somehow these hugh bare brown areas that are left don’t look or feel like the bogs that we grew up with. These machines may have eased the workload but I wonder at what cost?”
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Seamus Heaney ‘Bogland’ We have no prairies To slice a big sun at evening-Everywhere the eye concedes to Encrouching horizon, Is wooed into the cyclops' eye Of a tarn. Our unfenced country Is bog that keeps crusting Between the sights of the sun. They've taken the skeleton Of the Great Irish Elk Out of the peat, set it up An astounding crate full of air. Butter sunk under More than a hundred years Was recovered salty and white. The ground itself is kind, black butter Melting and opening underfoot, Missing its last definition By millions of years. They'll never dig coal here, Only the waterlogged trunks Of great firs, soft as pulp. Our pioneers keep striking Inwards and downwards, Every layer they strip Seems camped on before. The bogholes might be Atlantic seepage. The wet centre is bottomless. 62
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Tollymore Forest Park A tour of the current maintenance projects going on in Tollymore Tollymore Forest Park was the first state park in Northern Ireland, established in 1955. It is located near Newcastle, on the coast of County Down, sitting at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. Covering 1,600 acres, it has been named as an Area of Special Scientific Interest due to its geology, and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Tollymore is managed by the Forest Service in Northern Ireland who endeavour to make it ideal for visitors to come and enjoy. There are 4 signposted walking trails, some as long as 8 miles. This stunning area requires constant management which ensures it remains safe and pleasurable for the public. I met up with one of the Forest Officers, Janet Taylor. Janet gave me a tour of the forest and showed me the current projects ongoing at Tollymore. As you turn off the main road at the entrance to Tollymore you are greeted with a huge gothic design gate dating back to the 1780’s. The mile long driveway leading up to the car park is lined with huge Himalayan Cedars towering over the road, through the trees you get a glimpse of the beautiful Mourne Mountains on the left. From the car park you over look the huge mountain covered in trees which offers spectacular views of the Forest. The Shimna River winds its way through the Park and is crossed by 16 bridge, the oldest dating back to 1726. The Park carries a lot of history, being home to many ruins and old structures. These ruins have not been altered, on the contrary they have been incorporated into the park. Its medieval look is admired by many and is currently one of the locations for the filming of the TV series, Game of Thrones. 69
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I met Janet on a dull, overcast morning. Janet as a Forest Officer for Down Stewardship NI Forest Service, is in charge of all maintenance in each of the forests across County Down. We initially drove to a part of the forest that has been undergoing intense maintenance. Many of the trees have started to decay and have become a huge threat to people walking through the area. These huge Larch trees have been there for hundreds of years, but due to their great height and thickness it is too dangerous allowing them to continue standing. Many of the trees had been cut down but still remained as they not been moved prior to my visit. There were 5 large trees lying grimly in an empty space, looking almost like a graveyard for dead trees. As Janet was showing me around, she noticed that many more of the trees in this area had started to decay and soon could be very dangerous. Within the same area, many trees had ivy growing up and around their trunks. This can cause problems, as the ivy grows stronger and thicker it can destroy them by strangling. After visiting the small area of trees that had been felled, I was curious as to where we would venture next, would it would be more of the same thing or maybe on a larger scale? We got back in her car and drove through the forest, deeper and deeper. We began driving up the mountain getting further into Mournes, traveling further than any walkers would dare to venture. After driving for approximately 10 minutes into the forest, surrounded by tall deep trees, we turned a corner and all that could be seen on either side of the road where layers of cut down trees. Thousands upon thousands of trimmed trunks were laid in rows down the hill for as far as we could see. It was such a heartbreaking sight and quite surreal. I had never seen tree felling on such a grand scale before. Janet explained how a disease called Phytophthora Ramorum had spread amongst the Larch trees in this area, this had resulted in the cutting down of approx. 12,500 trees. The disease instantly kills the tree and can spread as easily being carried in the wind or mist. I wanted to get closer to the trees to inspect them further, but I wasn’t allowed to go near them as it could result in further spreading from the soles of my shoes. 73
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Thousands upon thousands of trimmed trunks were laid in rows down the hill for as far as we could see.
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We travelled even further along the road, the devastating sight of cut down trees continued for some distance. When we finally got to the end of the stack of trunks there was a team of men cutting down even more of the Larches. I was unable to get too close but I was still able to see trees being felled, one every minute. This ensures they are able to cover large areas in a relatively short period of time. Janet advised me that it would take at least two weeks to clear the large mass of dead trees, aswell as substantial man power. Fortunately within 3 years the area will be harvested and a further crop of trees planted. The plan is to plant a new crop of Douglas Fir or Scots Pine which will take decades to grow. The intention is to restore the area back to its original tree covered glory.
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On leaving Tollymore I felt touched and was quite emotional about my whole experience there. In this age of destruction, global warming and pollution, where financial gain appears to be the priority it is very reassuring to know that there are people and organisations that care. It was very disheartening to see those grand and beautiful trees cut down and lying around, discarded and soon to be forgotten. However the genuine love and respect for the area shown by Janet and here colleagues gave me hope for the future. The work they are carrying out presently is truly inspiring, and even more so by the fact that they may not be around to see the fruition of the toils. Their legacy will be that generations to come will be able to walk around the stunning Tollymore Forest and see it as nature had intended.
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Photographs, articles and design by Ellen Green Special thanks to: Sarson Press for production Tommy Patterson, Down Woodturners group and Janet Taylor for being featured
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