The Turf-Cutter Speaks

In May 1978, while hand-cutting turf on Meenybraddan bog in County Donegal, a woollen cloak was uncovered about one metre below the surface. When opened, the cloak was found to contain a partially preserved human body. A sample of bone established a date of c.1570, confirming the late medieval period suggested by the cloak. The absence of oxygen in Irish bogs slows down the process of decay, preserving organic material for thousands of years.

Designed, hand-composed & letterpress printed by Jamie Murphy for the exhibition 'Extraction; Art on the Edge of the Abyss', Berkeley, USA. The type is Frutiger’s 14D Méridien. Printed above the colophon is an ink produced by mixing peat dust through a transparent base. 100 copies on various 115 gsm Griffen Mill Irish handmade papers.