Brown gold : a history of Bord na Móna and the Irish peat industry / Donal Clarke.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Bord na Mona, established in 1934, began as the final manifestation of an idea which surfaced in the seventeenth century - that the vast peatlands of Ireland could be developed for the economic benefit of the people. It is now a relatively small company developing a range of businesses based on the engineering and scientific skills it has built up over 75 years. It owns 80,000 ha of peatland, employs approximately 1,800 people and operates out of 30 localities mainly in Ireland, but also in the United Kingdom and eastern United States. It has a turnover of nearly €293 million. This book is the story of how a crusade became a commercial enterprise. It is the result of extensive research into the company's archives and is a fascinating insight into one of Ireland's best known companies.