1 July 2020

Dawn of Hope: a major peat landslide in County Leitrim, Republic of Ireland

Posted by Dave Petley

Dawn of Hope: a major peat landslide in County Leitrim, Republic of Ireland

Exceptional rainfall on Sunday 28 June 2020 triggered a major landslide at Dawn of Hope in Count Leitrim in the Republic of Ireland. This is an unusual landslide – the failure of a peat bogPeat bog landslides are remarkable for their mobility and for the damage that they can cause.

The Irish Farmers Journal has a report about this event, which has seen the failure of a large area of peat bog and deposition on a large area too.  The location is 54.201, -8.086 if you wish to take a look.

The best understanding of this remarkable failure can be gained from a series of three drone videos posted to Youtube by Garadice 2000.  The best overview can be gained from the second in the series, which at the end appears to provide a view of the source area of the landslide:-

Dawn of Hope landslide

The source area of the Dawn of Hope landslide in County Leitrim. Still from a video posted to Youtube.

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Meanwhile the video in the following tweet provides a really good impression of the long track of the landslide:-

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The landslide has caused extensive damage downstream. This image, from the Irish Farmers Journal, shows the inundated area:-

Dawn of Hope landslide

The area inundated by the Dawn of Hope landslide in County Leitrim. Image by John O’Hanlon IFA, via the Irish Farmers Journal.

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Quickslide 1: The Old Fort landslide has slowed

The Old Fort landslide in Canada has slowed considerably, with a reported movement rate of about 10 cm per hour.  Unfortunately, heavy rainfall is forecast for the next few days.

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Quickslide 2: More heavy rainfall in China

China has once again issued a rainfall warning, this time for the regions of Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang. Over 12 million people have been affected so far.