Arguably, farming in many parts of Ireland is difficult, but this is certainly true in Co Leitrim, where a majority of the landscape is made up of drumlins that form part of the northwest drumlin belt. Drumlins formed when unsorted glacial drift was deposited as the ice retreated at the end of an ice age.

Here, the drumlin topography is associated with heavy, wet soils, such as surface-water gleys (slowly permeable sub-surface layer) occurring in glacial drift deposits. Between the drumlins, basin peat is a common feature.

The wet climate and poorly draining soils result in a relatively short grazing season and issues of poaching, which together mean that farming can be unforgiving in this part of the country.

Lough Allen provides a natural divide to the county, with the northwest being more hilly and mountainous when compared with the southeast, where it is relatively flat.

As well as the drumlins, there are pockets of blanket peat found here, located to the east, west and south of Manorhamilton. Also, blanket peat is found in border locations to the east and to the west of Lough Allen.

To the south of Mohill, the presence of a lowland raised bog with some industrial peat can be found. The continued growth of both of these peat types is considered due to rainfall as opposed to topography and the groundwater table.

Overall, peat is a major feature of this landscape, in particular in the upland areas in the northern half of the county.

Poor drainage is a major soil problem in Leitrim with water-affected soils accounting for almost all soils. Surface-water gleys and humic surface-water gleys dominate the landscape. Gleys are soils that are affected by seasonal or continuous waterlogging, giving rise to a greyish colour.

Surface-water gleys form due to a slowly permeable sub-surface layer associated with a heavy textured sub-soil, resulting in poor drainage and giving rise to seasonal waterlogging.

The high clay content means that these soils are considered heavy from a farming perspective and have more limited agricultural uses, but some may benefit from artificial drainage.

Although still common, albeit to a lesser extent, humic surface-water gleys are prevalent and can be found in areas around Kinlough and Manorhamilton. As well as evidence of gleying, these soils have humic topsoil, meaning that although classified as a mineral soil as opposed to a peat soil, there is a high accumulation of organic matter.

The third most commonly found soil types are alluvial soils. These soils form in the deposits of river or lake alluvium. In Leitrim, it is along rivers such as the Shannon and lakes including Lough Allen that these soils can be found. Again, the use-range of these soils can be limited due to the high potential of regular flooding and the high water table.