The main objective of this thesis was to determine how and why peat fails with the aim of reducing the threat caused by this and also for prevention of the occurrence. Peat is a very common soil in both the UK and Ireland so knowing how it fails and how to prevent it is hugely beneficial. To do this three seperate case studies where analysised, all located in Ireland but in different areas, to see if the failure methods had any similarities or differences that could be linked together. The main finding was that therewas not one sole causal factor for all peat slides but instead a combination of different factors; although some factors are more influential than others for example rainfall. A number of solutions where put forward such as a drainage system for the peat slopes and while they are limited, due to most of the factors being of natural origin, they have the potential to reduce the likelihood and frequnecy of failures if properly implemented.