Co. Clare - Bridges of Ross

Geologists at work

At Loop Head, there are plenty of interesting geological features to make it a good stop off point on an organised field trip or, for someone with more casual interests, you can just take in the views.

Sand volcanoes

Moving on to Bridges of Ross, another remote rocky coastal exposure, the sandstone, siltstone and shale attracts the world’s largest oil and gas companies.

My expertise relates to building stones, and so I can’t comment on why this place is so important for their research, but the geology is very impressive here. The lithology is varied, with rippled bedding planes, slump structures, overturned beds and a rock arch all being found within a small area. 

For me, the sand volcanoes are the most interesting structures that I have seen in Carboniferous rocks.

At Loop Head, there was a lighthouse, and I can’t remember seeing any shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels or anything else at Bridges of Ross that suggested that it was a tourist attraction. 

That said, at least two groups were studying this place when we arrived and they must have been sleeping, eating and drinking somewhere nearby. After recording a couple more coastal sites, we found out for ourselves when our day finally ended at Kilkee...

Two views at Bridges of Ross

Co. Clare - Loop Head

Carboniferous sandstones and shales at Loop Head

 

Living in northern England, I have my fair share of grey, rainy days but waking up every day in summer and being confronted with very heavy rain takes some getting used to. 

Weathered joints on a bedding plane

Every field geologist will surely know that wind and rain is their greatest enemy and I was just content organising the maps, folders and files in the GSI offices and dealing with a wide variety of enquiries from the general public.

It took another six weeks, after my visit to Co. Sligo, before I explored Ireland again. Along with Claire McAteer, I headed off to undertake survey work for the audit of County Geological Sites in Co. Clare.

Starting off at the crack of dawn, the downpour carried on well into the morning, as we headed out of Dublin. The distance to our first site, as the crow flies, is just over 250 km but it was not until towards the end of the afternoon that we finally arrived. I don’t know if things have changed in the last 10 years, but I learned that in Ireland, when driving across the country, you have to allow much more time when planning a journey.

Although it had taken a long time to get there, the west coast of Ireland is world renowned for its cliffs and, at Loop Head, the folded Upper Carboniferous rocks are really spectacular. With a few hours of sunshine remaining in the day, there was still a lot more work to be done...

Spectacular folding of sandstone and shale at Loop Head

 

Co. Sligo – The Breífne Project

Carboniferous fossils at Streedagh Point

Arriving in Dublin on Bloomsday, in the middle of June, and having a week to familiarise myself with my new surroundings and get to know new friends and colleagues, my first trip out of Dublin with the GSI soon came with a trip to Co. Sligo. As part of the Breífne Project, an innovative tourism venture, representatives of the various organisations convened at Mullaghmore. 

Glencar Waterfalls

Driving right across the central midlands of Ireland, a great swathe of Carboniferous limestone, I was amazed at how green the landscape is. In England, I had seen the bleak uplands of the Peak District and North Yorkshire National Parks but, here, it is a lowland area that is often thickly covered in bogs.

At the boundary of Co. Leitrim and Co. Sligo, the Dartry Mountains, comprising Carboniferous limestone and shale, loom into view, and stopping at Glencar Lough, we had a quick look at the waterfalls before arriving at our destination.

Booking in to the Beach Hotel, it seemed like it had already been a long day but I was soon revived by one of the very best meals that I have ever had – at Eithnas Restaurant. I can’t remember what I ate, but the wine and conversation flowed and retiring back to the hotel, fully fed, we continued into the night. 

Benbulben

Waking up on a sunny morning, a hearty breakfast set us up the rest of the day and we started off with a visit to Streedagh Point to look at the assemblage of fossils and to take in the views of Benbulben and across Donegal Bay towards Slieve League.

With time moving on, we only briefly visited the Creevykeel megalith, before we made our way back to Dublin by a different route. Taking the wheel myself, my impression was the same as the day before - that Ireland is so green.

A view across Glencar Lough

The Geological Survey of Ireland

Macgillycuddy's Reeks

In an earlier post here – Geoheritage - I very briefly referred to my work with the Geological Survey of Ireland, which I consider to be the best time of my working life.

Sand volcanoes in Co. Clare

Apart from the people that I met, at work and in social situations, I most appreciated the opportunity to work in such a diverse organisation, where all of my various skills were valued.

 

Employed principally for my experience in geological conservation, I also applied my interests in historic buildings and monuments, as well as teaching the English language, writing and art.

Working as part of the Irish Geological Heritage Programme, my principal role was to help with the auditing of the County Geological Sites: organising documents and maps, undertaking surveys and generally assisting with other promotional and educational initiatives.

Valentia slate in Co. Kerry

Having specialist interests in the restoration of buildings - identifying and matching the building stone - it also just seemed natural for me to produce the stand for the Dublin Stone Show.

Although I didn’t get to see the newly established Copper Coast Geopark and much of my intended survey work was hampered by the rain, I saw the Giant's Causeway - along with very many other spectacular landscapes - and I now understand why Geotourism is so important in Ireland.


Although I've never had any real desire to be clambering up to the highest peaks - to get the views or to study the geology in fine detail - there are rocky mountains all over Ireland that appeal to the hardy walkers and trekkers. 

The Galtee Mountains

Developing my interests in Geoconservation whilst living in industrial South Yorkshire, a region not known for its spectacular landscapes, much of my experience in promoting educational initiatives relates to the ancient stone built monuments, which are entwined with the geology and landscape. With this in mind, I wrote Building in Stone - in partnership with English Heritage - and, when preparing the Dublin Stone Show, a very rapid tour of some of the southern counties included a few visits to monuments in the guardianship of Heritage Ireland.

Charles Fort in Co. Cork

In all honesty, I didn’t want to come back to Rotherham, where any kind of work relating to my experience and interests in geology and historic buildings is very scarce. Ten years on, there have been only a handful of jobs as a geologist but I’ve since developed good publicity skills, by promoting my own work and writing illustrated articles for a variety of trade and professional journals - worldwide.

The Natural History Museum in Dublin

I have also qualified as an English language teacher and, very many times, I have considered living abroad. My subsequent posts record a few of my observations and thoughts about Geotourism and Geoconservation in Ireland, which I think could be applied anywhere.