The Sunny Side of Ireland Part 15

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo, Welch, Belfast._ Arbutus Islands, Killarney.]

Going for a moment further north, we find in Connemara, and there only, a group of three kinds of Heath with the same peculiar distribution:--

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo, Welch, Belfast._ The Irish Spurge.]

St. Dabeoc's Heath (_Dabeocia polifolia_). In Ireland in Connemara. Unknown in England. On the Continent confined to the south-west.

Mediterranean Heath (_Erica mediterranea_). In Ireland in Connemara. Unknown in England.

On the Continent confined to the south-west.

Mackay's Heath (_E. Mackaiana_). In Ireland in Connemara. Unknown in England. On the Continent in Spain only.

Nor is it the plants alone that exhibit the peculiar relation existing between the Natural History of Ireland and of the Pyrenean region.

Among the animals the same features may be observed, the most striking instance being the peculiar Kerry Slug (_Geomalacus maculosus_), which is abundant in many parts of the extreme south-west of Ireland, and is elsewhere found only in Portugal.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Drawing, Dr. R. F. Scharff._ The Kerry Slug.]

Mixed with these southern forms in the West of Ireland we find another group of still stranger affinities. In pools and lakes from Kerry to Donegal grows the curious Pipe-wort (_Eriocaulon septangulare_). It may be also found in the Island of Skye, in the West of Scotland, but nowhere else in Europe; to see it again we must go to the northern regions of North America, where it flourishes under conditions much more rigorous than those which obtain in its mild Irish home. The deliciously fragrant orchid, _Spiranthes Romanzoviana_, grows in the counties of Cork, Armagh, Antrim, and Londonderry; elsewhere only in sub-arctic America and the portion of Asia which most nearly approaches the Alaskan sh.o.r.es. The "Blue-eyed Gra.s.s" of Canada (_Sisyrinchium angustifolium_) is likewise confined to the West of Ireland and to North America; and further instances might be quoted. In the animal kingdom, too, parallel cases have been noted, the most interesting being the discovery of no less than three American species of fresh-water sponge, which are unknown in the rest of Europe.

To account for the presence of this American group naturalists are driven, as in the case of the southern species, to the conclusion that these represent one of the very oldest components of our existing fauna and flora, and point to a period when the edge of Europe was prolonged far to the north-west, forming a continuous land area, presumably by way of Iceland and Greenland, to America. And here on the wild western coast of Ireland these last inhabitants of the lost lands of Europe still survive.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Kerry Slug, showing the manner in which its coloration mimics cl.u.s.ters of lichen among which it lives.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo, Welch, Belfast._ Nest of Wood Ant at Killarney]

4. ~CLARE AND EAST GALWAY.~--Our last district--West Cork and Kerry--was characterised by great ribs of slate and sandstone, and by an absence of limestone and the numerous plants which follow in its train. The present district forms a marked contrast, being largely composed of Carboniferous limestone. And the remarkable thing about these limestones is that they are over many miles totally devoid of any covering of soil or clay; the grey gnarled rock, fantastically carved and creva.s.sed by the action of rain and weather, lies naked and bare. But in the crevices of the rock a wonderful variety of rare and beautiful plants abound. One or two of these have their home in the far south, like the plants we have lately considered, notably the little Close-flowered Orchid, _Neotinea intacta_, whose nearest station is about Nice. But the majority of the interesting species of these limestones are alpine plants, usually found at high elevations on mountains, which here form sheets of verdure down to the very edge of the sea. The Mountain Dryas (_D. octopetala_), the Bearberry (_Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi_), the lovely Spring Gentian (_G. verna_), and the Blue Moor-gra.s.s (_Sesleria caerulea_) are good examples, all of them growing in great abundance from the hill-tops down to the sh.o.r.e. It is this strange mingling of plants from the far south, from the far north, and from the mountains, which renders the West of Ireland so fascinating a field for the botanist. In the barren district of Clare, and in the adjoining Isles of Arran and south-west portion of county Galway, this peculiar flora may be seen in its greatest perfection. Some very rare insects have been taken in eastern Galway, including the Lepidoptera _Nallia ancilla_ and _Lycaena artexerus_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo, Welch, Belfast._ Wolf Spider (_Pisaura mirabilis_) spinning nest for young.]

5. ~WEST GALWAY AND WEST MAYO~.--In this district we have again a complete change of geology and of scenery. The grey limestones with rich gra.s.s and rare flowers filling every crevice are gone, and we are in a wild region of ancient metamorphic rocks--schists, quartzites, gneisses, and granites--which form wide moorlands, dotted with innumerable lakelets, with n.o.ble mountain groups rising over the wild boggy lowlands. To the student of metamorphism the geology of this area is of very high interest. The botanist finds himself once again, as in Kerry, in a focus of the southern flora already discussed. As stated above, Connemara contributes to the list of Pyrenean plants three Heaths, of which St. Dabeoc's Heath is the loveliest of the British representatives of the order. Here we may also meet again our old Kerry friends the London Pride, and on Inisbofin the Irish Spurge--plants which strictly avoid the limestone, as do the Heaths. The American element is represented by the Pipe-wort, which is common, and the little water plant, _Naias flexilis_, which grows near Roundstone. Of the three famous Heaths, St. Dabeoc's is abundant throughout Connemara, becoming rarer in Mayo. The Mediterranean Heath grows near Roundstone, and in immense abundance on the north side of Clew Bay, and again near the north-west corner of Mayo, extending inland as far as Lough Conn.

Mackay's Heath is the rarest, being confined to the neighbourhood of Roundstone. As regards its fauna, Connemara and West Mayo yield fewer peculiar species than the south-west; but much remains to be done before it can be said that the zoology of this area is thoroughly known, and it offers a most promising field for the explorer.

6. ~SLIGO.~--The visitor who makes Sligo his headquarters finds himself in a district of much variety and interest. This is a district that cannot be too highly recommended to the naturalist. To the geologist the fossiliferous limestones and the metamorphic rocks are alike of interest. The botanist naturally turns to the Ben Bulben Mountains, which harbour the richest group of alpine plants to be found in Ireland, including the pretty _Arenaria ciliata_, which does not grow elsewhere in the British Isles. To the zoologist a rich field lies waiting. A recent exploration of the limestone glens by a party of English and Irish conchologists has shown that in variety of land mollusca this district surpa.s.ses almost any other in these islands; and good results may be confidently expected in other invertebrate groups.

7. ~THE CENTRE.~--The area comprised in the field of operations of the Great Southern and Western Railway Company include the southern half of the great Central Plain of Ireland and the lower course of the Shannon, the largest river in the British Isles. Towards the east the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny include much picturesque ground, especially along the courses of the rivers Nore and Barrow; and as picturesque ground implies the existence of hill and valley, wood and rock, the naturalist will find himself at home here. The flora is rich, though without any very marked features; the Nettle-leaved Bell-flower (_Campanula Trachelium_) being the most characteristic species. Regarding the fauna much has still to be learned. In Tipperary, Queen's County, and King's County we are in typical central plain country--great tracts of slightly undulating drift-covered Carboniferous limestone, the surface including wide pastures, cultivated ridges, and large areas of peat bog and marsh.

The bogs, which form so peculiar a feature of the surface of Ireland, may be studied here over many miles of country. The n.o.ble Shannon, which winds slowly southward across the plain, widens at intervals into great lake-like expanses, of which Lough Derg is the largest, a place of much interest to the student of natural history. One plant which grows here, the Willow-leaved Inula (_I. salicina_), is found nowhere else in the British Isles; other characteristic Shannon plants are the Water Germander (_Teucrium Scordium_) and the rare Stone wort _Chara tomentosa_. Further west, in Limerick, a more varied surface prevails.

Like Waterford and Cork, Limerick is a great centre for animals of the "Southern" distributional type, such as the Wood White b.u.t.terfly (_Leptidia sinapis_) the Brimstone b.u.t.terfly (_Gonapteryx rhamm_), and the Purple Hair-streak (_Thecla quercus_). The small but handsome Ground-beetle, _Panogaeus crux-major_, is known in Ireland only from Finlough. This species has a typically "germanic" distribution in Great Britain. The Water-beetle _Pelobius Hermanni_, a very rare species, and the only British member of its family, occurs near Limerick and Cork.

Cratloe Wood, by the Shannon near Limerick, may be specially recommended as a hunting-ground.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

SPORT.

For sportsmen Ireland is a happy land, ready to supply their every want.

Royal Meath, Kildare, Waterford, Tipperary, and Cork County are hunted by several good packs during-each season, and "the meets" are duly published in the local newspapers.

In the large tracts of bog, moorland, river reaches, and mountain lands there is splendid shooting; in Kerry especially, where poaching is put down with a heavy hand, there are plenty of opportunities for sport.

In most cases the hosts of the hotels have secured the shooting of many thousands of acres in their vicinity.

When the weather is "hard," excellent sport can be had along the southern districts.

The gentry most usually preserve their estates with great vigilance, but they are generous in giving permission to bona-fide sportsmen.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CYCLING]

GENERAL HINTS

(FROM MECREDY'S ROAD BOOK OF IRELAND.)

June and September are the driest months in Ireland. Tourists will find the Royal Irish Constabulary the best source of information, and they cannot do better than inquire at the various police barracks on the way for advice as to places of interest to be visited, and the condition of the roads. In unfrequented country districts the footpaths as a rule may be taken with impunity, but it is never absolutely safe to do so. It is always well to enquire of other cyclists met _en route_. The roads are very variable, some being grand and others very bad. Intercourse with the peasantry will be found interesting and amusing. Nothing can exceed their civility and courtesy; and for those who are not too particular it will be found an excellent plan to lunch in their cottages, excellent tea, home-made bread, b.u.t.ter and eggs being procurable for 1/-per head.

There is little use questioning them as to distances, however. They are nearly always wrong, and in any case they calculate in Irish miles--11 Irish equal 14 English. The police, however, are reliable, and give the distances in statute miles. Repairers are few and far between, but the local blacksmiths are often clever and handy men. The by-roads are generally better than the main roads, and the surface is better at the edge than in the middle. The mountain roads are as a rule very good, and not nearly so hilly as one would expect. The country people are rather stupid about getting out of one's way, and live stock on the road are a frequent source of danger, especially pigs, sheep, donkeys, and Kerry cows. Mountain pa.s.ses should be negotiated carefully, as mountain torrents sometimes sweep away short stretches of otherwise excellent roads, and one comes on these spots unexpectedly. The corners, too, are excessively sharp, and steep pitches occur unexpectedly.

In most small Provincial towns the Hotels are not good, but in tourists'

districts, such as Kerry, they are really excellent and the charges are reasonable. Where lodgings are required it is a good plan to ask the local Head Constable for advice.

~CORK DISTRICT.~

Cork is an excellent centre for cycling. The roads are in fair order and the inclines moderate. There is abundance of fine scenery, and notably in the extreme south and south-west where there are some entrancing t.i.t-bits. Magnificent tracts of inland mountain scenery are to be found, and many important historical and archaeological ruins. There are hotels nearly everywhere within easy reach, many of them very good, and in most cases affording fair accommodation at reasonable cost.

~One Day Tours from Cork.~

No. 1.--To Queenstown, road 14 miles or rail 12 miles. Thence to East Ferry, 5 miles, cross the Ballinacurragh River by ferry. Thence by road to Midleton, 4 miles, back to Cork, road or rail, 12 miles. Fine views of the River Lee, Lough Mahon, the lovely Harbour of Queenstown, Ballinacurragh River, &c.

No. 2.--To Youghal, road or rail, 27 miles. Thence by road to Ardmore, 6 miles--a watering place with a ruined chapel where there are some curious carvings in stone, and a fine and perfect specimen of the old Irish round tower, Return same road.

No. 3.--To Midleton, 12 miles, road or rail. Thence to Cloyne, 6 miles, where there is an ancient Cathedral still in use. Thence to Ballycotton, 6 miles, a small watering place. Back by Cloyne and Aghada, on Queenstown Harbour, 12 miles. Thence by steamer to Queenstown, or across the East Ferry by road to Queenstown, 6 miles. Back by road or rail, 12 miles.

Hotels at Midleton, Cloyne, and Ballycotton.

No. 4.--To Queenstown, road or rail, then by steamer, 20 minutes across the harbour to Crosshaven. Thence by road, 2 miles, to Church Bay. Fine view of mouth of the harbour and open Atlantic. Thence by Carrigaline and Douglas, back to Cork, 12 miles.

Good hotels at Crosshaven and Church Bay.

No. 5.--Cork to Blarney, by the Valley of the Lee and Carrigrohane, 9 miles. Famous Castle of Blarney with the "Kissing Stone." The Groves of Blarney round the Castle may be seen, also St. Ann's Hydropathic establishment. Return by Rathpeacon and Blackpool to Cork, 6 miles.

No. 6.--Cork to Dunkettle, 3 miles, road or rail, thence along the Glanmire River to Glanmire, 2 miles. Thence by Sallybrook and Kilcully, back to Cork, 6 miles.