Sunday, December 10, 2006

Mountains on our doorstep

The Dublin mountains have recently come under the wing of a vet called Mark D'Alton. Clearfelling by Coillte, the Forestry Board, has recently led to the south Dublin hills sporting a hairless and, well, 'mangey' look. These felled plantations are Coillte's business, so periodic tree harvesting is inevitable. But D'Alton could see these mountains held more promise. Why should they merely be used as breeding sows for timber?

After all, Dublin's reluctant urbanites need somewhere to escape to on weekends and long summer evenings. And where are the mountain bike tracks we seek, the running routes we want, the walking ways we need...? Could we not work with Coillte to develop these hills as recreational nature parks? Is this not exactly what our fattened society needs - to see some green and work off some inches?

And so to D'Alton the Dublin Mountain Initiative was born. In late 2006, his group along with Coillte, some local authorities and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, posted a tender for development of "Strategic Plan For The Development Of Outdoor Recreational Facilities in the area known as the South Dublin Hills". The plan aims to link all existing and potential outdoor recreation components in the South Dublin Hills area over a 10 year period.

Many groups and individuals have willingly fostered D'Alton's novel Dublin Mountain Intiative. With so much support and sense, this pig may yet fly.
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The island of ireland

Once upon a time, and for 15000 years, ice a mile high blanketed Ireland. When the lingering Ice Age finally released and the Irish ice departed it left a landscape scoured. Across land bridges linking Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe plants and animals arrived to colonise the new lowlands, mountains and valleys. The world’s ice continued to melt, the sea levels to rise, and some 8000 years ago Ireland became the island we now know, accounting for just 0.01% of the world's total land area and the most westerly point of Europe.

Though at Alaskan latitudes, the country's climate is tempered, due partly to the neighbouring waters of the Gulf Stream and partly the prevailing southwesterlies that veering and backing make landfall on our sodden coast. These offerings from the Atlantic mean it is never too hot, never too cold. But without doubt it is wet. Rain lingers year round, never far away, though is most frequent in winter, the western counties and, inevitably, on the day of your parade.