Sunday, October 07, 2007

Machairs in Mayo - a rare dune ecosystem.

Northwest Ireland has several areas of rare machair dunes including those stretching from Mulranny salt marsh to Rosmurrevagh peninsula in Clew Bay, Co.Mayo.

Machairs are fertile, low-lying dune areas - a unique form of coastal grassland (described as 'raised beaches' by Wikipedia). They are formed when sand catches in coastal vegetation, such as marram grass. Consequently, the plants gradually move upward, more sand is caught, and the land's surface is raised.

Although little research has been done into machairs, they are known to support a rich variety of species including many birds and insects (such as the belted beauty moth). Machairs also provide habitat for up to 150 species of flower, some of which are endangered and protected, including the Irish Lady's Tresses.

Machairs are vulnerable to erosion and rising sea levels. In 2007, Mulranny village received the inaugural Notice Nature Biodiversity Award, part of Ireland's Tidy Towns competition. The award recognises over a decade of conservation work to protect and restore local machairs. The Mulranny Causeway loop walk provides access to part of the machairs.

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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.