Ireland is sometimes known as the "Emerald Isle" because of its green scenery.
The '
geography of
Ireland' describes an
island in northwest
Europe in the
North Atlantic Ocean. The ocean is responsible for the rugged western coastline, along which are many islands,
peninsulas, and
headlands. The main geographical features of Ireland are low central
plains surrounded by a ring of coastal
mountains. The highest peak is
Carrauntoohil (
Irish: ''Corrán Tuathail''), which is 1,038
m (3,406
ft). There are a number of sizable lakes along Ireland's rivers, with
Lough Neagh being the largest in
Ireland. The island is bisected by the
River Shannon, at 259
km (161
miles) with a 113 km (70 miles) estuary the longest river in Ireland which flows south from
County Cavan in the north to meet the Atlantic just south of
Limerick.
The island of Ireland consists politically of the
Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland, (
United Kingdom). Located west of the island of
Great Britain, it is located at approximately . It has a total area of 84,079
km² (32,477
mile²). Ireland is separated from Britain by the
Irish Sea and from mainland Europe by the
Celtic Sea.
Physical geography
Geological development
The oldest known Irish rock is about 1.7 billion years old and is found on
Inishtrahull Island off the coast of
County Donegal. In other parts of Donegal, scientists have discovered rocks that began life as
glacial deposits, demonstrating that at this early period, part of what was to become Ireland was in the grip of an
ice age. However, because of the effects of later upheavals, it is almost impossible to sequence these early rock layers correctly.
About 600 million years ago, at the end of the
Precambrian era, the Irish landmass was divided in two, with one half on the western side of the
Iapetus Ocean and the other at the eastern side, both at about the latitude that
South Africa currently occupies. From the evidence of
fossils found at
Bray Head in
County Wicklow, Ireland was below
sea level at this time.
Over the next 50 million years, these two parts drifted towards each other, eventually uniting about 440 million years ago. Fossils discovered near Clogher Head,
County Louth, show the coming together of shoreline fauna from both sides of the original dividing ocean. The mountains of northwest Ireland were formed during the collision, as was the
granite that is found in locations in Donegal and Wicklow.
The Irish landmass was now above sea level and lying near the equator, and fossil traces of land-based life forms survive from this period. These include fossilised trees from Kiltorcan,
County Kilkenny, widespread bony fish and freshwater
mussel fossils and the footprints of a four-footed
amphibian preserved in
slate on Valentia Island,
County Kerry.
Old Red Sandstone also formed at this time.
Between 400 million and 300 million years ago, northwest
Europe – including Ireland – sank beneath a warm,
calcium-rich sea. Great
coral reefs formed in these waters, eventually creating the
limestone that still makes up about 65 per cent of the rock
mantle of the island. As the waters receded,
tropical forests and
swamps flourished. The resulting vegetable debris eventually formed coal, most of which was later eroded. This period, known as the
Carboniferous era, ended with further plate movement which saw Ireland drift further northward. The resulting pressure created those Irish mountain and hill ranges that run in a northeast to southwest direction.
Karst landscape in the Burren
By 250 million years ago, Ireland was at the latitude of present-day
Egypt and had a
desert climate. It was at this time that most of the
coal and
sandstone were eroded. The thinner layers of limestone in the south of the country were also partially affected by this erosion. The limestone that was exposed by the disappearance of its sandstone mantle was affected by
carbon dioxide and other factors resulting in a
karstic landscape that can still be seen in the
Burren in
County Clare.
Shortly after this period, organic debris in the seas around Ireland began to form the gas and oil deposits that now play an important role in the island's economy. Then, about 150 million years ago, Ireland was again submerged, this time in a chalky sea that resulted in the formation of
chalk over large parts of the surface. Traces of this survive under the
basalt lava that is found in parts of the north.
About 65 million years ago, the
volcanic activity that formed this lava began. The
Mourne Mountains and other mountains in the northern part of the island formed as a result of this activity. Climatic conditions at this time were warm and vegetation thrived. Vegetable debris in the
Antrim depression formed deposits of brown coal or
lignite which remain untouched down to the present time. The warm conditions produced high rainfall that accelerated processes of erosion and the formation of karstic landscape forms.
By 25 million years ago, Ireland was close to assuming its present position. The long period of erosion had resulted in considerable soil formation and most of the rock mantle was covered. In areas with good drainage, the covering consisted of brown or grey
soil, while in poorly drained areas the black
clay tended to dominate. As the climate cooled, soil formation slowed down, and a
flora and
fauna that would, millions of years later, be familiar to the first human inhabitants began to emerge. By about three million years ago, the present landscape of Ireland had more or less formed.
Since about 1.7 million years ago, the earth has been in the grip of a cycle of warm and cold stages and these have, inevitably, affected Ireland. The earliest evidence we have for this effect comes from the period known as the
Ballylinian Warm Stage, some half a million years ago. At this time, most of what are now considered to be native Irish trees were already established on the island. The action of the ice during the cold stages was the major factor in bringing the Irish landscape to its current form.
Obvious impacts of the ice on the landscape include the formation of glacial valleys such as
Glendalough in Wicklow and of
corries, or glacial lakes. The depositing of mounds of debris under the melting ice created
drumlins, a common feature of the landscape across the north midlands. Streams also formed under the ice and the material deposited by these formed
eskers (
Irish ''eiscir''). The greatest of these, the Esker Riada, divides the northern and southern halves of the island and its ridge once served as the main highway connecting the east and west coasts. About one half of the coastline consists of a low lying dune pasture land known as ''
Machair''.
Rocks and soil types
The large central lowland is of
limestone covered with glacial deposits of clay and sand, with widespread bogs and lakes. The
Bog of Allen is one of the largest bogs. The coastal mountains vary greatly in geological structure. In the south, the mountains are composed of old red
sandstone with limestone river valleys. In
Galway,
Mayo, Donegal,
Down and Wicklow, the mountains are mainly
granite, while much of the north-east of the country is a
basalt plateau. An area of particular note is the
Giant's Causeway, in
County Antrim, a mainly basalt formation.
The soils of the north and west tend to be poorly drained peats and
gleys, including peaty
podzols. In contrast, in the south and east the soils are free-draining brown earths and brown and grey-brown podzols. This is reflected in the rainfall distribution on the island, with the poorly-drained regions being those with the highest rainfalls.
An unusual environment is present in north
County Clare, in an area known as
The Burren. This
karst-like landscape consists of limestone bedrock, with little or no soil in the inner-most areas. There are numerous sink-holes, where surface water disappears through the porous rock surface, and extensive cave systems have been formed in some areas. The
Pol an Ionain cave, near
Doolin, is the site of one of the world's longest known free-hanging stalactites.
Mountains, lakes, rivers and other physical features of Ireland are shown on this map ().
Mountain ranges
Ireland consists of a mostly flat low-lying area in the midlands, ringed by mountain ranges such as (beginning in County Kerry and working counter-clockwise) the
Macgillycuddy's Reeks,
Comeragh Mountains,
Blackstair Mountains,
Wicklow Mountains,
the Mournes,
Glens of Antrim,
Sperrin Mountains,
Bluestack Mountains,
Derryveagh Mountains,
Ox Mountains,
Nephinbeg Mountains and the
Twelve Bens/
Maumturks group. Some mountain ranges are further inland in the south of Ireland, such as the
Galtee Mountains,
Silvermines and
Slieve Bloom Mountains. The highest peak is
Carrauntoohil, which is 1,038 m (3,405 ft) high. It is in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, a range of
glacier-carved
sandstone mountains in
County Kerry, in the south-west of the island. The mountains are not high - only three peaks are over 1000 m (just) and another 455 exceed 500 m.
[1]
Rivers and lakes
The main river in Ireland is the
River Shannon, 386 km (240 miles), the longest river in either
Ireland or
Great Britain, which separates the boggy midlands of Ireland from the West of Ireland. The river develops into three lakes along its course,
Lough Allen,
Lough Ree, and
Lough Derg. Of these, Lough Derg is the biggest. The River Shannon enters the
Atlantic Ocean after
Limerick city at the Shannon Estuary. Other major rivers include the
River Liffey,
River Lee,
River Blackwater,
River Nore,
River Suir,
River Barrow, and
River Boyne. (See the
list of rivers in Ireland.)
Lough Neagh, in
Ulster, is the biggest lake in Ireland. Legend has it that a giant,
Fionn mac Cumhail, was fighting with another in Scotland, and enraged, scooped out a lump of earth, which he threw. It fell into the
Irish Sea, creating the
Isle of Man, while the hole filled up with water to become Lough Neagh. Other large lakes include
Lough Erne and
Lough Corrib. (See the
list of Irish loughs.)
Inlets
Topography of Ireland
Beginning with
County Donegal,
Lough Swilly separates one side of the Malin peninsula.
Lough Foyle on the other side, is one of Ireland's larger inlets, situated between County Donegal and
County Londonderry. Further round the coast is
Belfast Lough, between
County Antrim and
County Down. Also in County Down is
Strangford Lough, actually an inlet partially separating the
Ards peninsula from the mainland. Further down the coast,
Carlingford Lough is situated between Down and
County Louth.
Dublin Bay is the next sizable inlet, while the eastern coast of Ireland is mostly uniform until
Wexford Harbour at the mouth of the
River Slaney. On the southern coast,
Waterford Harbour is situated at the mouth of the
River Suir (into which the other two of the
Three Sisters (
River Nore and
River Barrow) flow). The next major inlet is
Cork Harbour, at the mouth of the River Lee, in which
Great Island is situated.
Dunmanus Bay,
Bantry Bay,
Kenmare estuary and
Dingle Bay are all inlets between the peninsulas of
County Kerry. North of these is the
Shannon estuary. Between north
County Clare and
County Galway is
Galway Bay.
Clew Bay is located on the coast of
County Mayo, south of
Achill, while
Blacksod Bay is north of the island.
Killala Bay is on the north coast of Mayo.
Donegal Bay is a major inlet between
County Donegal and
County Sligo.
Headlands
Malin Head,
County Donegal is the most northern point in Ireland, while
Mizen Head is one of the most southern points, hence the term "Malin head to Mizen head" (or the reverse) is used for anything applying to the island of Ireland as a whole.
Carnsore Point,
County Wexford is another
extreme point of Ireland, being the southeasternmost point of Ireland.
Further along the coast is
Hook Head, also in County Wexford, while the
Old Head of Kinsale in
County Cork is one of many headlands along the south coast of Ireland.
Loop Head is the headland at which
County Clare comes to a point on the west coast of Ireland, with the
Atlantic on the north, and further inland on the south, the
Shannon estuary.
Hags Head is another headland further up Clare's north/western coastline, with the
Cliffs of Moher along the coastline north of the point.
Erris Head,
County Mayo is the northwesternmost point of
Connacht.
Islands and peninsulas
Achill Island,
County Mayo in the northwest of Ireland is the largest island off Ireland's coast. The island is inhabited, and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Some of the next largest islands are the
Aran Islands, off the coast of
County Galway, host to an Irish-speaking community, or
Gaeltacht.
Valentia Island off the
Iveragh peninsula in
County Kerry is also one of Ireland's larger islands, and is relatively settled, as well as being connected by bridge at its southeastern end.
Omey Island, off the coast of
Connemara in
County Galway is a
tidal island.
Some of the best-known peninsulas in Ireland are in County Kerry; the
Dingle peninsula, the aforementioned
Iveragh peninsula and the
Beara peninsula. The
Ards peninsula in
County Down is one of the larger peninsulas outside Kerry. The
Inishowen Peninsula in
County Donegal includes Ireland's most northerly point,
Malin Head and several important towns including
Buncrana on
Lough Swilly, Carndonagh and Moville on
Lough Foyle.
Ireland's most northerly land feature is Inishtrahull island, off Malin Head, although
Rockall Island may deserve this honour but its status is disputed, being claimed by the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Denmark (for the Faroe Islands) and Iceland. Its most southerly is the
Fastnet Rock.
Climate
Ireland's climate is
temperate, though significantly warmer than almost all other locations at similar
latitude, such as
Poland (on the continent) or
Newfoundland (on the opposite edge of the Atlantic), due to the warming influence of the
North Atlantic drift. The prevailing wind blows from the southwest, breaking on the high mountains of the west coast.
Rainfall is therefore a particularly prominent part of western Irish life, with
Valentia Island, off the west coast of
County Kerry, getting almost twice as much annual rainfall as
Dublin on the east (1400 mm vs. 762 mm). Across the country, about 60% of the annual rainfall occurs between August and January.
January and February are the coldest months of the year, and mean daily air temperatures fall between 4 and 7 °C during these months. July and August are the warmest, with a range of 14 to 16 °C. The sunniest months are May and June, with an average of five to seven hours sunshine per day.
Though extreme weather events in Ireland are comparatively rare when compared with other countries in the European Continent, they do occur. Explosive Atlantic depressions, occurring mainly in the months of December, January and February, can occasionally bring winds of up to 160 km/ph (100 mph) to Western coastal counties; while the summer months, and particularly around late July/early August, sudden and violent thunderstorms can develop, more especially, but not exclusively, across midland and western areas of the country.
The table shows mean climate figures for the Dublin Airport weather station for the period 1961 to 1990.
| Factor | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec; | Year |
|---|
| Mean daily max temp (°C) | 7.6 | 7.5 | 9.5 | 11.4 | 14.2 | 17.2 | 18.9 | 18.6 | 16.6 | 13.7 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 12.8 |
| Mean daily min temp (°C) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 9.6 | 11.4 | 11.1 | 9.6 | 7.6 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 6. |
| Mean daily sunshine (h) | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 3.9 |
| Mean monthly rain (mm) | 69.4 | 50.4 | 53.8 | 50.7 | 55.1 | 56.0 | 49.9 | 70.5 | 66.7 | 69.7 | 64.7 | 75.6 | 732.7 |
Political and human geography
Ireland is divided into four
provinces,
Connacht,
Leinster,
Munster and
Ulster, and 32
counties. Six of the nine Ulster counties form Northern Ireland and the other 26 form the Republic of Ireland. The map shows the county boundaries for all 32 counties.
From an administrative viewpoint, 20 of the counties in the Republic are units of local government. The other six have more than one local authority area, producing a total of 34 county-level authorities.
Tipperary has two parts,
North Tipperary and
South Tipperary. The cities of Dublin,
Cork,
Limerick,
Galway and
Waterford have city councils and are administered separately from the counties bearing those names. The remaining part of
County Dublin is split into
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown,
Fingal, and
South Dublin.
Electoral areas in the Republic of Ireland, called constituencies in accordance with
Irish law, mostly follow county boundaries. Maintaining links to the county system is a mandatory consideration in the re-organisation of constituency boundaries.
In Northern Ireland, a major re-organisation of local government in 1973 replaced the six traditional counties and two
county boroughs (
Belfast and
Derry) by 26 single-tier
districts, which, apart from Fermanagh cross the traditional county boundaries. The six counties and two county-boroughs remain in use for purposes such as
Lieutenancy. In November 2005,
proposals were announced which would see the number of local authorities reduced to seven.
The island's total
population of approximately 6 million people is concentrated on the east coast, particularly in Dublin and Belfast and their surrounding areas.
Natural resources
Bogs
Ireland has 12,000 km² of
bogland, consisting of two distinct types, blanket bogs and raised bogs. Blanket bogs are the more widespread of the two types. They are essentially a product of human activity aided by the moist Irish climate. Blanket bogs formed on sites where
Neolithic farmers cleared trees for farming. As the land so cleared fell into disuse, the soil began to leach and become more acidic, producing a suitable environment for the growth of
heather and
rushes. The debris from these plants accumulated and a layer of
peat formed.
Raised bogs are most common in the Shannon basin. They formed when depressions left behind after the ice age filled with water to form lakes. Debris from reeds in these lakes formed a layer of at the bottom of the water. This eventually choked the lakes and raised above the surface, forming raised bogs.
Since the 17th century, peat has been cut for fuel for domestic heating and cooking and it is called turf when so used. The process accelerated as commercial exploitation of bogs grew. In the 1940s, machines for cutting turf were introduced and larger-scale exploitation became possible. In the Republic, this became the responsibility of a semi-state company called
Bord na Móna. In addition to domestic uses, commercially extracted turf is used in a number of industries, especially electricity generation.
In recent years, the high level of bog being destroyed by cutting has raised environmental concerns. The problem is particularly acute for raised bogs as they yield a higher-grade fuel than blanket bogs. Plans are now in place in both the Republic and Northern Ireland to conserve most of the remaining raised bogs on the island.
Oil, Natural Gas and Minerals
Offshore exploration for gas began in 1970. The first major discovery was the
Kinsale Gas Field in 1971. Next was the smaller Ballycotton Gas Field in 1989, and the
Corrib Gas Field in 1996. Exploitation of the Corrib Field has yet to get off the ground because the controversial proposal to refine the gas onshore, rather than at sea has been met with
widespread opposition. Gas from these fields is pumped ashore and used for both domestic and industrial purposes. The Helvick oil field, estimated to contain over 5 million barrels of oil, is another recent discovery. Ireland is the largest European producer of
zinc with three operating zinc-lead mines at
Navan,
Galmoy and
Lisheen. Other mineral deposits with actual or potential commercial value include
gold,
silver,
gypsum,
talc,
calcite,
dolomite, roofing
slate,
limestone aggregate, building stone, and
sand and
gravel.
It has recently been said by the
Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (now replaced by the
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources) that there may be "volumes over 130 billion barrels of oil and 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas" in Irish waters - worth trillions of
Euro, if true. The minimum 'guaranteed' amount of oil in the Irish Atlantic waters is 10 billion barrels, worth over €450 billion. There are also areas of oil and gas on shore, for example the
Lough Allen basin, with 9.4 trillion cubic feet of gas and 1.5 billion barrels of oil, valued at €74.4 billion. Already some fields are being exploited, such as the
Spanish Point field, with 1.25 trillion cubic feet of gas and 206 million barrels of oil, valued at €19.6 billion. The
Corrib Basin is also quite large, worth anything up to €87 billion, while the Dunquin gas field contains 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 4.13 billion barrels of oil.
[2]
References
Print
★ Mitchell, Frank and Ryan, Michael. ''Reading the Irish landscape'' (1998). ISBN 1-86059-055-1
★ Whittow, J. B. ''Geography and Scenery in Ireland'' (Penguin Books 1974)
See also
★
Geology of Ireland
★
Geography of the Republic of Ireland
★
Geography of the United Kingdom
By Category
★
External links
★
Irish Department of Foreign Affairs: Facts about Ireland
★
Ireland –
The World Factbook
★
OnlineWeather.com – climate details for Ireland
★
Ireland's Peat Bogs
★
OSI FAQ – Lists of the longest, highest and other statistics
★ A discussion on
RTÉ Radio One's science show Quantum Leap about the quality of
GPS mapping in Ireland is available
here. The discussion starts 8mins 17sec into the show. It was aired on
18 Jan 2007 Requires
Real player.
'Maps from'
★
irelandstory.com
★
Geography Ireland
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
