The green island has a collection of arctic-mediterranean plants
In August 2021, the Irish government made a very ambitious environmental commitment. The Emerald Isle has the ambition to become the world leader in environmental protection. Clean, fresh air, green landscapes and beautiful, world-famous coastlines are no longer enough. We need to be more actively involved. When you arrive by plane, you will feel as if you are arriving on a puzzle of fifty shades of green that welcomes you! What a spectacle the Irish fauna and flora offer us!
The green Irish landscapes see a collection of about 900 endemic species blossom. In this unusual inventory, we can observe plants that belong to the register of arctic or alpine plants. It is, of course, a resurgence of the ice age past that characterizes the Irish flora. Let's not forget the Irish paradox! The Gulf Stream warms the Irish coasts where many Mediterranean and tropical species flourish. Yes, but Ireland is at the latitude of Siberia and its soil was formed during the ice age and many seeds were preserved there. So it is not so strange that these arctic plants feel in their environment.
Flowers that grow in stones
These plants thrive in cold conditions, such as on the edges of glaciers in the Alps or in the northern Arctic tundra. The Arctic saxifrage(Saxifraga nivalis) is an example, nivalis meaning snow. Generally, it prefers colder climates. Ireland being for these species one of the most southern positions. It is one of the rarest plants in Ireland - a small population of individuals on the Ben Bulben/Ben Wiskin range in County Sligo. However, they grow on these mountains amongst a range of other arctic and alpine oddities. They grow alongside other saxifrages or "stonebreakers", such as yellow saxifrage(Saxifraga aizoides) and purple saxifrage(Saxifraga oppositifolia), as well as other intriguing rarities likeArenaria ciliata. They all seem to enjoy the conditions on Ben Bulben. It is especially the more inhospitable north-facing slopes that lend themselves to the survival of these arctic-alpine plants. In May, another place where these plants can be found is in the stones of the Burren plateau; every interval of the Burren greens and flowers: dryas, gentian, bearberry, invite admiration. In the crevices bloom crane's beak, primroses, orchids and marsh violets.
Typically Irish: the bog
In the west of the country, the land is mainly peat fields that abound with plants, including endangered species. The particular composition of the soil of very wet bogs with acidic and stagnant water, an environment depleted of oxygen, poor in bacteria where the plant matter decomposes slowly. It slowly piles up and little by little peat is formed.
Peatlands in Ireland cover almost 2,000 km2, much more than in any other European country. Composed mostly of water and also of decomposing plant waste, a peat bog ranges from 45 cm to 13 m in depth. The plants that generally form the peat and colonize the surface of the water are mosses, sphagnum mosses, small plants that adapt to their environment to proliferate.
The rarest fern in Europe was discovered in Killarney, in 2020. Botanists are surprised that it had not been noticed before. The neotropical fern, Stenogrammitis myosuroides, had never been found before anywhere other than in the mountainous forests of Jamaica, Cuba or the Dominican Republic, more than 6,500 km away across the Atlantic. Rory Hodd, the botanist who spotted the tiny plant, is surprised to have discovered a new native plant species - one that is believed to have arrived "on its own", without being imported by humans. It seems that the tiny fern has been neglected for thousands of years. It lived quietly in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, one of the last fragments of temperaterain forest in Europe. One of the Irish national parks that reserve many sources of amazement to all lovers of nature, arboretum, spectacular plants.
The peat bogs are an environment where biodiversity is rich. The flora is particular and constitutes the renewal of the peat. A good way to understand the peat bogs is to visit the Connemara National Park.
Heading west, it's already south!
County Kerry, with its mild climate, has some Mediterranean and even tropical species, such as rhododendrons and lichen. There are also many botanical gardens with plants dating back 30 million years, when tropical flora was growing. In the 17th and 18th centuries, rare species were brought back from distant countries during the great voyages of exploration, such as the eucalyptus, the fuchsia or the Andean palm, callistemon with their flamboyant red duster, but also abutillons or ambotriums. The rainy climate warmed by the Gulf Stream has favored their development. In Ireland, there has been for a long time an art of free gardening, too often incorrectly called the art of English gardening, since it can be said that it was William Robinson, an Irish gardener who ordered this art of free gardening.
The Devil's beauty, the wonderful color danger
The Irish landscape hides a terrible beauty, a wonderful but evil scourge. In the wildest parts of the Irish countryside, in the months of May and June, you will at one time or another be confronted with clusters of electric colors. A surreal scene: here and there, you will be confronted with subtle brown and green hues opposed to reds, purples, pinks. This extraordinary beauty is killing the native species, even if it does it in a very nice way.
A paradise for birdwatchers, whether specialists or amateurs
Whether you're a beginner or a keen birdwatcher, you'll enjoy playing birdwatcher in Ireland. Many migratory birds, such as wild geese, find refuge here and spend the winter, as the island's humidity favors birdlife. Ireland boasts over 55 bird observatories, which organize regular bird-watching tours. At least 300 species of birds can be observed.
In Connemara, small birds such as the traquet, often called the whinchat, which once appeared on Irish stamps, take refuge in the rocky outcrops. In West Cork, you'll be surprised to see large numbers of great gray crows. Ireland has seven species of crow. The Hooded Crow is a distinctive bird with gray and black plumage. The Red-billed Chough (pronounced Chuff) - a rare species of crow with a bright red beak and legs - will delight you. They can be found on meadows, farmland, mountains and the coast. Like all corvids, they are highly intelligent and adaptable birds.
Look up often and you'll see golden eagles, falcons and peregrine falcons. The coasts are populated by black-legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars, gannets, great cormorants, crested cormorants and all kinds of gulls: Connemara, herring, black-headed, brown, glaucous and Iceland gulls.
Several species of tern nest on the coastal islands, including Illaunmore, just off Glassilaun beach. One of Ireland's most beautiful beaches, near Leenane, with white sand and clear blue waters. You'll be in paradise. You won't be able to resist the little puffin, a friendly player and fine fisherman. It digs burrows in the cliffs, and the pair take turns brooding. A member of the penguin family, the puffin is a curvaceous bird. Sometimes called a clown bird because of its strange attitude in flight, it has small wings that it is obliged to flap very quickly. Add its multi-colored nose and you quickly understand the nickname given to this endearing bird.
There are also a few rare species that can sometimes be spotted with a bit of luck. One of the rarest birds seen in Ireland is originally from Bermuda. It's the medium-sized cahow, Bermuda's national bird, and a symbol of hope for nature conservation. Long thought to have disappeared in the 1600s, it was found again in 1951, and further sightings of the Bermuda petrel have been made in Ireland. So we must never despair, but redouble our efforts. Today, thanks to the birds' electronic geolocators, there are an estimated 180 specimens.
Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary
On the coast, you will surely see dolphins and seals familiar to children as in Dingle or Howth. You can see grey and humpback whales from observatories or on boat trips.
In Ireland, nature is everywhere, even in the city, in the heart of Dublin, you will meet herons, swans around the canals, at the seaside.
The island is also home to foxes and badgers, fallow deer and deer that you can easily come across in forests, in large parks, along lakes and of course in national parks. Without much effort you will also come across hares, hedgehogs, squirrels, deer, fallow deer and birds. There's no chance you won't come across the legendary megaloceros, the bog deer, also known as the Irish elk, as the last known ones were found in the bogs of Ireland and carbon-dated in the Holocene.
Breeders for 4,000 years
Ireland has been an agricultural country since at least 4000 BC. Domestic animals have always shared the country's history with the Irish. It's easy to come across sheep on your travels in the west of Ireland, since in the hills, sheep are often raised in semi-liberty. A colored dot on the sheep's back will help the farmer find his animals. There are around 4 million sheep bred in Ireland for wool and meat. More and more Irish breeds are being encouraged and perfected, such as the Galway or Connemara Cladoir Sheep. In the pastures, you'll see herds of cattle. Raised for milk, as Ireland is also a cheese-producing country, and for meat. As the herds are able to graze outdoors all year round, they provide meat of particular quality.
Noble conquest and man's best friend
As for the ponies of Connemara, they are the descendants of the horses that the Celts adopted at the time of the Viking invasions. Later, in the 12th century, the history of the Irish Draught Horse is based as much on battle as on agriculture. The Irish Draught showing courage and power is the result of crossing the horses of the Normans with those of the Spanish Armada. With such ancestors, it is no wonder that the horse world has an important place in Ireland. The breeding and racing industry generates over €1.8 billion in economic activity and supports nearly 29,000 jobs, making it one of the most important industries in the world.
If the horse is the most beautiful conquest of man, the dog remains his best friend. In the cynodromes, greyhounds race , a strict law regulating the course of the races, but also the treatment of the animals. The Welfare of Greyhounds Act (2011) is a law to ensure the welfare of greyhounds, regulate the operation of breeding facilities and establish a registry of breeding facilities. At the end of their career, around 3-4 years old, they are adoptable through the IRGT, Irish Retired Greyhound Trust. If you come across an Irish Wolfhound on your travels, remember that it was originally the guardian of livestock against wolves in Ireland. Today, the Irish Wolfhound is a calm and relaxed family pet. But its size and strength are best suited to families who will give this large dog plenty of time and love.
