II.

Land and Resources

A.

Natural Regions

Ireland consists of a central limestone plain rimmed by low, often rugged mountain ranges along the coasts. Gaps in the rim permit the plain to extend to the coast in several regions, notably along the eastern coast to the north of Dublin. Most of the central plain lies 60 to 90 m (200 to 300 ft) above sea level. It includes numerous lakes and large areas of marsh and peat bog, as well as some fertile agricultural land. Scattered ridges rise above the plain, but none reach any great height.

Among the principal mountain ranges are the Wicklow Mountains in the east, just south of Dublin, rising to more than 915 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. A number of smaller ranges, which have numerous local names, extend across the country. They include the Derryveagh Mountains and Blue Stack Mountains of Donegal in the northwest; the Maumturk Mountains and Nephin Beg Range, the latter containing Mount Nephin 719 m (2,359 ft), in the west; the Caha Mountains in the southwest, containing Mount Knockboy (707 m/2,321 ft); and the Boggeragh, Galty, and Knockmealdown mountains in the south. In the far southwest, in a range known as Macgillicuddy’s Reeks, stands Carrauntoohil, which rises to 1,041 m/3,415 ft, the highest point in Ireland.

B.

Rivers and Lakes

Ireland is a country of many rivers and lakes, known as loughs. The principal rivers of Ireland are the Erne and the Shannon, the longest river in the British Isles. The Shannon begins in the northwest and flows southwest before reaching the Atlantic Ocean through a wide, lengthy estuary. The Shannon, like the Erne, actually consists of a chain of lakes joined by stretches of river; half the length of the Shannon is made up of Loughs Allen, Ree, and Derg. Many of Ireland’s rivers, including the Liffey and Boyne in the east and the Lee in the southwest, are relatively short, draining mountains and hills near the sea. The southeastern part of the island is drained by a river system made up of the Suir, Nore, and Barrow and their tributaries.

Apart from the Shannon, which is navigable for most of its length, inland navigation largely depends on the remnants of a canal system built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Parts of this system have been restored, including the Royal and Grand canals that link Dublin to the Shannon. The completely rebuilt Ballinamore-Ballyconnell Canal, which originally opened in 1860, connects the Shannon and Erne.

Major loughs include Ree and Derg on the Shannon and Mask, Corrib, and Conn in the west. In the mountains of the southwest are the three small and picturesque Lakes of Killarney.

C.

Coastline and Islands

The eastern coast of Ireland is fairly regular with few deep indentations; the only sizable inlets are Dundalk Bay and Dublin Bay. In the south the largest harbor is Cork Harbour. Most of the western coast is extremely rugged and marked by drowned, or submerged, valleys and steep cliffs. Major inlets on the western coast include Bantry and Dingle bays in the south, Galway Bay in the center, and Donegal Bay in the north. Hundreds of small islands are scattered along the western coast. Among the largest are Achill Island and the Aran Islands.

D.

Climate

Ireland has a maritime temperate climate with little seasonal or regional variation due to the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream, which brings warm, moist winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The average winter temperature ranges from 4° to 7°C (40° to 45°F), approximately 14 Celsius degrees (25 Fahrenheit degrees) higher than that of most other places in the same latitude in the interior of Europe or on the eastern coast of North America. The oceanic influence is also pronounced in the summer; the average summer temperature of Ireland ranges from 15° to 17°C (59° to 62°F), or about 4 Celsius degrees (7 Fahrenheit degrees) lower than that of most other places in the same latitudes. Rainfall averages 1,000 mm (40 in) annually, although regional variation is significant, with more than twice as much rain falling in the west as in the east. The sunniest part of the country is the southeast.

E.

Natural Resources

Ireland’s most valuable natural resource is its lowland soils. These soils support rich grasslands, which flourish across much of Ireland and provide extensive pasture for grazing animals. The soils also support a variety of cereals and root crops. Ireland has some natural mineral resources including deposits of zinc, lead, gypsum, and alumina. Some natural gas deposits are found off the southern and western coasts. Peat from heaths and bogs has long served as an important fuel source for homes and industry, and it is also used to improve soils for cultivation.

F.

Plants and Animals

Ireland’s animal life does not differ markedly from that of England or France. Over many centuries of human settlement almost all of Ireland’s natural woodlands were cleared, and indigenous animals such as bear, wolf, wildcat, beaver, wild cattle, and the giant Irish deer (a type of fallow deer) gradually disappeared. However, the hardy and versatile Connemara pony, Ireland’s only native pony breed, has been used by Irish farmers since prehistoric times. The great auk, or garefowl, was exterminated in the 19th century.

Small rodents living in forested areas and fields remain numerous across Ireland, as do numerous species of shore and field birds, including many types of gull. Birds of prey are rare. Ireland has no snakes; in fact, the only reptile found in Ireland is a species of lizard. Sedges, rushes, ferns, and grasses provide the dominant plant cover.

G.

Environmental Issues

For much of the 20th century, Ireland gave environmental protection a relatively low priority as it pursued economic growth. Rapid development and rising consumption have led to major problems with disposal of waste, nearly all of which is dumped in landfills. The city of Dublin, Ireland’s largest population center, has no proper system for recycling, and several efforts to establish one have failed.

Economic growth has also contributed to the disappearance of Ireland’s once-extensive system of peat bogs, which provide a habitat for many rare plants. Although humans have exploited peat for centuries as a fuel source, recent decades have seen industrial-scale exploitation of peat for commercial power stations and gardening products. Few pristine bogs remain. At the same time, widespread drainage of wetlands for development has greatly reduced habitat for wildfowl.

Another important environmental issue is the ongoing radioactive contamination of the Irish Sea caused by discharges from a nuclear materials processing plant at Sellafield, England. All political parties in Ireland have opposed continued operation of the Sellafield facility.