The green island has a collection of arctic-mediterranean plants
In August 2021, the Irish government made a very ambitious ecological commitment. The Emerald Isle has set itself the ambition of becoming the world leader in environmental protection. Fresh, clean air, lush green landscapes and magnificent coastlines famous the world over are no longer enough. It's time to get more actively involved. When you arrive by plane, it's as if you've landed on a jigsaw puzzle of fifty shades of green. What a sight Ireland's flora and fauna are!
Ireland's verdant landscapes are home to a collection of some 900 endemic species. In this unusual inventory, we can observe plants that belong to the register of arctic or alpine plants. It is, of course, a resurgence from the Ice Age past that characterizes Irish flora. Let's not forget the Irish paradox! The Gulf Stream warms Ireland's coasts, where many Mediterranean and tropical species flourish. True, but Ireland is at the latitude of Siberia. What's more, its soil was formed during the Ice Age, and many seeds were preserved there. So it's not so strange that these Arctic plants feel at home in their environment.
Flowers that grow in stones
These plants thrive in cold conditions, such as the edges of glaciers in the Alps or the tundra of the northern Arctic. Arctic saxifrage(Saxifraga nivalis) is an example, nivalis meaning snow. Generally speaking, it prefers colder climates, Ireland being one of the southernmost locations for these species. It is one of Ireland's rarest plants - a small population of individuals on the Ben Bulben/Ben Wiskin range in County Sligo. However, they grow on these mountains among a host 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 appreciate the conditions on Ben Bulben. It's 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 in the stones of the Burren plateau; every interval of the Burren greens and blooms: dryas, gentian and bearberry invite admiration. Cranesbills, primroses, orchids and marsh violets bloom in the crevices.
Typically Irish: the bog
In the west of the country, , the land is mainly peat fields teeming with plants, including endangered species. The peat bogs have a special soil composition, with acidic, stagnant water, an oxygen-depleted environment, low in bacteria, where plant matter slowly decomposes. It slowly piles up, gradually forming peat.
Ireland's peatlands cover almost 2,000 km2, far more than any other European country. Composed mainly of water and also decomposing plant waste, a peat bog ranges from 45 cm to 13 m in depth. Generally speaking, the plants that form the peat and colonize the water surface are mosses and sphagnum mosses, small plants that adapt to their environment to proliferate.
Europe's rarest fern has been discovered in Killarney, in 2020. Botanists are astonished that it hadn't been noticed before. The neotropical fern, Stenogrammitis myosuroides, has never before been found outside the mountain forests of Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, more than 6,500 km across the Atlantic. Rory Hodd, the botanist who spotted the tiny plant, is astonished to have discovered a new native plant species - one thought to have arrived "on its own", without being imported by man. It seems that the tiny fern has been neglected for thousands of years. It lived quietly in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, one of Europe's last remaining fragments of temperaterainforest. One of Ireland's national parks, Killarney is a source of amazement for nature lovers, arboretums and spectacular plants.
Peat bogs are a richly biodiverse environment. The flora is unique and is essential to the renewal of the peat. A good way to learn more about peatlands is to visit Connemara National Park.
Heading west, it's already south!
County Kerry, with its fairly mild climate, boasts 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 such as eucalyptus, fuchsia and the Andean palm were brought back from faraway lands on the great voyages of exploration, as were callistemon with their flamboyant red feather duster, abutillons and ambotriums. The rainy climate, warmed by the Gulf Stream, has favored their development. In Ireland, there has long been an art of free gardening, too often incorrectly referred to as the art of the English garden, since 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 considered extinct in the 1600s, it was found again in 1951. Other 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 was based as much on battle as on agriculture. Irish Draught horses, with their courage and power, are the result of a cross between the horses of the Normans and those of the Spanish Armada. With ancestors like these, it's hardly surprising that the horse world plays an important role in Ireland. The breeding and racing sector generates over 1.8 billion euros in economic activity and supports almost 29,000 jobs, making it one of the most important in the world.
If the horse is man's greatest conquest, the dog remains his best friend. Greyhounds race on cynodromes , although strict laws regulate not only the running of the races, but also the treatment of the animals. The Welfare of Greyhounds Act (2011) is a law designed to ensure the welfare of greyhounds, regulate the operation of breeding establishments and establish a register of breeding establishments. At the end of their careers, when they are around 3-4 years old, they are available for adoption through IRGT, the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust. If you come across an Irish Wolfhound on your travels, remember that it was originally used to guard livestock against wolves in Ireland. Today, theIrish Wolfhound is a calm, relaxed family pet. But its size and strength are best suited to families who devote time and love to this big dog.
