gearagh alluvial forest - infosheet

2
I ., -f- ã: ' ñ13utp rc cm pryuaun a q 1llttr suonwtlqnQ a tun l, a rm ra S a lllnl16\ ayl to uonuatn a\i ot tq?not4 a.Lp \Jns ala\ob tnq ,r:,rilvtltu! rct paqilíns 'lpualmu aqi rn suolsst:ø,o Ja s.LoLL? tol Kturqtsuo(sat, lQacco 'naantotl '1ouu"nc atn\?oJ"g s¡r1l lo sncnpot( atl¡ lo smv1 ÞL^suo) ?\i Wft\ acwudtuoc ptn {nmcæry# 01 uÐlvi uaaq w\ awc î,naa alilWolg styl to uonv1tguæ ?Ut uI 'lllunoc Áruno3 >Fo3 Jo eouetsrsse eqt e8pe¡rroulce l,¡ryererã sìro¿N sllqnd Jo af,r.#o ,acrzuaS eJIIpll¿N eqr puB gsg 'pt'I srrqdErÐ C rl^t '[:u8rseq €MCEUJ¡ñ8ruæ@g ogvoa ^rddnsuoucr3 gSE,(q peqsrlqnd 'luãlllure^oÐ ãqt Jo uorsslru¡ed ,{q Áe,rrng ã)ueupJo uo peseq sdeyq .ue;orroc ul^e) l,q suorre.rrsn¡1 'sìro¿N rtlqnd Jo oil.rro .acr^Jag ãJIIpll¿A. erp qtrzr\ uollcunfuoo ut uBJoJJoC ur^â) Lq rxaa .uaes l,¡rsea sessoru Jo uorsryord .srepe^\ pu€ l^\olp¡^\ ro¡ qruou¡ y :f..renuuf 'P3es ul IIls seerr e¡puldg 'pepool, ^\ou puulpoo¿(\ .a8eurn¡d Burreru ur sì3nc 'uotuluo3 erB sì3ol' s¡ep€/lt puB serBlplerc :¡equ¡erec 'ìceq serp uouele8a¡ q3nt\ .sue^\s radoor¡m Jo IB^u¡E eqr qtrA\ lead sreqrunu lue¡Elu¡ ralul¿(\ :¡eqrueÂoN ug¿NIAt 'lryltuâld sdn¡ asor ãop pue Á¡or¡ r¡rrn s¡nolo3 uurnln€ qJru 'eì€l eqt elEurluop FroJplllN :Jaqolro 'suúaq IIBJ JeeT .uounuoc a.roru r8ung .luaulu¡o¡d s¡eP€^r qlrrn SurzrurB sprrq tue¡8uu ¡ãlul¿N :.requa¡deg 'l¡ru¡ edrr ruroJ IozEH pue s^rBH :pães sraû\ol' reu¡runs 'ale¡8nu ot e¡ede¡d sprlq teutrung :lsn8ny NI,{N¿NV 'pees sJe^4,o1, Suudg .qurorã eãer1o; esueq re,l\ol] rroT¡, s,uqof .]S pu€ setlr-I 'esn]o¡d serg:errnq '8uno,{ qtr^\ spællBI^J pue stooC .eì€l re^o eìBt su€^\s eln1Ai 'uoruuloc sleu¡u¡Bur pue spJtq ,sreq ¡o Suno¡ :.(¡n[ .uloolg s¡ellrol' reluruns .sÀ\olleqs eql sn{ouunu Jo sleoqs .punoge sarg-uo8erq pue lasureq :aunf .uado spng qse pue ì€O 'sueens oql eìoql stoo¡roJc pue lueunuord sura¡ 1el,o¡ ,esn¡ord srenog rrlr€Ð '8urp¡nq lseu aJueuruoc pue e^rJJ€ sJolrsl^ raununs eroyq 'a8rerua sergl,e¡¡ rg slppeC 'Eurpaa¡ Álerrnce s^\olp,r\S pup sutt¡Bl/{ ,sUIrr\S .preêq eq uer oo>¡cn3 :Áe¡4¡ uflArr [rìs 'sre^\op dolezrap stueld suros pue - poo/K elBunuop se^Eel trl¡Bc .e^l¡J€ s.r\ollell\s tslc 'prBeq eq uBf, sJlBqcljlrlS puB srelq.¡BA\ rrrollllN '¡eedde sprezr'I pue sleg ,sÁardurel ,sa¡odpe1 .aseeJJur srâgrunu lcasu¡ .readde or ur8ag sãr¡reltng eruog :¡r.rdy 'a3e1¡o¡ do¡e,rep seeü pue sqnrr{s - pedolerap ¡em €rol' pu€lpoo¿6 'alerãnu sp{q Ja}ur^\ ,Furtsau ur8aq sprrq e^lt€N 'sruoqc plq Suudg .8ul8¡eu¡e sqtotu ãruos :rprel I .e8¡eu¡o sl¡I puu p¡oãue¡n¡ ,aurpue¡a3 ,crlreC Jo se^€êl 'JezEH pu€ ¡eplv uo surìreO .luasa¡d lllrs sprq ¡aluuN 'u,nedg Sorg 'sur8eq Suos pJlq IBuoI¡re¿ :^/rren.rqag 5¡uu¿s 'q&nwaþ aqt u! n{ 4ool ptw aas ot wqffi to |"wt¡c paslwuililtts _(> owcþ Yipes f"n" t''l N|/ n.r^ntly lepetg-lso¡ t)ffi ..\ 7. 'urffia& .;'t .-? :,1 ,. ç^ 'Lrr3 >1:o3 ruo¡¡ (sãllu¡ÞZ) ur¡66 l,1uo ruoorf,el\ r€eu petef,ol sr q8aeag aqa NOI¿VCO7 The Çeardgh : il uniqueþ þreserued høven of wíldlífe. Introductíon The Gearagh, on the River Lee, near Macroom, Co. Cork, gets its name from "An Gaoire", the wooded river. It is a unigue and ancient forest system situated on a broad, braided channel where the River leaves the hills and widens out into an alluvial plain, formed at the end of the last Ice Age. The writer Gibbings in his book "Lovely is the Lee" describes it as follows: "Now the Lee comes to us in a wide network of interlacing streams, The Gearagh, haunt of the wiid duck, home of the ring dove. \Øater swirling by a thousand wooded islands, under the alders and hazels, through tortuous channels, trailing long grasses, an almost impenetrable jungle, certainly one in which themost knowledgeable man might lose his \ryay". It is in this respecr then rhat the Gearagh is unique, being an intricate tangle of narrow channels and many branching streams that encircle a maze of islands covered in oak forest. Although about half the original area has been damaged it still represenrs the only extensive alluvial forest in Ireland or Britain and probably Westem Europe west of the Rhine. The communities, or groupings, of plants growing together are uncommon and there are some rare species e.g. Durch Rush (Eqøisenm hyemale) while the flooded areas attract large concentrations of wildfowl. Hístory The area first came to rhe atenrion Co[òenRinaeò of scientists in the 19th Century Orugonffy " and the famous naturalist Robert Lloyd Praeger stopped here in 1907. After him came a string of British and Continental biologists includingTänsley, Balfour-Brown, Ludi and Braun-Blanquet. The Irish scientists, O'Rourke and Hewetson worked here in the 1950's while Dr. Helen O'Reilly studied the woodlands in 1954 as they were being felled to make way for the reservoirs to drive the electricity generating station at Carrigadrochid. For about 25 years ir was commonly thought by the scientific communiry that the enrire area had been damaged. However, a remnant of the woodland remained and about 8 years ago it was listed by the \Øildlife Service as worthy of nature reserve status. In 1987 the area was declared a statutory nature reserve under the \Øildlife Act,l976, with the acrive co- operation of E.S.B., who own the land. Local inter- est in the site paralleled that of the \Tildlife Service, with the local students, studying in the area and winning the Aer Lingus Young Scientist of the Year Comperirion. It was brought to national attention as a site of major interest. tþe extrevne[y vare

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Information leaflet on the Gearagh -an ancient alluvial forest near Macroom, Co. Cork, Ireland. It was partially flooded as part of the construction of the Lee hydro-electric schemes. It is a nature reserve and is a popular tourist spot.

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Page 1: Gearagh Alluvial Forest - Infosheet

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' ñ13utp rc cm pryuaun a q 1llttr suonwtlqnQ a tun l, a rm ra S a lllnl16\ayl to uonuatn a\i ot tq?not4 a.Lp \Jns ala\ob tnq ,r:,rilvtltu!

rct paqilíns 'lpualmu aqi rn suolsst:ø,o Ja s.LoLL? tol Kturqtsuo(sat,

lQacco 'naantotl '1ouu"nc atn\?oJ"g s¡r1l lo sncnpot( atl¡

lo smv1 ÞL^suo) ?\i Wft\ acwudtuoc ptn {nmcæry#01 uÐlvi uaaq w\ awc î,naa alilWolg styl to uonv1tguæ ?Ut uI

'lllunoc Áruno3 >Fo3

Jo eouetsrsse eqt e8pe¡rroulce l,¡ryererã sìro¿Nsllqnd Jo af,r.#o ,acrzuaS eJIIpll¿N eqr puB gsg

'pt'I srrqdErÐ C rl^t '[:u8rseq

€MCEUJ¡ñ8ruæ@gogvoa

^rddnsuoucr3

gSE,(q peqsrlqnd

'luãlllure^oÐãqt Jo uorsslru¡ed ,{q Áe,rrng ã)ueupJouo peseq sdeyq .ue;orroc ul^e) l,q suorre.rrsn¡1'sìro¿N rtlqnd Jo oil.rro .acr^Jag ãJIIpll¿A.erp qtrzr\ uollcunfuoo ut uBJoJJoC ur^â) Lq rxaa

.uaes l,¡rsea sessoru

Jo uorsryord .srepe^\ pu€ l^\olp¡^\ ro¡ qruou¡ y :f..renuuf'P3es ul IIls

seerr e¡puldg 'pepool, ^\ou

puulpoo¿(\ .a8eurn¡d Burreru ursì3nc 'uotuluo3 erB sì3ol' s¡ep€/lt puB serBlplerc :¡equ¡erec

'ìceq serp uouele8a¡ q3nt\ .sue^\s radoor¡m

Jo IB^u¡E eqr qtrA\ lead sreqrunu lue¡Elu¡ ralul¿(\ :¡eqrueÂoN

ug¿NIAt'lryltuâld sdn¡ asor ãop pue Á¡or¡ r¡rrn

s¡nolo3 uurnln€ qJru 'eì€l eqt elEurluop FroJplllN :Jaqolro'suúaq

IIBJ JeeT .uounuoc a.roru r8ung .luaulu¡o¡d

s¡eP€^r qlrrn SurzrurB sprrq tue¡8uu ¡ãlul¿N :.requa¡deg'l¡ru¡ edrr ruroJ IozEH pue s^rBH :pães

sraû\ol' reu¡runs 'ale¡8nu ot e¡ede¡d sprlq teutrung :lsn8ny

NI,{N¿NV'pees sJe^4,o1, Suudg .qurorã eãer1o;

esueq re,l\ol] rroT¡, s,uqof .]S pu€ setlr-I 'esn]o¡d serg:errnq'8uno,{ qtr^\ spællBI^J pue stooC .eì€l re^o eìBt su€^\seln1Ai 'uoruuloc sleu¡u¡Bur pue spJtq ,sreq ¡o Suno¡ :.(¡n[

.uloolg s¡ellrol' reluruns .sÀ\olleqs eql u¡sn{ouunu Jo sleoqs .punoge sarg-uo8erq pue lasureq :aunf

.uado spng qse pue ì€O 'sueens oql eìoqlstoo¡roJc pue lueunuord sura¡ 1el,o¡

,esn¡ord srenog rrlr€Ð'8urp¡nq lseu aJueuruoc pue e^rJJ€ sJolrsl^

raununs eroyq 'a8rerua sergl,e¡¡ rg slppeC 'Eurpaa¡ Álerrnces^\olp,r\S pup sutt¡Bl/{ ,sUIrr\S .preêq eq uer oo>¡cn3 :Áe¡4¡

uflArr [rìs'sre^\op dolezrap stueld

suros pue - poo/K elBunuop se^Eel trl¡Bc .e^l¡J€ s.r\ollell\stslc 'prBeq eq uBf, sJlBqcljlrlS puB srelq.¡BA\ rrrollllN'¡eedde sprezr'I pue sleg ,sÁardurel ,sa¡odpe1 .aseeJJur

srâgrunu lcasu¡ .readde or ur8ag sãr¡reltng eruog :¡r.rdy'a3e1¡o¡ do¡e,rep seeü pue sqnrr{s - pedolerap ¡em

€rol' pu€lpoo¿6 'alerãnu sp{q Ja}ur^\ ,Furtsau ur8aq sprrqe^lt€N 'sruoqc plq Suudg .8ul8¡eu¡e sqtotu ãruos :rprel I

.e8¡eu¡o sl¡I puu p¡oãue¡n¡ ,aurpue¡a3 ,crlreC

Jo se^€êl 'JezEH pu€ ¡eplv uo surìreO .luasa¡d lllrs sprq

¡aluuN 'u,nedg Sorg 'sur8eq Suos pJlq IBuoI¡re¿ :^/rren.rqag

5¡uu¿s

'q&nwaþ aqt u! n{4ool ptw aas ot wqffi to |"wt¡c paslwuililtts

_(>

owcþ Yipes

f"n" t''l

N|/ n.r^ntly lepetg-lso¡ t)ffi..\

7. 'urffia&.;'t.-?:,1,. ç^

'Lrr3 >1:o3 ruo¡¡(sãllu¡ÞZ) ur¡66 l,1uo ruoorf,el\

r€eu petef,ol sr q8aeag aqa

NOI¿VCO7

The Çeardgh : il uniqueþ þreserued høven of wíldlífe.IntroductíonThe Gearagh, on the River Lee, near Macroom, Co.Cork, gets its name from "An Gaoire", the woodedriver. It is a unigue and ancient forest systemsituated on a broad, braided channel where the Riverleaves the hills and widens out into an alluvial plain,formed at the end of the last Ice Age.

The writer Gibbings in his book "Lovely is the Lee"describes it as follows: "Now the Lee comes to us ina wide network of interlacing streams, The Gearagh,haunt of the wiid duck, home of the ring

dove. \Øater swirling by a thousand wooded islands,under the alders and hazels, through tortuouschannels, trailing long grasses, an almostimpenetrable jungle, certainly one in which themostknowledgeable man might lose his \ryay".

It is in this respecr then rhat the Gearagh is unique,being an intricate tangle of narrow channels andmany branching streams that encircle a maze ofislands covered in oak forest. Although about halfthe original area has been damaged it still represenrsthe only extensive alluvial forest in Ireland orBritain and probably Westem Europe west of the

Rhine. The communities, or groupings, of plantsgrowing together are uncommon and there are somerare species e.g. Durch Rush (Eqøisenm hyemale)while the flooded areas attract large concentrationsof wildfowl.

HístoryThe area first came to rhe atenrion Co[òenRinaeòof scientists in the 19th Century Orugonffy "and the famous naturalist

Robert Lloyd Praeger stopped here in 1907. Afterhim came a string of British and Continentalbiologists includingTänsley, Balfour-Brown,Ludi and Braun-Blanquet. The Irishscientists, O'Rourke and Hewetsonworked here in the 1950's while Dr. HelenO'Reilly studied the woodlands in 1954 as

they were being felled to make way for thereservoirs to drive the electricity generatingstation at Carrigadrochid.

For about 25 years ir was commonly thoughtby the scientific communiry that the enrirearea had been damaged. However, a remnantof the woodland remained and about 8 yearsago it was listed by the \Øildlife Service as

worthy of nature reserve status. In 1987 thearea was declared a statutory nature reserveunder the \Øildlife Act,l976, with the acrive co-operation of E.S.B., who own the land. Local inter-est in the site paralleled that of the \TildlifeService, with the local students, studyingin the area and winning the Aer Lingus

Young Scientist of the Year Comperirion. It wasbrought to national attention as a site of majorinterest.

tþe extrevne[y vare

Page 2: Gearagh Alluvial Forest - Infosheet

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FolkloreThe Gearagh has attracted both writer and renegade.It was always a safe refuge for past outlaws, like thelocally famous Robin Hood character, "Sean-Rua-na-Goire", who robbed local gentry and gave to thepoor, but could never be caught from hisimpenetrable hide within the forest. One of its moreinfamous claims was as the home of the Poitinmakers. The local constabulary could watch thesmoke rise from the stills within the forest, but onentering, could never locate them, as they sufferedthe confusing phenomenon of "Meascán Maraíocht".

its rich diversity of herbs were a gift to local farmers,who drove their cattle in here during the spring, tofeed on the carpets of wild garlic. However, thoughthe resulting taste of the milk made it undrinkable,they never had to hire a vet; a small price to pay forhealthy cattle.

Chørøcterístic species of the ÇeøraghThe first view of the area from the causeway,

especially if the water level is low, has been likenedto a lunar landscape. However, this sea of mud is

home to a rare and protected plant, Mudwort(Limosella aquatica), which forms a short, greenlawn around the margin of the reservoir. Beyond thisare wet meadows full of Marsh

tþe s1tinò[eTreeinFyuit

Ragwort (Senecio a4uaticus) which in summer forms acarpet of gold. Beyond this again are the remains ofthe alluvial forest which at present can be visitedonly with difficulty.

Contrary to what might be expected the islands are

relatively dry. They are covered in a mixture of Oak(Quercus robw), Ash (Frøxlnus excelsior) and Birch(Betula pubescens) with a shrub layer of Hazel(Corylus avellana) and \Thitethorn (Crataegus

monogyna). \Tillows (Salix sþecies) and Alder (Alnusglutinosa) are confined to the wetter depressions orstream margins. \Toodland margins support spindletree (Euonymw etnoþeaus), Guelder rose (Víbumwnoþulus) and Birdcherry (Prwtus padus). There are

over 100 species of flowering plants and ferns. Inspring the ground is carpeted with wild garlic (ALLium

wsinum) whose pungent aroma fills the air, while thegold cups of Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) linethe stream sides. Later in the year these plants are

replaced by Bugle (Ajuga reþtans), Enchanter'sNightshade (Circaea lutetiana), Irish Spurge(Euphorbia hyberna), Meadow Sweet (Filipendula

ulnvLria) and Royal fern (Osmundnregalis).

Under the shade of the trees the streams are almostdevoid of plants but where they are open to the suna luxuriant growth of vegetation occurs. In May thechannels may be a sheet of white from watercrowfoot (Ranunculu.s specles), while Srarworts(Callitriche sþecies) and Pondweeds (Potamogeton

sþecies) form underwater "forests". Fresh watersponges are common on the stream beds.

From October onwards migratory birds arrive in largeflocks. Mallards in their hundreds, Wigeon, Tèal,Tufted Duck, Pochard, the elegant Great CrestedGrebe, \X/hooper Swans, Greylag Geese, GoldenPlover, Dunlin, Snipe, Curlew and Lapwing may beseen on the reservoir and its margins. Other species,present all the year, include Herons, Cormorants,Coots, Moorhens

;u/' and.Kingfishers. Reed Buntings occur in tallvegetation around the reservoir and Jays and

Sparrowhawks in the woodland. In Summer, Swiftsscythe the air feeding on insects with Sand andHouse Martins and Swallows rising in warm aircurrents while brightly coloured Damsel flies andDragon flies dart along the streams and river banks.The lucky visitor may see Stoats or Otters. Muteswans in their hundreds visit the Gearagh in June,and July. Altogether a treasure-trove of nature whichE.S.B. and Wildlife Service, along with the localcommunity, and local authorities are committed toconserve.

Vísítíng the ÇearaghThe area is more a haven for wildlife than forhumans, being wet, marshy, over-grown and exposedto the elements. Thus visitors may find

./t(

2000

1000

500

SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN

CHART SHOWS THE INCREASE IN BIRDNUMBERS WITH THE APPROACH OF WINTER

the Gearagh hard and even unpleasant to exploremuch of the time. However, when water levels arelow, you can walk right across the central causeway

to emerge at the other side, where many of thebirds, especially in winte¡ can be seen. Failing rhis,the roads on the southern side can offer morerewarding glimpses of the many birds. The river atToon Bridge gives a good idea of the character ofthe streams.

To walk the side-roads about the Gearagh will bringyou in contact with the various plant species rharare characteristic of the Lee Valley and theGearagh. At present there is no public access inrothe wood and it is not advisable to attempt to enterbecause of the danger from the tangle of fallenbranches, deep streams, strong currents and softmud. For the same reason you should not leave the

roads or causeway.

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