Platial | Who and What's Nearby
Platial | Who and What's Nearby
I'm looking for
near
0 People have been here:
Description:
Gearagh - 'gware-ach' doesn't even come near - is a hidden land that most drive by without a thought.
The Gearagh essentially forms an inland delta, where the River Lee breaks into a complex network of channels (2 to 6m wide) weaving through a series of wooded islands. It is the only extensive remains of Alluvial Forest found in western Europe. It is a unique place of streams, narrow channels and small islands.
Here are found some very rare plant and insect specimens which have been investigated and recorded by famous naturalists and scientists since the 19th century. There are 100's of species of flowers, plants and ferns. During the autumn and winter months migratory birds arrive in vast numbers and flocks of wild duck, snipe, woodcock, curlew, lapwing and swans can be seen on the islands. I watched an otter diving repeatedly for eels, and eating them floating on its back, the eel held in its forepaws.
The Gearagh can also be a very dangerous place - it is very easy to get lost, there are deep areas, muddy banks and floods do occur regularly. The photos with the cows show us completely lost and having to haul the boats across several semi-flooded fields to find a road.
In latter years the Gearagh has achieved a certain amount of fame as a source of poitin ('potcheen') - a highly potent raw-tasting alcohol brewed from malt syrup or molasses in illicit stills. The last time I ran a RiverTrek weekend, the weather turned - after a couple of capsizes I called a halt a few miles short of the end. We pulled the boats up high, and struck off across fields in the dusk. The house we stumbled on turned out be that of the elderly brother and sister who I used to buy my poteen from. They welcomed all eight of us, warmed us with a 'hot drop' - and drove us to our cars.
The lower part of the Gearagh was flooded to form a reservoir for hydro-electricity - the stumps have all the gloomy horror of a 1st. World War battlefield.
Gearagh - 'gware-ach' doesn't even come near - is a hidden land that most drive by without a thought.
The Gearagh essentially forms an inland delta, where the River Lee breaks into a complex network of channels (2 to 6m wide) weaving through a series of wooded islands. It is the only extensive remains of Alluvial Forest found in western Europe. It is a unique place of streams, narrow channels and small islands.
Here are found some very rare plant and insect specimens which have been investigated and recorded by famous naturalists and scientists since the 19th century. There are 100's of species of flowers, plants and ferns. During the autumn and winter months migratory birds arrive in vast numbers and flocks of wild duck, snipe, woodcock, curlew, lapwing and swans can be seen on the islands. I watched an otter diving repeatedly for eels, and eating them floating on its back, the eel held in its forepaws.
The Gearagh can also be a very dangerous place - it is very easy to get lost, there are deep areas, muddy banks and floods do occur regularly. The photos with the cows show us completely lost and having to haul the boats across several semi-flooded fields to find a road.
In latter years the Gearagh has achieved a certain amount of fame as a source of poitin ('potcheen') - a highly potent raw-tasting alcohol brewed from malt syrup or molasses in illicit stills. The last time I ran a RiverTrek weekend, the weather turned - after a couple of capsizes I called a halt a few miles short of the end. We pulled the boats up high, and struck off across fields in the dusk. The house we stumbled on turned out be that of the elderly brother and sister who I used to buy my poteen from. They welcomed all eight of us, warmed us with a 'hot drop' - and drove us to our cars.
The lower part of the Gearagh was flooded to form a reservoir for hydro-electricity - the stumps have all the gloomy horror of a 1st. World War battlefield.
Photos:
Watch Related Videos
View Related MapsMeet Relatives
