It is believed that there was a land-bridge connecting the south-east of Ireland to the south of England – this existed before humans arrived in Ireland. I mentioned this previously in the post related to the birth of the Irish Sea – where during the Ice Age there existed a freshwater late before it was finally submerged by the sea.
The Irish Sea is Born
It was 20 millions years ago that Britain and Ireland ended up where they are now. Almost 300 million years before that, the super continent Gondwanaland had began to separate in a north-south movement. Then 100 million years ago this shifted a an east-west separation, and by 40 million years ago the Atlantic Ocean was formed – and the continents as they are now were more or less in place 20 million years ago.
Hedge Bindweed – Portmarnock
I came across the Hedge Bindweed between the car park and beach in Portmarnock. This October (2017) has been quite mild, and it seems many flowers are still around towards the end of their survival range of dates.
The Casino is located at Marino, next to the Malahide Road. It was designed by Sir William Chambers as a pleasure house for James Caulfield, 1st Earl of Charlemont. It is an example of 18th century neo-classical design. The Casino, meaning “small house”, contains a total of 16 finely decorated rooms.
One of the best reasons to cross the East Link bridge, is to catch a glimpse of the boats close to Poolbeg Yacht, Boat Club, & Marina.
The Wild Rose
I came across this Wild Rose in Sandymount on the path to Irish town Nature Reserve. Despite having some good resources for identification proposes (see below), I failed to identify the flower. The reason is that the colour of this rose is varied, and you find them every shade from white to dark pink. They are frequently discovered developing wild among roadside bushes.
The land on which East-Point business park is built is an area that few Dublin residents visit – other than those working there. And yet it contains one scarcely known view of the city – a view of Clontarf promenade.