456 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



be expected, the "n-iiicl action being comMned Trith the tide, and thus 

 creating an increased diiitage ; but in the tract to the north, the Tvind- 

 waves act against the di-ifcage of the " counter-tide ; " yet the princi- 

 pal denudation is at the south end of the accumulation, and Trhat 

 apparently is more remarkable, immediately to the north-n-ard, betTrcen 

 Clogga and Arklo-sv Head, there is another similar accumulation of 

 ^olian sand, ^rhere the piincipal di'iftage is not northward with the 

 wind-wares, but southward with the counter-tide. This exception in 

 the bay between Clogga and Kilmichael is the only place on the 

 whole of the coast line in these charts, where the drifting power of the 

 wind- waves seems to exceed, or even equal, that of the tidal cru'rent ; 

 possibly, however, this apparent anomaly may be due to the tides 

 during springs running dii'ect on to the coast hereabout, fi'om "the 

 tail " of the Glassgorman bank ; but in support of such a supposition I 

 could get no evidence. Under ordinary circumstances, the driftage 

 hereabouts seems to be southward with the "counter-tide," as the 

 fragTuents of the rocks are carried south along the beach. ■•' 



I^oi-th of Arklow Head, opposite the valley of the Ovoca river, there 

 was formerly a large -Slolian sand accumulation enclosing a lagoon, 

 and from what now remains it is evident that formerly the di'iftage 

 from the southward shifted the embouchui'e of the Ovoca liver some- 

 what northward ; now, however, by piers and other artificial means, 

 an entrance has been made and kept open near the centre of the sands. 

 Here also, as at Pollduif and Coui'town, the works have not been effi- 

 cient, formerly, !N'.E. gales cleared out the bar, but of late years 

 •the south pier was lengthened, which has had the same efi'ect (and 

 for a similar reason) as the rebuilding of the south pier at Courtown, 

 previously mentioned. 



Prom Arklow to IMizcn Head, and fi'om that to Ardmore Point, the 

 tide and driftage seem very regularly northward. In the different bays, 

 in all of which there are -3^olian sands, the tide cuts a little fi'om the 

 southern extremities of the banks, while more or less is added to the 

 north end ; except in Jack's Hole, where the bank has been added to 

 considerably all along. Here it may be mentioned, that on this coast 

 the outer margin of the sand hills is now generally more regular than 

 when the Ordnance maps were made, in general all the jutting out 

 portions having been cut away, or the hollows filled up. 



Between Ardmore and "^icklowf there are various complications 

 on account of the points and shoals that generate "races" and " coun- 

 ter-tides." Of these "counter-tides" the larger one begins nearPive 



* These " count er- tides " seem to liaro been very Kttle studied, and arc not 

 marked on the chart. Neither the coastgiiards nor the fishermen seem to he per- 

 fectly acquainted with them. They all know the ordinary " set," and allow that 

 this at times changes, but the exact time of the change, and the cause of it, they 

 cannot tell. 



■f- "Wicklow is situated immediately outside the north margin of the area included 

 within the limits of the Chart, Sheet xt. 



