Clare island Survey — tree- Growth. 9 27 



smaller than the .size attained by these species on similar soils and sites 

 further inland. Oak, Birch, Hazel, "Willow, and Holly scrub clothe the north 

 and south slopes of the head, while miniature clumps of Oak, with a surface- 

 growth of Luzula, Bracken, etc., on the summit prove that at no very distant 

 date the greater part of this hill was covered with timber. There is good 

 reason to suppose, therefore, that Old Head forms the last stronghold of the 

 more modern forest flora of the district, and that at one time it extended 

 across a ridge now broken through or covered by the sea, to Clare Island, and 

 covered much of the valley now occupied by Clew Bay. 



On the mainland to the north, a more sterile surface soil, practically 

 covered with mountain peat, prevails over the whole of Achill Island, and the 

 country west of a line from Newport to Belmullet. Over the whole of this 

 tract the sterility of the surface soil is far greater than on the area already 

 described, and the original forest covering appears to have consisted almost 

 entirely of Pine, stumps of which are scattered over the original surface now 

 covered by peat. The small size of the Pine stumps on the slopes facing 

 Clew Bay between Newport and Mulranny suggests that this area was 

 always comparatively sterile and wind-swept. Scrub Oak exists at 

 Mulranny, Glendarary House near Achill Sound, and a few other places, 

 but the growth of ail vegetation suffers considerably from wind on this side 

 of the bay, except where sheltered by hills to the westward. Modern planta- 

 tions of Ash, Alder, Sycamore, Maritime and Scots Pine exist in a few places, 

 and at Glendarary fine specimens of Pinus insignis, planted about 1870 on a 

 peat-covered hillside, prove the fitness of this species for the west of Ireland. 



The above facts favour the theory that the more recent forest flora of 

 Clare Island came in from the south or east when a wide valley covered with 

 Oak, Hazel, Holly, etc., occupied a great part of the site now forming Clew 

 Bay, while the high ground to the north was covered with Pines. The 

 former type of forest invaded the Pine forest already present on Clare Island, 

 and by sheer force of numbers probably reduced the proportion of Pines to 

 an extent which gradually placed them in the position of a subordinate 

 species, and created difficulties in the way of their natural regeneration which 

 finally brought about the total extinction of the species over wide areas, its 

 final disappearance being possibly clue to human agency, although the exact 

 influence of the latter is a doubtful point, as already suggested. 



This disappearance of the Pine from the Clare Island and west of Ireland 

 flora is not easy of explanation. The few Irish place-names associated with 

 trees on the island, which are quoted by MacNeill, 1 refer to Oak and woody 

 growth generally, while Colgair comments on the absence of names of trees 



1 Clare Island Survey, Part 3. : Clare Island Survey, Tart i. 



D2 



