392 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



LXI. — On the BoTiNT or the G-aitee MoTrNTAiNs, Co. Tippeeaiiy. 

 By Henjit Chichestee Haet. 



[Read, February 14, 1881.] 



Havhtg received a grant from the Eoyal Irish Academy, in 1880, to 

 enable me to examine the Botany of the Galtee Mountains I beg to 

 lay the following results before the Academy : — 



Upon the 3rd of August I reached Tipperary, and the following 

 day commenced the detailed exploration of the mountains. My visit, 

 owing to rough weather, was later than I had intended ; but the 

 flowering season was not very far advanced when I arrived, and having 

 spent six days upon the range, I do not think it likely that many 

 plants of interest escaped my notice. 



The Galtee range extends for about fifteen miles, from Caher at 

 the eastern to Massy Lodge at the western extremity. These moun- 

 tains form a long ridge, intersected by no transverse valley, and 

 sloping with tolerable evenness to the plains on the south, while 

 they descend with abrupt declivities and a series of cliff-girt tarns to 

 the Yale of Aherlow upon the north. This ridge, which maintains an 

 elevation of above 2500 feet for eight or nine miles, and reaches its 

 greatest height (3015 feet) at Galtymore, about the centre of the 

 range, forms an accurate boundary for the alpine vegetation of the 

 range. Upon the slopes descending southward, though starting from 

 the summit, I met with no alpine or northern type plants ; all these, 

 which form its chief botanical interest, lie on the northern face of the 

 mountains. 



The geological structure of this backbone of the Co. Tipperary is of 

 Silurian age, with overlying beds of Old Red Sandstone conglomerate, 

 reaching to the summit at Galtymore. The Silurian beds are chiefly 

 a series of clayey and micaceous shales and slate, which form con- 

 siderable precipices upon the northern side, overhanging and nearly 

 surrounding several mountain lakes. To these favoured spots the 

 alpine vegetation of the mountain is almost entirely confined. 



As we go from east to west, we meet with four of these lakes, 

 namely — Lough Curra (1850 feet); Lough Diheen, "Tanyagh" of 

 the natives (1800 feet); Lough Borheen (1700 feet); and Muskry 

 Lough (1500 feet), the numbers after each representing their esti- 

 mated height above sea-level. Of these. Lough Curra is the most 

 interesting to botanists, as well as being the easiest of access ; the 

 cliffs descend from about 1000 feet above, sheer into the water, and 

 around its shores several alpine plants grow luxuriantly. Lough 

 Diheen is the most remote, and the scenery ai'ound it is very imposing : 

 this lake and its shores are quite devoid of vegetation — on one side 

 lies a terminal moraine, the relic of an ancient glacier; the water is of 



