Stopping By Hedgerows

Exploring the history of our hedgerows and what they say to us.Acknowledgementshttps://www.mayo.ie/heritage/mayo-hedgerow/https://www.mayo.ie/getmedia/3c367b71-7008-46d9-a62a-c055fd2beb68/County-Mayo-Hedgerow-Survey-Report_Final.pdf

In 2018, the buzzard's shadow once again fell upon our corner of the west of Ireland. These are my reflections on their homecoming.AcknowledgementsBirdWatch Ireland, Buzzard Species Focus (2011)https://birdfact.com/articles/buzzard-nestingColm Philpott https://xeno-canto.org/979487 Oscar Campbell https://xeno-canto.org/582314 Harry Hussey https://xeno-canto.org/578537 

Abandoned cottages speckle the Mayo countryside. Combining the hard evidence of census records, maps and onsite investigations with imagined, fact-based dialogue, I attempt to bring one home, and the people who lived there, back to life, if only for a few moments.Acknowledgementshttps://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/viewPatrick Kavanagh’s wonderful poem, If ever you go to Dublin Town

In search of the well of the eels that gives Pollanaskan townland its name.AcknowledgementsThe GeoHive map view is a great resource from the government agency, Tailte Eireann and can be accessed at geohive.ieMaps of drainage systems, such as the Moy, can be found on the Environmental Protection Agency's Geoportal at gis.epa.ieFor exploration of place names, begin at loganim.ie

A walk in the rain to date a local hedgerow using Hooper's Law. AcknowledgmentsHooper's hedgerow history hypothesis - UK NAEE https://share.google/ni1jkJMDkiSCZl4uKMax Hooper Obituary- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/09/max-hooper-obituary Hedgerow surveying handbook - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6863a03d08bf2f5376121a64/hedgerow-survey-handbook__corrected_01.07.25_.pdf Hedge Britannia - https://hedgebritannia.wordpress.com/tag/hoopers-law/Teagasc - https://teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/advice/forest-protection/ash-dieback/

It is September and the swallows have begun to leave, we are an island of comings and goings.Acknowledgements:Thanks to Sean Lysaght and Phil Barnett.Kate St.John: https://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2014/06/16/the-importance-of-tail-streamers/ Ornithology, Third Edition, Frank B. GillCzech Academy of Sciences, The extraordinary life of swallows: https://www.avcr.cz/en/news-archive/The-extraordinary-life-of-swallows.-What-do-we-know-about-them/

As the seasons change, a special episode with Phil Barnett to explore the inkling days.

This week, I delve into the changes that have occurred in a single field over the last 200 years in the west of Ireland.Acknowledgements:Thanks to my neighbour Pat for the invaluable chats.Thanks to GeoHive managed by Tailte Éireann for the map data. https://www.geohive.ie/Cameron Roo, for the music, https://www.youtube.com/@RoocasterAll errors are my own, and I remain, as always, open to correction. Thanks for stopping by.

Searching for the forgotten wolves in the landscape of the west of Ireland and through time.Acknowledgements:Kieran Hickey, Wolves in IrelandYellowstone Forever (for their blog on wolves and ravens)The Proceedings of the Royal Society, for the paper "Social learning spreads knowledge about dangerous humans among American crows")Sean Lysaght, for confirming the etymology of drumlinCameron Roo, for the music, https://www.youtube.com/@RoocasterAll errors are my own, and I remain, as always, open to correction. Thanks for stopping by.