Lower and Middle Ordovician conodonts of Laurentian affinity from blocks of limestone in the Rosroe Formation,South Mayo Trough,western Ireland and their palaeogeographic implication

The Middle Ordovician Rosroe Formation consists of some 1350 m of coarse, mainly siliciclastic to volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks, deposited in a submarine fan environment, and is restricted to the southern limb of the South Mayo Trough, western Ireland. Discrete allochthonous blocks, reaching 5 m in size, are present in the formation at several localities. Conodonts recovered from these blocks, collected from two separate locations, are of late Early and mid Mid Ordovician age. The conodonts have high conodont‐alteration indices (CAI 5) indicative of temperatures as high as 300^o to max. 480 °C; some found in the Lough Nafooey area have abnormally high indices (CAI 6), which correspond to temperatures of about 360^o to max. 550 °C. The oldest fauna is dominated by Periodon aff. aculeatus and characterized by Oepikodus evae typical of the Oepikodus evae Zone (Floian Stage; Stage Slices Fl2–3, Lower Ordovician). The younger conodont assemblage, characterized by Periodon macrodentatus associated with Oistodella pulchra, is referred to the P. macrodentatus conodont Biozone (lower Darriwilian; Stage Slices Dw1–2). The Rosroe conodont assemblages are of Laurentian affinity; comparable faunas are well known from several locations along the east to south‐eastern platform margin of Laurentia and the Notre Dame subzone of central Newfoundland, Canada. The faunal composition from the limestone blocks suggests a shelf edge to slope (or fringing carbonate) setting. The faunal assemblages are coeval with, respectively, the Tourmakeady Formation (Floian–Dapingian) and Srah Formation (Darriwilian) in the Tourmakeady Volcanic Group in the eastern part of the South Mayo Trough and probably are derived from the same or similar laterally equivalent short‐lived carbonate successions that accumulated at offshore ‘peri‐Laurentian’ islands, close to and along the Laurentian margin. During collapse of the carbonate system in the late Mid Ordovician, the blocks were transported down a steep slope and into deep‐water by debris flows, mixing with other rock types now found in the coarse polymict clastics of the Rosroe Formation. The faunas fill the stratigraphical ‘gap’ between the Lower Ordovician Lough Nafooey Volcanic Group and the upper Middle Ordovician Rosroe Formation in the South Mayo Trough and represent a brief interval conducive to carbonate accumulation in an otherwise siliciclastic‐ and volcaniclastic‐dominated sedimentary environment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrography and phytoplankton of waters off south-west Ireland

Distributions of physical, chemical and biological characteristics were recorded for coastal waters off south-west Ireland during the summers of 1985–1987. A number of thermal fronts were identified from both shipboard measurements and satellite imagery. Upwelling was shown to be an important process in the area and enhanced phytoplankton biomass and productivity were associated with areas of upwelling and the fronts. Phytoplankton species composition, although varying between cruises, was associated with differences in hydrographic features.     

An application of the calculus of variations to rectilinear flow of granular materials

The calculus of variations is an attractive tool for the determination of critical slip surfaces, but there are unresoived difficulties in its application to plane strain problems. Here we consider the simpler problem of rectilinear flow under gravity or other constant body force. In particular we investigate the stability of an infinitely long slope of finite width for material with cohesion and internal friction. From a variational formulation, the differential equation of the critical slip surface is formulated. An explict solution of this equation is obtained, and hence we determine the critical slope angle in terms of the width of the slope and the material properties. The results are compared with those of an earlier limit analysis treatment.     

Examining access to GP services in rural Ireland using microsimulation analysis

This paper analyses the effect accessibility has on General Practitioner (GP) utilisation rates at the sub-national level for Ireland. Specifically, the aim of this paper is to estimate whether there is an urban–rural differential in GP utilisation rates. We do this by simulating micro-level healthcare data. Using this synthetic data, simple logit models are employed to estimate the likelihood that individuals in different jurisdictions will attend a GP surgery. These individual logit estimates are then inputted into a spatial interaction model to highlight areas with low GP accessibility given their health status. The policy implications of these results are discussed in relation to both the healthcare literature and current Irish healthcare policy.     

Connecting the local and the global in post‐secular urban settings

Postsecular geographies seek to examine how place is linked with identity and how religious identities in turn can be accommodated in public space. Postsecular practices in urban contexts have been researched extensively, but they do not always fully engage with a relational approach to place‐making. This paper argues that through the place‐making practices seen at Virgin Mary statues in Dublin city, Ireland, a relational approach to examining postsecular practices and representations provides a more productive way to understand how the secular and the religious coexist in cities. The paper uses archival and contemporary data gathered from a sample of Marian statues in Dublin city to locate the relational geographies of the religious and the secular. By focussing on the ways that the statues remain uncontested within a changing urban landscape, the paper re‐examines the political significance of religious place‐making practices. It concludes that if geographies of religion in the postsecular city are to have a broader relevance to geography, they need a relational approach to place‐making.     

Assessment of recreation activity and its application to integrated management and spatial planning for Cork Harbour, Ireland

The coastal environment is commonly the location for multiple human activities, of which recreation is just one. The coastal and marine sector has experienced nascent growth and this trend is likely to continue into the foreseeable future; the projected growth of the sector will impact coastal and marine resources, whilst also placing demands on those tasked with planning and managing the coastal environment. In Ireland, this presents particular challenges for coastal local authorities, as the principal planning consent body. In order to address these emerging challenges an innovative working partnership was developed between the research community and local authority to examine marine recreation in Cork Harbour, situated on the southern coast of Ireland. A programme of work was devised to identify data gaps in terms of: baseline information; user attitudes and perceptions towards existing management framework and facilities for recreation; interactions between different user groups; and, spatial distribution of recreational activities. The results of the assessment provided an improved understanding of the current coastal recreational situation, have value as input to spatial planning and contribute to the development of an integrated management plan for Cork Harbour.     

The Irish marine economy and regional development

The economic impact of the marine economy is poorly understood at both national and regional levels in Ireland. A recent paper estimated the national level economic value of the sector for Ireland. This paper presents a follow up analysis of the Irish marine sector at the regional level for 2007. The paper examines the impact of the marine sector in addressing regional disparities in Ireland, and the key marine sectors that drive regional economic performance within the marine sector. The analysis finds that in absolute values Dublin and the South West provide the highest levels of marine GVA; however, as a percentage of regional GVA, the marine sector is more important in the West and South West region. In terms of employment, the West and South-West provide the highest levels of marine employment, and this relationship is maintained when one examines marine employment as a percentage of regional employment. Finally, productivity rates for the sector were highest in the Dublin region. However, productivity in the marine-based sector was higher than the overall regional rate for five of the eight Irish regions.     

The seeing at the William Herschel Telescope

We present results from a study of the seeing quality at the 4.2-m William Herschel telescope at La Palma. The median intrinsic seeing at the site is found to be excellent, and is comparable to that at the Paranal and Mauna Kea observatories. Contributions to the seeing from turbulence within the telescope dome are insignificant. Furthermore, the optical quality and tracking stability of the telescope are good, so that long-exposure image widths close to the limit imposed by the site seeing can be expected.     

Quantifying the value of multi-sectoral marine commercial activity in Ireland

The realisation that the world’s oceans play an important role in climate regulation and many territory activities, notably food production, coupled with economic changes and the rapid advancement in ocean technology have seen a shift in the perception of the importance of marine resources. This increased focus on marine resources means that governments and policy-makers require accessible and reliable information regarding the role of the marine sector. This information may then be used to formulate new environmental and economic policy measures. The aim of this paper is to define, describe and quantify the value of the marine sector in Ireland. This paper outlines a methodology that provides a robust analysis of the Irish marine sector for 2007. It was found that in 2007 the Irish marine sector contributed €1.44 billion in GVA to the wider Irish economy and employed over 17,000 individuals in full time equivalents.     

Preparedness of key coastal and marine sectors in Ireland to adapt to climate change

Preparedness to adapt to the impacts of climate change was assessed for three important sectors of activity within the Irish coastal and marine environment, namely tourism, fisheries, and conservation of biodiversity. Information on the current status of each sector is a valuable point of reference in terms of accessing contribution to the implementation of future national adaptation efforts. A modified version of the National Adaptive Capacity (NAC) framework developed by the World Resources Institute was used to assess the three sectors of activity. This framework is structured around five functions: assessment, prioritisation, coordination, information management, and climate risk reduction; results of the assessment suggest that all three sectors are at the nascent stages of the climate change adaptation process. Currently there is no dedicated national policy guidance or legal support mechanism on adaptation in Ireland; hence there is no national financial commitment to support implementation of adaptation actions for any of the sectors assessed. Subjecting these three selected sectors of activity to such an assessment enables identification of existing actions that can potentially support current adaptation, as well as where issues such as knowledge gaps and lack of policy support hinder progress.