The Resilience of Life on Earth

"He will realize that he has entered into a land different in every respect from that he has left behind." ~1901 William Crossing

The land is wild and rugged and rough and it seeps into your soul as you meander through the fields and across the rocky shore. I gave up trying to work at the house. That should've been a sign - "No work on holiday", Marian told me. Marian Sheedy, the owner of my house as well as a charming bed and breakfast in Doolin, Roadford. Marian and her husband Frank have taken me in, so to speak. They've taken me into the dining room at Roadford House, kept me in coffee and treats as I work, looking out their bay window.

After some work, some coffee, and chocolate pie I headed out to O'Connor's Pub per Marian's directive. Off to the pub for music and the Irish football play-offs. But also off to too many tourists, so I passed the pub and headed to the end of the road and the ocean.

Doolin's coast is reminiscent of the New England coast: Block Island or Narragansett. But it is wild and bleak. Or so it seems. What struck me, as I walked out over the endless tableau of rock, is the resilience of life. Tucked away, in pockets in black rock, were life forms of all kinds.

Between 400 million and 300 million years ago, northwest Europe – including Ireland – sank beneath a warm, calcium-rich sea. Great coral reefs formed in these waters, eventually creating the limestone that still makes up about 65 per cent of the rock mantle of the island. As the waters receded, tropical forests and swamps flourished. The resulting vegetable debris eventually formed coal, most of which was later eroded. This period, known as the Carboniferous period, ended with further tectonic movement which saw Ireland drift further northward. The resulting pressure created those Irish mountain and hill ranges that run in a northeast to southwest direction. 250 million years ago, Ireland was at the latitude of present-day Egypt and had a desert climate. It was at this time that most of the coal and sandstone were eroded. The thinner layers of limestone in the south of the country were also partially affected by this erosion. The limestone that was exposed by the disappearance of its sandstone mantle was affected by carbon dioxide and other factors resulting in a karstic landscape that can still be seen in the Burren in County Clare. County Clare, here I am.

And these photos may not be for all of you. As a science teacher, I was in heaven. See if you can spot the spider web hidden within these rocks!

Lichens, soil-formers, on exposed surfaces of rock.

Fossils in the making. Can you see the shells?

Plants take hold, after the lichens, wherever there is a crack in the rock along with some water.

Tiny, black mussel-like organisms; Marian and I cannot agree on their name. But they are everywhere. I would say this represents "cockles and mussels" of some type.

And as the sun began to set, I turned back toward WIldberry Cottage and home. Yes, that's the road to the house!

My house on the hill. . .