Lichens of Lough Corrib

Step 2: Decide on an environmental issue.

We first saw an article in the Irish Times by Michael Viney in the spring of last year. In it he pointed out that the West of Ireland had significant colonies of lichen and that north western areas of Lough Corrib were specifically important in this regard. This makes the Corrib unique. The only islands on the northern part of Lough Corrib are close to Cornamona. This group of islands are called the Rouillauns. Art who is Arthur’s (one of the team members) father had grown up in the area of Cornamona, which is a short boat journey from the Rouillauns. Arthur also goes fishing with his father regularly and they would dock on the islands to have their picnic and would be met by the magnificent colours of the lichens on the rocks and trees. Having been told a little about lichens by his dad and grandmother, Arthur was fascinated by the idea of investigating the importance of lichens so he decided to discuss the project idea with some of us.