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New Book from BEES Geologists

11 Jul 2013

Experts from the School of BEES at UCC are behind a new book, Geology of Ireland - A Field Guide, which reflects on Ireland’s valuable geological heritage.

The beauty of Ireland’s landscape is widely acknowledged but not everyone will fully appreciate how the spectacular variety of our geology determines that landscape. The quality of this valuable geological heritage was recognised by the early pioneers of the science of geology and a number of the key concepts in the discipline were first developed and tested in Ireland. Pat Meere, Ivor MacCarthy, John Reavy, Alistair Allen and Ken Higgs of UCC’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) are perfectly placed to examine how the rocks that make up the island of Ireland offer a unique window into a 2-billion-year history.

Now, for the first time, seventeen classic field areas are described in a full-colour guide. Geology of Ireland – A Field Guide (Collins Press) reveals that our island’s history consists of almost all types of geological settings, including sedimentary basins, shallow tropical seas, high mountain ranges and active volcanoes. Most excursions are on or near the coast and the variety of landscapes reflects the diversity of this geology. Emphasis is placed on understanding processes that operated in the geological past to produce today’s rocks and landscapes. ‘Step-by-step’ itineraries are provided and the material is presented in a manner accessible to the non-specialist.

The authors are especially aware of the fundamental role field geology plays in the on-going development of science, whether in the education of the next generation of geologists and earth scientists or in generating new insight on how this and other planets function.

Geology of Ireland – A Field Guide by Pat Meere, Ivor MacCarthy, John Reavy, Alistair Allen and Ken Higgs is published by The Collins Press, price €19.99. It is available in all good bookshops and online from