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Subject: Leaving Certificate Geography Higher Level Teacher: Mr Maher Week: Week 2 Learning Intentions • Understand how the physical characteristics of the Dublin region can affect the area and its people, both economically and socially. • Analyse the interaction between physical, economic and human processes in the region. • Compare and contrast the characteristics of the Dublin region and the West of Ireland. Revision Notes: Regional Geography – Core The Dublin Region The Dublin region is made up of Dublin city and county. It is the Republic's smallest but most populous region. It is an urban region. Only a small part of Dublin still retains its rural character. Physical processes in the Dublin Region The Dublin region has a lowland(0m-200m above sea level) landscape with the exception of the Dublin Mountains to the south. The Rivers Liffey and Tolka are the main rivers of the region. The coast is generally low-lying and characterised by features of deposition such as beaches and spits. In the Killiney area to the South, the coast rises to form a coast of erosion with cliffs and related landforms. Climate: The Climate of the Dublin region is similar to that of Ireland as a whole i.e. Cool Temperatre Oceanic (Maritime Climate). Apart from the Dublin Mts., Dublin receives less rainfall than the West of Ireland because Atlantic depressions have lost much of their moisture when they reach the east coast. Dublin receives an average of 4 hours of sunshine per day, annual temperature range is from 5 C in January to 16 C in Summer. The growing season (farming) is about 270 days in length. Primary Economic Activities in Dublin Agriculture County Dublin has about 1,500 farms, a very small proportion of the 132,000 farms in the Republic. Nevertheless, the farms of Co. Dublin are very productive. They produce 11% of the national wheat crop and 15% of the national potato crop. Well-drained brown earth soils and the lowland landscape of the region are suitable for tillage. The farming area north of the city specialises in market gardening.(Vegetables and salad crops). The reasons for this specialisation include the following: The proximity of areas such as Lusk, Rush and Swords to the sea greatly reduce the risk of frost in spring time 1 The lower rainfall and longer hours of sunshine than on the western seaboard reduces the risk of potato blight This factors also aid the soil that is suitable for tillage and crop cultivation. A large urban market of 1.2 million people exists nearby. The high land values in the region demand that farming be as intensive as possible. Physical, economic and human factors interact in farming the region. Lowland farms with fertile soils, farmers who are prepared to invest in technology such as greenhouses, and a large wealthy market combine to make north Co. Dublin a very productive agricultural region. Fishing Fishing in the villages of Howth and Skerries are important fishing ports in the region. Fish from the Irish Sea is brought ashore for the Dublin market. The Irish sea fishing grounds have been overfished for several decades and the long term future of the fishing Industry is uncertain. Secondary Economic Activities Patterns in manufacturing activities Manufacturing is very strong in the Dublin region. The Dublin region is the location of a quarter of all the manufacturing plants of the state. It is therefore the most important manufacturing region in the entire state. The range of manufacturing is very wide. Traditional sectors such as brewing and distilling, food processing and clothing are located in the region. However, the star performers in recent years are in growth industries such as healthcare, computers and related fields in Internet Technology and electronics. Manufacturing employs some 70,000 people in the region. Manufacturing is also characterised by big Industrial plants employing larger numbers of workers, high output per worker and higher wages than the national average: The reasons why Dublin has a strong manufacturing sector are: Dublin Port - this is the premier port of the state - it is the point of entry for many resource materials required in manufacturing processes. The Dublin region and its hinterland provide an affluent market for consumer industries that include processed foods and beverages, fashion and daily and weekly publications. Dublin is the centre of Ireland's road and rail networks. Road and Rail connections to the different provinces give Dublin manufacturers access to a countrywide market. Dublin has the largest airport in the state with European and worldwide connections. The proximity of the airport to the city is a big advantage for the business community. The Greater Dublin area has a large pool of skilled labour that meets the needs of Industry. Many people live in large towns in Navan or Naas and work in Dublin. 2 Third-level educational centres release thousand of graduates annually to the jobs market who are qualified in the sciences, business, marketing and electronics. Tourism: Tourist hub. Temple Bar, trinity College. Importance of Dublin Airport The Western Region Eight economic regions, each with a Regional Authority have existed in the Republic of Ireland since 1994. The western region, for the purposes of this study is made up of the counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Western Region of Ireland Physical processes The Western region has an interesting and varied landscape. While the topography is dominated by the mountain ranges of Galway and Mayo, large areas of the region are also composed of lowland. Rock type also varies. The mountains are composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks; the interior lowlands are sedimentary. Much of the landscape is covered with glacial deposits such as boulder clay. A drumlin belt reaches inland from Clew Bay. This gives part of the region a `basket of eggs' topography. The Atlantic coast often brings winter storms to the region, the coast has many dramatic features that have been caused by erosion and deposition. Parts of the coast have experienced submergence. This is evident in Killary Harbour, which is a Fjord. The coast has many islands, such as the drowned drumlins of Clew bay. Climate The climate of the Western region is maritime and temperate(CTO). Precipitation is high, especially in upland areas. Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year. Average daily sunshine ranges between 3.25 and 3.5 hours daily. Average temperatures range from about 5 C in January to 14.5 C in July. Upland temperatures are affected by altitude. Soil Types The soils of the western region are varied. The soils of Connemara and west Mayo are composed of peat and peaty gleys. The lowland areas further east are composed of shallow brown earths, gleys and podzols. The soils of much of the region are heavy and waterlogged. This is due to heavy rainfall, the impermeable nature of parent material(such as boulder clay) and the existence of a hardpan due to leaching. Therefore, land use is limited in many areas to summer pasture and to rough grazing. On the other hand, the thin soils in east Galway dry out very quickly in dry summers. This reduces the supply of grass for grazing and limits farmers' land use options. 3 Economic Processes Primary Activities in the Western Region Primary activities are more important to the economy of the western region than to the state as a whole. For example, up to 24% of workers in Co. Roscommon are employed in the primary sector. This is much higher than the national average. Farming is the most important primary activity. However, many factors limit agricultural income. Farms are smaller than the national average, with up to 30% of farms under 10 hectares. Farms need to be larger for them to be economically viable and worthwhile. The age of farmers is older than the national average, with approx 30% of farmers over 65 years of age. This would mean that they are probably not that familiar with new farming methods and they are conservative in their practices. The hilly and mountainous terrain and waterlogged soils over large areas limit land use to pasture. It would be difficult to grow crops and move machinery over such land type because of its hostile like environment. Land use: Land use in the hills is confined to rough grazing of mountain sheep. Pasture for cattle and sheep is the major agricultural land use. Almost one third of all specialist sheep farms are in the western region. The two most lucrative farming activities are dairying and tillage, are not at all widespread in the western region. Dairying is confined to north-east Mayo. Tillage is almost non-existent because of terrain, unsuitable soils and heavy rainfall. Only 2.4% of the national barley crop is grown in the western region. Therefore, farming is very challenging in the western region. Consequently, many farmers are dependent on off- farm income in nearby towns. This dependence is likely to increase. The whole western region is classified as a disadvantaged region. It qualifies for high farms subsidies from the EC in Brussels. Direct payments have accounted for most farm income in recent years. Without these subsidies, the number of people engaged in farming in the Western region would be greatly reduced. Fishing and the seafood Industry 1 Some communities beside the coast in the western region are highly dependent on fishing for their incomes. 2 Fishing, similar to farming highlights the interaction between the physical environment and economic activities. 2,000 people work in fishing here. 3 EU fishing quotas on almost all species limit those involved in fishing 4 Therefore, expanding the industry by catching more fish is not possible.

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