Melody McTeigue Ruby November 18th Time Spent: 3 hours The geographical features for Ireland -On the western fringe of Europe. -Latitude 51 1/2 and 55 1/2 degrees north, and longitude 5 1/2 to 10 1/2 degrees west. -Lies west of the island of Great Britain, separated by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St. George's Channel. -The second largest of the British Isles. The total area is 32,587 square miles. -The two great mountain systems of Europe, north of the Alps, converge in Ireland. -The older (Caledonian) extends to the north and west in Ireland, creating the rugged landscapes of Donegal, Mayo and Galway counties. -Ireland’s highest mountain peak is Carrauntoohil. -Rugged western coastline. -Deep, glacially modified valleys flow through the mountains. -Lough Neagh is the largest of Ireland’s many lakes. -The most outstanding feature of Irish weather is its changeability. -Rainfall is heaviest on the westward facing slopes of the hills where it may exceed 3,000 mm in Kerry, Mayo and Donegal. -The east area is much drier-785 mm of rain annually, on average. -Low central plains surrounded by mountains. -Weather is cloudy and mild. -River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland (340 km in length) -Many castles, lighthouses, and monuments. City of Dublin Dublin sits on Ireland's east coast, facing Dublin Bay. It lies on the estuary of the River Liffey where the central lowlands of Ireland stretch eastwards to the Irish Sea. The River Liffey empties into Dublin Bay, which in turn flows into the Irish Sea. A low mountain range borders Dublin to the south. Flat farmland surrounds the counties to the north and west of Dublin. Dublin’s history goes back for over 7,000 years. Stone Age hunters and gatherers had settled the area for over 5,000 years when Celtic tribes arrived in 300 BC. The Celts built a Dublin settlement where the Poddle River joins the Liffey River. The Vikings who invaded Ireland established naval encampments in Dublin in approximately 841 AD. Under Viking rule, Dublin grew to a city that served as the political and commercial capital of Ireland. The Celts and the Vikings selected Dublin as a population center because the area’s wonderful access to the sea made it an ideal location to establish a port for commerce. Today, all roads and railways lead to Dublin, which serves as a major commercial and industrial center in Ireland. Dublin’s world class port facility, its mild climate, and it easy access to Britain and the rest of Europe, makes it an excellent access point to the European market. As a result, major global companies, such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Paypal, eBay, and Yahoo! all chose Dublin as the location of their European headquarters. Engineers Ireland, the main Irish engineering trade organization, issued a comprehensive report entitled “The State of Ireland 2012, A review of infrastructure in Ireland.” The report evaluated five major categories of Ireland’s infrastructure, including energy, transport, water and flooding, waste, and communications. The engineers assessed each area using a grading system from A to E. As a “developed” country, all of Ireland’s general categories achieved passing grades of C or higher: energy=B; transport=C; water and flooding=C; waste=C; communications=B-. However, none of the-sub categories received an A grade, and several sub-categories received a grade of D including rail, roads (non-motorways), and flooding. The report highlighted numerous areas of capital investment required to stimulate the Irish economy and build the future of Ireland. Unfortunately, capital spending on infrastructure has declined more than 50% from its 2008 high, and will continue to drop through 2016. Among the areas needing the most improvement, the report cited the need to link existing rail facilities between major population centers, especially in Dublin. In the face of drastic reductions on spending for national road restoration, the report recommended “improving the quality of national primary and secondary roads and regional roads, while further work needs to be done to connect the main road network to air and sea ports.” Flooding of rivers remains a significant challenge. The Lee Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Pilot Study recommended extensive risk-management activities to alleviate flooding. Sources: http://www.ncte.ie/viking/dubhist.htm http://www.inyourpocket.com/ireland/dublin/Dublin-A-Short-History_70271f http://geography.howstuffworks.com/europe/geography-of-dublin.htm http://visitingdublin.com/downloads/HistoryOfDublin.pdf http://www.engineersireland.ie/EngineersIreland/media/SiteMedia/communicati ons/publications/TheStateofIrelandReport2012.pdf?ext=.pdf http://burtwolf.com/pdf/dublin.pdf http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/2262/3945/1/jssisiVolXVIXPart3_88100.pdf http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/review/IRL_Dublin_Port_241.php .