Landscape

'In Connemara' painted by Paul Henry

'In Connemara' painted by Paul Henry. This is an example of a great work of art that has been influenced by the physical landscape.

Lakeside Cottage (c.1929) by Paul Henry (1876-1957)

Lakeside Cottage (c.1929) by Paul Henry (1876-1957)

Lucan House and Demesne, County Dublin (c.1773-75) by Thomas Roberts (1748-78)

Thomas Roberts (1748-78), Lucan House and Demesne, County Dublin (c.1773-75). This painting places the big house at the centre of a benign, well-ordered and productive landscape, suggesting that the social order was a mirror of the natural order. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland

Farm at Lezaven (1894) by Roderic O’Conor (1860-1940)

Roderic O’Conor (1860-1940), Farm at Lezaven (1894). This work demonstrates O’Conor’s experimental use of colour and form. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland

Banks of the Seine (1860) by Nathaniel Hone (1831-1917)

Banks of the Seine (c.1882) by Nathaniel Hone the Younger (1831-1917) Courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland

View of Powerscourt Waterfall (c. 1760) by George Barret (1728/32-84)

View of Powerscourt Waterfall (c. 1760) by George Barret (1728/32-84). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland

The Coast

Ballinesker Beach, Co. Wexford

Inchavore River, Co. Wicklow

Inchavore River, Co. Wicklow

Mountains

Carrauntoohil, Co. Kerry

Forest

Lighthouse On The Sheep's Head

The Sheep's Head lighthouse perched on the rocky tip of The Sheep's Head peninsula, Co. Cork warns seafarers of danger.

The Burren at sunset

You can help to brighten up your town by planting colourful shrubs and keeping it free from litter when you get involved in the Tidy Towns Competition

River Drowes

River Guest House below the Four Masters' Bridge on the River Drowes

Wedge Tomb, Ballyedmonduff

This monument is also described as a gallery grave and dates from approximately 1,700 B.C., making it one of the last megalithic tombs built in Ireland. The tomb is now surrounded by dense forest and is located on the southeast slope of Two Rock Mountain and the view from the hillside is beautiful. It measures 1,100 feet in height and consists of the antechamber, main gallery and end chamber.

Antrim Coast

The Ulster white limestone along the Antrim coast, overlain by basalt.

Benbulbin Mountain, County Sligo

This photograph shows Benbulbin Mountain in County Sligo. This photograph was taken from ground level and it shows how striking the mountain appears against the relatively flat foreground.

River Barrow at Leighlinbridge

The River Barrow at Leighlinbridge, County Carlow. It was an important river crossing as early as the 10th Century. The first stone bridge here was built by Maurice Jakis in c1319. the present bridge which was altered in the 18th Century, dates originally from circa 1650.

Lough Derg in the Shannon River Basin District

Bog Deal

In the foreground of the picture is bog deal. These are the stumps of pine trees found deep within peat and would once have lived on the bog when its surface was drier, forming a forest of Scots Pine. In the background of the picture is a cut over bog, with a pool and shrubby vegetation. Bogs are very important habitats, and very few intact bogs now remain in Ireland. Bogs can provide us with a glimpse into the vegetation and climate of the past. However, once the climate began to get wetter, pine seeds could not germinate on the wetter bog and the roots of existing trees drowned as the bog began to grow again. These trees stumps still exist in the bog because the low oxygen conditions in peat prevent decay.

Improved Grassland

Most of Irelands grasslands fall into this category of intensively managed farmland. This means that they have probably been reseeded at some stage in their past, are fertilised or heavily grazed. Improved grasslands are generally dominated by a few species and have a tendency to have a low level of biodiversity. Improved grassland is of little conservation value. However, most Irish grasslands are surrounded by hedgerows. These linear features act a corridors for animals so that they can move from area to area, proving them with food and shelter to survive outside the intensively managed grasslands.

Verge

Grassland verges now act as important wildlife corridors. They are rarely fertilised, mown occasionally, and there is little or no grazing or fertiliser application. Species found in verges vary depending on the environmental factors and soil type of the verge, in addition to management regime. In this image there may be a range of grasses such as Creeping bents (Agrostis spp.) and Meadow grasses (Poa spp.). In addition there may be a range of coarser grasses such as Cock foot (Dactylis glomerata) and False Oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius). There may be some ivy and brambles present, which act as a habitat for insects and a great source of food and shelter for many birds.