ancient oak forests of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are under attack from this pushy introduced monster. Despite being a big and blustery plant, it was largely unknown in Ireland until the mid-1900s. But from then on, its destructive ways were well understood by anyone who loved oak forests. The plant has even been given an Irish Gaelic name—
ródaideandrón.
I was off to a national park in Ireland’s southwest to find it.
Rhododendrons are not the only botanical import to the Emerald Isle. According to Sylvia Reynolds of Ireland’s National Botanic Gardens, almost as many alien plant species have been uncovered in Ireland as there are plants native to the country. Although humans have been bringing new plants to the British Isles since Neolithic times, the last two centuries have seen a rapid acceleration, with 920 human-introduced plant forms arriving in Ireland. One of the most influential plant additions to the country was the potato, and I was determined to find a few of those too.
My only previous trip to Ireland had not gone entirely well. I had travelled to Dublin to examine a stuffed Labrador Duck, and despite trying with all my heart to love the country, I had found Dublin noisy and crowded, simultaneously uncivilized and overly civilized. On this return trip to Ireland, I promised myself that I would steer well clear of large cities, stick to tourist-approved venues, drink only in the most highly regarded pubs, and lodge in only the friendliest hostelries in the land.
Arriving at Shannon airport, I had my first and only pleasant surprise of the day; at no extra charge, the car rental agency had upgraded me to a much bigger vehicle. “Big” is, of course, a relative word. By North American standards, this car was a tiddler, but I was pleased to see that my backpack fit in the boot, and my legs fit under the steering wheel.
My newly purchased travel guide to southwestern Ireland usedless than flattering terms to describe Limerick City, which, “at first sight has something rather drab about it.” The guidebook suggested that visitors to the city, despite the community’s recent facelift, wouldn’t find anything much cheerier on the second, or indeed any subsequent, viewing. But unless your destination is the tiny community of Newmarket-on-Fergus, travelling from Shannon to anywhere else in Ireland requires a dissection of Limerick.
And High Holy Almighty, what a trip it was. I could deal with being on the wrong side of the road, and managed the stick shift in my left hand like a professional, but the roads were far too narrow for driving habits developed on mighty North American thoroughfares. For the first time—but certainly not the last—I wished that I had insisted on the smaller rental car. I had navigation notes for the best route through Limerick on the seat beside me, but they proved entirely useless as I repeatedly spotted street signs too late to make necessary lane changes. I eventually gave up on my notes and started looking for signs for route N20 on the assumption that it would eventually lead me to the N21 and south through the wilds of County Limerick.
I SUSPECT THAT THERE IS NO WAY to fully appreciate the history of Ireland without understanding the impact of potatoes, known as
práta
in Irish Gaelic. To understand potatoes in Ireland, you have to understand Sir Walter Raleigh. This is a challenge all by itself; even straightforward details like the year of his birth and the proper spelling of his surname are not beyond debate. Some authorities claim that when Raleigh returned to the British Isles from one of his expeditions to North America, perhaps his 1587 trip, he brought spuds back with him. Others claim that Thomas Hariot should get the credit for introducing potatoes to the Old World. Some of those who favour the Raleigh story give him credit for planting potatoes at his Irish estate at Myrtle Grove, Youghal. Others claim that the first cultivation of potatoes in Ireland
ródaideandrón.
I was off to a national park in Ireland’s southwest to find it.
Rhododendrons are not the only botanical import to the Emerald Isle. According to Sylvia Reynolds of Ireland’s National Botanic Gardens, almost as many alien plant species have been uncovered in Ireland as there are plants native to the country. Although humans have been bringing new plants to the British Isles since Neolithic times, the last two centuries have seen a rapid acceleration, with 920 human-introduced plant forms arriving in Ireland. One of the most influential plant additions to the country was the potato, and I was determined to find a few of those too.
My only previous trip to Ireland had not gone entirely well. I had travelled to Dublin to examine a stuffed Labrador Duck, and despite trying with all my heart to love the country, I had found Dublin noisy and crowded, simultaneously uncivilized and overly civilized. On this return trip to Ireland, I promised myself that I would steer well clear of large cities, stick to tourist-approved venues, drink only in the most highly regarded pubs, and lodge in only the friendliest hostelries in the land.
Arriving at Shannon airport, I had my first and only pleasant surprise of the day; at no extra charge, the car rental agency had upgraded me to a much bigger vehicle. “Big” is, of course, a relative word. By North American standards, this car was a tiddler, but I was pleased to see that my backpack fit in the boot, and my legs fit under the steering wheel.
My newly purchased travel guide to southwestern Ireland usedless than flattering terms to describe Limerick City, which, “at first sight has something rather drab about it.” The guidebook suggested that visitors to the city, despite the community’s recent facelift, wouldn’t find anything much cheerier on the second, or indeed any subsequent, viewing. But unless your destination is the tiny community of Newmarket-on-Fergus, travelling from Shannon to anywhere else in Ireland requires a dissection of Limerick.
And High Holy Almighty, what a trip it was. I could deal with being on the wrong side of the road, and managed the stick shift in my left hand like a professional, but the roads were far too narrow for driving habits developed on mighty North American thoroughfares. For the first time—but certainly not the last—I wished that I had insisted on the smaller rental car. I had navigation notes for the best route through Limerick on the seat beside me, but they proved entirely useless as I repeatedly spotted street signs too late to make necessary lane changes. I eventually gave up on my notes and started looking for signs for route N20 on the assumption that it would eventually lead me to the N21 and south through the wilds of County Limerick.
I SUSPECT THAT THERE IS NO WAY to fully appreciate the history of Ireland without understanding the impact of potatoes, known as
práta
in Irish Gaelic. To understand potatoes in Ireland, you have to understand Sir Walter Raleigh. This is a challenge all by itself; even straightforward details like the year of his birth and the proper spelling of his surname are not beyond debate. Some authorities claim that when Raleigh returned to the British Isles from one of his expeditions to North America, perhaps his 1587 trip, he brought spuds back with him. Others claim that Thomas Hariot should get the credit for introducing potatoes to the Old World. Some of those who favour the Raleigh story give him credit for planting potatoes at his Irish estate at Myrtle Grove, Youghal. Others claim that the first cultivation of potatoes in Ireland
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