just wondering is this true

[jackie]

hi ok this might sound silly but i was wondering, i know the sheep on the curragh eat grass but someone told me that because of the type of soil the grass is unable to grow long is this true?

[Kentgal]

Jackie
Yes it is true to an extent.
a) Grazing affects grass growth and regrowth, and continious grazing overgrazed pastures are predominated by short - grass growth species

b)Age: Curragh is an open area of grassland and heath on a substratum of till that has existed as an uncultivated plain since prehistoric times & been grazed for more than 2,000 years.

c)Soil: Topography has been formed on rocks of Carboniferous Limestone overlayed by a variable covering of boulder clay, sand and gravel. In addition the soil contains outwash & esker sands & gravels in places more than 60mtrs thick.
Overall the soil is relatively shallow and fragile and once degraded or broken up it cannot be easly restored, EG used for development which wouldnt happen.
This is besause Legislation protects the Curragh Plains as the oldest and most extensive in the country: both of national and international importance with immense archaeological, cultural, environmental and historical significence.
Arn't we the lucky ones ;D

[Matt McNamara]

Kentgal top marks to you and your knowledge of The Curragh Plains. But I do remember during the Foot & Mouth outbreak of 2001 all sheep and horses were removed from the plains for a period of about five months. I always regret never taking a photograph of the site of long but thin grass growing in abundance. Probable never got to grow that long in thousands of years and hopefully if the Foot & Mouth stays away and the protection by law that the plains now have, the “Short Grass” will be here for many generations to come.

[Brendan]

AHH! Sheep and the Curragh! Our four legged woollies are synonymous with the Curragh. Did you know at one point there were 20,000 baaing and crying sheep that were the alarm clocks we didn’t have. They wandered, unhindered through married quarters, communicating in an irritating language. They followed each other in a straight line on their way to the plains. Dogs banged up in houses, sheds and backyards added to the unwelcome early morning chorus. The neighbours were use to it.

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full sir. Going to school we had to dodge the droppings for fear we'd stink all day.

[tommyhetherington]

Hi all,
As matt says it did grow long and some areas within the camp are fenced off to allow this.
These areas will give you an idea of how areas of the plains may look, but true great knowledge of the curragh shown by Kentgal. The book i mentioned in another section has great info on this well worth a read anyone else read it??

[Kentgal]

A Curragh group travel to Lourds every year? Is this true? If so who organises this and when do they usually go.
Also a Currage social group reportedly travel abroad to various locations on holiday together every year. Any advice re this.

[Kentgal]

Michaels Collins bullet ridden Car is in Tin Town?
True or False

[Yo Man]

Michael Collins' armoured car is far from bullet ridden because it is an armoured car. It is now a museum piece in the Curragh.

[Guest]

Yes true the armoured car is in the curragh,not sure if it ever was bullit ridden but it is posible to have an armoured car bullit ridden.
This would depend on the type of armour and the calibre of round fired and the range fired from so in this case an ambush it was possible for a round to be embedded in the armoured car
The car is still working and is used for parades in the defence forces
Guest

[Matt McNamara]

Hore are some pictures that I took of Sliab Na mBan Reg :No ARR2 and another Rolls Royce Armoured Car in Bovington Tank Musem UK.

Matt

[Kentgal]

Gee!
Pics paint a thousand words.

[ken kinsella]

I've often wondered about the ceannt quaters,there was five blocks,three on one side and two the other.The side with the two blocks had a large green area between them(exactly the space needed to fit another block)
However this (missing block) was built in McDermot.Any explanations???