Introduction

When people from outside Ireland and Britain think of this group of islands off northwest Europe, images are conjured up of a diversity of natural and cultural heritage that far outstrips their physical landmass. From Norman and Tudor castles to Neolithic forts, stone circles and burial chambers, Ireland and Britain contain a wealth of sites that represent most stages in the development of European civilizations. No less diverse is the natural foundation of these islands. Here, at the edge of northwest Europe, is the place where many of the founding principles of geological science were first formulated and demonstrated. A glance at a geological map of Ireland and Britain clearly shows the great diversity in geology, ranging from some of the oldest rocks in the world, in northwest Scotland, to the more recent deposits of Neogene times in southeast England. Indeed, many of the periods of geological time derive their names from associations with Ireland and Britain for example, Cambrian (from the Latin name for Wales), Ordovician and Silurian (from ancient Welsh tribes) and Devonian (after Devon, in England). This diverse geology has been cut into and moulded by the force of ice during the Pleistocene Ice Ages, and has given rise to a spectacular range of landscapes.

It is these landscapes that draw visitors to Ireland and Britain from all over the world and which, for many parts of these islands, support a thriving tourist industry. Yet how many...