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We returned to Ross Castle for lunch before setting off for the Old Kenmare Road above
Torc Waterfall in search of the Polystichum lonchitis previously recorded there. From the
car en route, Asplenium ceterach was seen growing on roadside walls. The cars were left at
a large car park at the head of the waterfall (00/967841) and we set off along the Old
Kenmare Road. The rocks on either side of the track were covered in vast quantities of
filmy ferns, mostly Hymenophyllum tunbrigense and the usual woodland ferns were seen.
An addition to our finds for the day was Asplenium adiantum-nigrum. We found a number
of plants of Polystichum aculeatum by dripping rocks exactly as described in the old record
and we surmised that the
record for P. lonchitis had
probably been an error and
was in fact immature
P. aculeatum. Under pine
trees nearby was a colony
of lesser twayblade found
by Christine Mullins. We
again searched around
Torc Waterfall for
photo: A.H. Ogden
Killarney fern and located
eleven colonies, some of
which appeared to be on
the increase. With great
daring most of us made the
crossing of the torrent,
balancing on huge
boulders to see the fern
Karen Munyard, Gill & Bryan Smith & Bridget Laue at Torc
growing on the opposite
side from the path.
Another short drive took us to a tunnel through the rocks by Upper Lake (00/919821),
where Alison had previously found Asplenium onopteris and A. x ticinense. Bryan found
both growing on a rock-face behind brambles.
This completed the day’s ferning and we headed back to our accommodation and met again
later for a splendid meal at The Fishery Restaurant in Killorglin.
Dingle Peninsula (Thursday) Paul Ripley
Shortly after leaving our base we stopped at Killorglin Bridge. A very nicely crenate
Asplenium ceterach, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. trichomanes subsp. quadrivalens
and Polypodium vulgare agg. were growing on the walls. We also admired the statue of
King Puck. A three day fair is held at Killorglin every year and at ‘the gathering’ a goat is
brought down from the mountains and crowned King Puck until ‘the dispersal’ on the last
day.
We stopped for an hour in the attractive town of Dingle, near the base of the peninsula of
that name. Bookshops in the town were disappointing but we did see Polypodium
cambricum on the walls. The roads towards Ventry were interesting for well grown plants
of Dicksonia antarctica (01/420003) but we also saw Polypodium interjectum, Athyrium
filix-femina, Polystichum setiferum, Dryopteris affinis, D. filix-mas and Pteridium
aquilinum, as well as a crisped form of Asplenium scolopendrium.
Connor Pass links the south and north of Dingle peninsula and we stopped near the summit
in excellent weather to have lunch. Isoetes lacustris grows in the clear waters of the lake
(01/504059), but we also found Asplenium ceterach, A. trichomanes, Polypodium vulgare,
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