The Gearagh

I grew up near The Gearagh, a unique part of County Cork, although I never really knew much about it. My teachers never talked about it in school, odd when you consider it was a mere mile from the school.

The Gearagh gets its name from An Gaorthadh, the wooded river. It is what remains of a submerged forest and community.

In the 1950s, to facilitate the building of two hydroelectric dams, the trees in the eastern part of Gearagh were cut down, and the area was flooded with around 60% of  woodland lost. Tree stumps remain, sometimes submerged, sometimes above the water line.

In addition to my photography, take a look at this great aerial photograph of the Gearagh.