Publication: Darwin, Praeger and the Clare Island Surveys.( A new publication by the Royal Irish Academy )Location: NoneAudience: AllDate: May 2009Contact: Royal Irish Academy, DublinMay 2009 Darwin, Praeger and the Clare Island Surveys. A new publication by the Royal Irish Academy, edited by Roisin Jones and Martin Steer. This book comprises a series of essays on Darwin and his impact in Ireland, most particularly in the connections made by Robert Lloyd Praeger between the Galapagos island endemic communities and the possibilities of examining this closer to home. He persuaded a large group of specialists to map the flora, fauna, geology and archaeology of Clare Island off the Co. Mayo coast. This survey has been repeated a century later and both works published extensively by the Royal Irish Academy. more… The publication of Darwin, Praeger and the Clare Island Surveys marks an exhibition running from July-December 2009 in the Royal Irish Academy. This beautifully illustrated 48-page book leads the reader through the story of how Darwin came by his ideas, how Praeger and other Irish scientists were influenced by them and how this brought about the gathering of eminent researchers from all over Europe on this small exposed Atlantic island, culminating in the publication of the Clare Island Survey. Darwin, Praeger and the Clare Island Surveys celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Clare Island Survey and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species by showing how Robert Lloyd Praeger and his co-workers on the Clare Island Survey strove to investigate some of the questions at the heart of Darwin’s work, ‘throwing light on the question of island life and the problems of dispersal’. The authors also consider the relevance of the first surveys findings today, highlighting the work of the modern New Survey of Clare Island (1992–2009) and the unique insights gained into the increasingly important issues of turnover of species, climate change and loss of habitat. Darwin, Praeger and the Clare Island Surveys Available for online purchase, price €10, at: http://shop.ria.ie/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=7&cat=new%2bsurvey%2bof%2bclare%2bisl
Also the RIA will be running a lecture series to mark the 100th anniversary of the Clare Island Survey and the 150th anniversary of the Origin of Species see here for flyer
|