http://hdl.handle.net/10379/181 Sun, 29 Oct 2017 23:01:28 GMT 2017-10-29T23:01:28Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6911 Book review: Human Incumbrances: Political Violence and the Great Irish Famine Morrissey, John In 1860, the Irish nationalist writer John Mitchell avowed that ‘The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight, but the English created the famine’ (from The Last Conquest of Ireland (Perhaps)). The aphorism quickly became an important discursive register in the Irish struggle for independence from Britain through the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Seeking to amend Mitchell’s memorable maxim 50 years later, however, the Irish socialist republican and revolutionary leader James Connolly wrote that ‘England made the famine by a rigid application of the economic principles that lie at the base of capitalist society’ (from Labour in Irish History). For Connolly, the colonial administration in Ireland ‘stood for the rights of property and free competition, and philosophically accepted their consequences upon Ireland’. In Human Incumbrances: Political Violence and the Great Irish Famine, David Nally goes beyond Connolly’s analysis, and presents a brilliant and sophisticated argument outlining how ultimately ‘the ‘rights of the poor’ and the ‘rights of property’ were not accorded the same value’. He lays bare what he calls the ‘transformative forces of colonialism, capitalism and biopolitics’, and offers a compelling reading of how the ‘virtues of the market’ and a hegemonic scripting of the native Irish as ‘racially degenerate’ were used to initiate disciplinary, regulatory and corrective mechanisms to recast and regenerate contemporary Irish society and sustain a commitment to a colonial economy of improvement. Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6911 2012-11-15T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6861 Consideration of coastal risk in the Irish spatial planning process Flannery, Wesley; Lynch, Kevin; Ó Cinnéide, Micheál The vulnerability of coastal areas to associated hazards is increasing due to population growth, development pressure and climate change. It is incumbent on coastal governance regimes to address the vulnerability of coastal inhabitants to these hazards. This is especially so at the local level where development planning and control has a direct impact on the vulnerability of coastal communities. To reduce the vulnerability of coastal populations, risk mitigation and adaptation strategies need to be built into local spatial planning processes. Local government, however, operates within a complex hierarchal governance framework which may promote or limit particular actions. It is important, therefore, to understand how local coastal planning practices are shaped by national and supranational entities. Local governments also have to respond to the demands of local populations. Consequently, it is important to understand local populations' perceptions of coastal risk and its management. Adopting an in-depth study of coastal planning in County Mayo, Ireland, this paper evaluates: (a) how European and national policies and legislation shape coastal risk management at local level; (b) the incorporation of risk management strategies into local plans; and (c) local perception of coastal risks and risk management. Despite a strong steer from supranational and national legislation and policy, statutory local plans are found to be lacking in appropriate risk mitigation or adaptation strategies. Local residents appear to be lulled into a sense of complacency towards these risks because of the low level of attention afforded to them by the local planning authorities. To avoid potentially disastrous consequences for local residents and businesses, it is imperative that this situation is redressed urgently. Based on our analysis, we recommend: the development and implementation of a national ICZM strategy, supported by detailed local ICZM plans; and obliging local government to address known risks in their plans rather than defer them to project level decision making. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Sat, 29 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6861 2014-11-29T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6860 Comments on marine litter in oceans, seas and beaches: Characteristics and impacts Anfuso, G.; Lynch, Kevin; Williams, A.T.; Perales, J.A.; Pereira da Silva, J.A.; Nogueira Mendes, R.; Maanan, M.; Pretti, C.; Pranzini, E.; Winter, C.; Verdejo, E.; Ferreira, M.; Veiga, J. Abstract Marine litter is observed along shorelines, pelagic, benthic marine and lake systems all around the globe. On beaches, litter creates aesthetic and related economic problems because a clean beach is one of the most important characteristics of a seaside resort required by visitors. Litter can reach the marine environment from marine or land activities but it is estimated that 80% originates from land-based sources. The marine-based sources of litter include all types of sea-going vessel and offshore installations, the most abundant plastic debris in the oceans being derelict (lost or improperly discarded) fishing gear. Most of marine litter is composed by plastics due to their greater durability and persistence, combined with plastic rising production and low rates of recovery. Special importance is linked to microplastics because their ubiquity, persistence, mechanical effects on biota and the ecosystem because of ingestion by organisms and their toxic potential. As plastics degrade they can release toxic chemicals initially incorporated during their manufacturing or persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorbed to their surfaces in the environment. Such toxins can disrupt endocrine functions and cause harmful reproductive and developmental effects in aquatic animals. Thu, 11 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6860 2015-06-11T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6859 The fetch effect on aeolian sediment transport on a sandy beach: a case study from Magilligan Strand, Northern Ireland Lynch, Kevin; Jackson, Derek W. T.; Cooper, J. Andrew G. Experiments were conducted on Magilligan Strand, Northern Ireland, to assess the influence of the fetch effect on aeolian sediment transport. During each experiment surface sediments were uniformly dry and unhindered by vegetation or debris. The leading edge of erodible material was well defined, with the limit of wave up-rush demarcating the wet-dry boundary; the work was conducted during low tides. A number of electronic and integrating traps were utilised, with two ultrasonic anemometers used to measure wind direction and velocity at 1 Hz. The combination of 1 degrees direction data and trap locations resulted in a range of fetch distances, from 2 to 26 m. Data integrated over 15-minute intervals (corresponding to the integrating trap data) revealed a distinct trend for all the experiments. An initial rapid increase in the transport rate occurred over a short distance (4-9 m). This maximum transport rate was maintained for a further 5-6 m before a steady decay in the flux followed, as fetch distance increased. A measured reduction in wind speed (6-8%) across the beach suggests a negative feedback mechanism may be responsible for the diminishing transport rate: the saltating grains induce energy dissipation, thus reducing the capability of the wind to maintain transport. For one experiment, the presence of compact sediment patches may also have contributed to the reduction of the transport rate. The decay trend calls into question the utility of the fetch effect as an important parameter in aeolian studies that seek to understand sediment budgets of the foredune-beach zone. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Fri, 22 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6859 2016-04-22T00:00:00Z