Climate change may lead to a worsening in the quality of roads in Connemara, according to engineers
The bog has a special status in environmental terms in Connemara but it is a very bad foundation for roads as it moves upwards and downwards between spells of very dry and very wet weather.
Now there is further trouble on the horizon.
Engineers in the County Council believe that some exceptionally fine spells of weather in the summer months in recent years shrunk the bog and brought the roads marginally down with it.
As the rains came in torrents again, the bog rose up and the roads rose marginally with it – but the bog did not settle at the same level as before.
This has resulted in more bumps and crumpling of the surface.
As this weather variation is put down largely to climate change, engineers fear that the dry and wet spells will spell more trouble on the Connemara roads.
The only solution would be a foundation built from the basic rock upwards but that is off the radar.
But on the radar, there may be fine summers and worse roads.
