Meeting report

Although many BBS parties and individual bryologists have visited southwest Ireland, they have usually gravitated towards known hot-spots where they were sure to find a rich assemblage of hyperoceanic species. The results of such ‘honey-potting’ are embarrassingly clear on species-richness maps such as those published by Preston et al. (2009). By the start of 2009, 441 species had been recorded from 10-km square V98, which includes all the famous sites around Killarney, Co. Kerry, whereas the total for V89 was just 5. Our original plan for the 2009 Summer Meeting was to visit the under-recorded areas of Cork in the first week (27 June – 4 July) and Kerry in the second (4 July – 11 July), with a few visits to richer sites in Kerry. By a fortunate chance, the meeting coincided with an initiative by the Dublin Naturalists’ Field Club to promote bryology in Ireland, and our plans for a recording meeting also provided an ideal opportunity for beginners from both Britain and Ireland to join more experienced bryologists in the field.