Special Collections item

Following NUIG’s success in the intervarsity BioBlitz earlier this month, beating UCC, DCU and Trinity in a 24-hour battle to find out which campus is the most biodiverse in Ireland, why not take time out this week to enjoy some biodiversity of the past. Printed in Dublin in 1850 by James McGlashan, the Concise notices of British grasses, best suited for agriculture by David Moore (1808-1879) includes 60 dried specimens, the condition of which is remarkable.

Appointed director of the Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin in 1838, this publication is just part of his body of valuable research on the native grasses of the British Isles, and his recommendations regarding species for the composition of good pasture is perhaps a precursor to our modern concern for the variety of life and healthy ecosystems worldwide.

If you would like to consult this item, or indeed any item from the Old Library Collection, please submit an online request or contact the staff of the Special Collections Reading Room in the Hardiman Research Building at specialcollections@nuigalway.ie