science

Killeglan Grassland

Killeglan Grassland is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Killeglan Grassland rather than just read about it. In short: The Killeglan Grassland (Irish: Féarach Chill Fhiagláin) Special Area of Conservation or SAC is a designated Natura 2000 site in south County Roscommon, near the town of Ballinasloe in County Galway, Ireland. Killeglan Grassland is designated as a Special Area of Conservation under the qualifying interest: semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) (* important orc…

Key takeaways

Killeglan Grassland belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Killeglan Grassland to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Killeglan Grassland from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Killeglan Grassland (Irish: Féarach Chill Fhiagláin) Special Area of Conservation or SAC is a designated Natura 2000 site in south County Roscommon, near the town of Ballinasloe in County Galway, Ireland. Killeglan Grassland is designated as a Special Area of Conservation under the qualifying interest: semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) (* important orchid sites).

Location Killeglan Grassland Special Area of Conservation is located in south County Roscommon, 9.5 km north of the town of Ballinasloe in County Galway, in the townlands of Ballyglass (Dodwell), Breeole and Porteen and Ballyrevagh.

Placename The name of the SAC is given in Irish as Féarach Chill Fhiagláin on the Statutory Instrument for the site. The Irish placenames website Logainm.ie does not list this name. Killeglan Grassland SAC is to be found to the north of Killeglan townland, and the Irish name for this townland is Cill Dheagláin which equates to the church of Declan (a personal name). In the archival notes for this townland on Logainm.ie. Cill Fhiagláin or 'Feglan's church' is noted as one of the names for the area, from an 1837 note.

Special Area of Conservation qualification Under the European Union Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Irish regulations which implement this Directive (European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477 of 2011), Ireland is required to identify, legally designate and maintain or restore significant species and habitats to favourable status, to conserve biodiversity and halt ecosystem degradation in the European Union. Ireland has designated approximately 13,500 km2 as protected sites. Under the Habitats Directive, habitats (under Annex I) and species (under Annex II) which are considered to be seriously threatened and at risk of extinction are designated as ‘priority’ habitats. The Killeglan Grassland site was designated as a Special Area of Conservation for one significant Habitats Directive Annex I priority habitat:

Orchid‐rich calcareous grassland (priority habitat) [Natura 2000 code 6210] The Natura 2000 habitat type 6210 refers to "Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) (* important orchid sites)". This habitat type is not by itself a priority habitat but is considered a priority habitat "on 'important orchid sites', by which one should understand the sites that are important on the basis of one or more of the following three criteria: (a) the site hosts a rich suite of orchid species (b) the site hosts an important population of at least one orchid species considered not very common on the national territory (c) the site hosts one or several orchid species considered to be rare, very rare or exceptional on the national territory." The Killeglan Grassland SAC does include many orchid species, including rare Red List species. In the habitat title, Festuco-Brometalia refers to steppic or subcontinental grasslands (Festucetalia valesiacae) and the grasslands of more oceanic and sub-Mediterranean regions (Brometalia erecti). The current overall conservation status of orchid‐rich calcareous grassland in Ireland has been assessed as ‘bad with a deteriorating trend’,’, according to the 2019 EU report on the Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland. However, the condition of Killeglan Grassland SAC is noted as "of outstanding quality and provides an excellent example of the Annex I priority habitat orchid-rich calcareous grasslands." Orchids found at this SAC site include autumn lady's tresses (Spiranthes spiralis), common spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), early-purple orchid (Orchis mascula), fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea), green-winged orchid (Orchis morio), lesser butterfly-orchid, (Platanthera bifolia) and pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis). Calcareous grassland species recorded at the site include bulbous rush (Juncus bulbosus), carline thistle (Carlina vulgaris), carnation sedge (Carex panicea), cat's-ear (Hypochoeris radicata), clovers (Trifolium spp.), cock's foot (Dactylis glomerata), common bent (Agrostis capillaris), crested dog's-tail (Cynosurus cristatus), devil's-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), daisy (Bellis perennis), dandelion (Taraxacum agg.), heather (Calluna vulgaris), mountain everlasting (Antennaria dioica), mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella), red fescue (Festuca rubra), ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata), sedges (Carex spp.), selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), sheep's sorrel (Rumex acetosella), wild thyme (Thymus praecox), yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor), yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus).

Geology The Roscommon Geology Report describes the Killeglan karst landscape as "unique in lowland Ireland as it expresses what the entire lowland limestone landscape would have looked like before man modified the countrywide, by reclaiming land and building field boundaries." The report notes that the area should be designated as a geological Nature Heritage Area: "This is the only such area of lowland, boulder-strewn, limestone glacial karst in the country. It is of national importance."

See also List of Special Areas of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Killeglan Grassland

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Killeglan Grassland claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Killeglan Grassland before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Killeglan Grassland ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Killeglan Grassland

In research: Killeglan Grassland appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Killeglan Grassland in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Killeglan Grassland is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Grasslands, Karst formations, Natura 2000 in Ireland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Killeglan Grassland outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Killeglan Grassland in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Killeglan Grassland means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Killeglan Grassland out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Killeglan Grassland in simple terms?

Why does Killeglan Grassland matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Killeglan Grassland?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Killeglan Grassland.