Galway suffers Japanese invasion

County Galway is being turned Japanese by a ground-devouring invasive weed.

Galway County Council has confirmed that Japanese Knotweed has spread to nearly all parts of the county, and there have been recent infestations in Oranmore, Portumna, Moycullen, Rosmuc, Barna, Clifden and South Connemara.

Meanwhile, Gunnera, a weed that looks like giant rhubarb, has taken hold in South Connemara and has become more prevalent in recent years.

“Gunnera is huge. It’s a big ugly brute of a thing that has spread a lot in Connemara. It’s like giant rhubarb. There are parts of Achill you can’t even access because of it. It has spread to Clifden and the N59 and all parts of Connemara. It has become worse in the last three years.

“Japanese Knotweed has spread to all parts of the county. People are becoming m ore aware of it. I’ve been banging on about it for six or eight years,” said Elaine O’Riordan, Galway County Biodiversity Project Manager, who is based at the Centre for Environmental Science at NUI Galway.

Ms O’Riordan said this summer in particular she has been working almost full-time on invasive species, such is their prevalence across the county.

She is currently working on developing a strategy for Galway County Council to tackle the problem in a cohesive manner.

Though it looks quite pleasant, with large green leaves and a red stem, the invasive plant is a scourge.

Its roots grow deeper than regular weeds and can cause damage to buildings and pathways; and it also grows faster that other weeds. Introduced to Ireland as a garden plant in the 19th century, it quickly became rampant. Its spear-like shoots can even penetrate tarmacadam.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.