We are very grateful to a whole host of people who have inspired and helped us in our research in Western Ireland over the past twenty-five years and also provided enthusiasm and assistance in completing this field guide.
Firstly, we are grateful to all of the contributors to this book in its long journey from inception to publication and thank them for their input, patience and dedication to producing a field guidebook to a region of globally-renowned and important geology that will hopefully be very widely used. We have also benefitted from visiting this area with many people over the years and are very grateful for the insights and expertise provided by Jeff Peakall (University of Leeds), Drew Phillips (Illinois State Geological Survey), Steve Marshak and Michael Stewart (University of Illinois), Jeff Nittrouer (Rice University) and Owen Sutcliffe (Neftex). We would also like to thank several generations of Leeds University and University of Illinois undergraduates and postgraduates who have worked in the region and greatly contributed to our understanding of the geology; especially Dan Bell, Alex Bryk, Karen Braithwaite, Rachael Dale, Heather Macdonald, Eric Obrock and Eleanor Stirling. We are thankful to Dan Bell for data that helped construct the geological map of Kilkee. We are also grateful for the help of the IAS Special Publications editors we have worked with – Ian Jarvis, Tom Stevens and Mark Bateman – for their encouragement and perseverance; and also to the IAS and the Jack and Richard Threet Chair in Sedimentary Geology at the University of Illinois for funding the final graphics compilation. We are indebted to Chris Simpson for his superb work on the final graphics that ensured the consistency of all illustrations in the guide and made them available for online download. Ian Francis, Kelvin Matthews, Delia Sandford and Radjan Lourde Selvanadin at Wiley Blackwell are thanked for their guidance and work in bringing this guide to publication.
We have also been incredibly fortunate to make lasting friends in County Clare in our many years working there and these people have provided a constant source of knowledge, help, good humour and true friendship. We are especially grateful to Patrick Blake and Patrick Egan (Liscannor), Orla and Mark Vaughan (Kilfenora Hostel and Vaughan’s Pub, Kilfenora), Brian Farrell (Burren Coaches, Ballyvaughan) and Geoff and Susanne Magee (Dolphinwatch, Carrigaholt) for their friendship and help.
Finally, we would like to dedicate this field guide to the memory of Trevor Elliott, who sadly passed away on 28th January 2013. Trevor was an inspirational field geologist who fostered the interest of many geologists, including us, in the Shannon Basin. His seminal work on many parts of the basin fill, his mentoring of colleagues in the region and his leadership of many industrial trips to these rocks have left a permanent imprint on many of us who were lucky enough to know and meet Trevor. We, and his many friends in this area of Western Eire, will sorely miss the sight of Trevor striding across the cliff top paths in his brightly coloured field clothes and discussing the geology with him over a Guinness in the evenings. His kindness and inspiration will remain with us for many years to come.