Final soil sample of 13-year project taken in West Cork

This survey makes the island of Ireland "one of the most geochemically mapped places in the world".

Teams of samplers have covered thousands of hectares of land, travelling through fields, bogs, and mountains to reach all corners of our island in the pursuit of soil. 

Ireland has become one of the only countries in the world to complete detailed geochemical national soil sampling.

After 13 years, the Tellus programme is collecting its final sample.