Irish Waxcaps

In the paper  “The Fungi of Irish Grasslands and their value for nature conservation” by Roland McHugh, David Mitchel, Mark Wright and Roy Anderson in Biology and Environment, Vol 101B, No.3, 225-242 (2001), the best sites known in Ireland at that time were listed and ranked. These webpages will offer the most up to date site rankings and species lists of Irish grassland fungi.

See the Atlas for more details on the distribution of these species in Northern Ireland or the Photo Gallery for images of these species.

This is the most up to date ranking of Irish sites ranked by number of waxcaps – H (last updated 28/11/2022).

 
Site County C H E G D No Visits
The Curragh Kildare 9 36 36 4 3 28
Clare Island West Mayo 5 29 8 6 2 17
Slievenacloy ASSI Antrim 9 29 9 5 1 20
Knock Dhu and Sallagh Braes ASSI Antrim 8 26 7 5 1 14
Killykeeghan and Crossmurrin NNR Fermanagh 5 25 5 5 1 11
Monawilkin ASSI Fermanagh 4 24 10 5 3 8
Binevenagh ASSI Londonderry 10 23 15 7 0 16
Divis and Black Mountain Antrim 9 23 6 4 1 12
Legland Mountain Fermanagh 4 23 6 2 0 4
Ballyprior Commonage Laois 4 22 9 2 2 5
Barnett’s Park Antrim 5 22 4 3 0 36
Fair Head and Murlough Bay ASSI Antrim 8 22 10 7 1 16
Galboly ASSI Antrim 7 22 11 5 1 8
Rathlin Island: Kebble ASSI Antrim 5 22 3 3 1 7
Achill Island: Keem Bay West Mayo 3 21 5 4 1 3
Rathlin Island: Roonivoolin RSPB reserve Antrim 4 21 6 1 1 3
Brookfield Td., SW of Tullyhona Fermanagh 6 20 2 4 1 3
Dursey Island West Cork 6 20 12 2 1 4
Inishshark West Galway 3 20 3 1 0 1
Murrevagh Maghera West Mayo 5 20 12 3 0 5
Aghadachor West Donegal 6 19 13 1 1 2
Arran More West Donegal 5 19 6 1 1 1
Divis: Fraser’s Farm Antrim 5 19 3 0 0 1
Rathlin Island: Knockans RSPB Reserve Antrim 4 19 8 0 1 3
Ballycastle Coalfield ASSI Antrim 4 18 2 1 0 3
Cuilcagh Mountain ASSI Fermanagh 2 18 1 4 2 5
Hillsborough Parish Church Down 5 18 0 3 0 8
Inishbofin West Galway 4 18 4 1 0 1
Longmore Hill Antrim 2 18 0 2 1 1
Mount Stewart Estate Down 6 18 2 1 1 12
Murlough NNR Down 6 18 3 4 0 18
Rathlin Island: Craigmacagan RSPB
reserve
Antrim 4 18 8 1 1 1
Tramore Dunes / Marfagh Head West Donegal 4 18 1 3 0 2
Ballynacarriga West Cork 5 17 8 1 1 1
Bantry House West Cork 7 17 2 0 2 1
Cushleake Mountain Antrim 4 17 4 2 0 2
Gortmaconnell Rock Fermanagh 3 17 2 3 1 4
Gortnagory ASSI Antrim 1 17 1 0 0 3
Knockmore Hill Fermanagh 1 17 6 2 0 7
Stormont Estate Down 5 17 3 1 1 33
Agnew’s Hill Antrim 2 16 1 3 0 3
Black Head (Burren) Clare 1 16 2 3 0 2
Castle Archdale Country Park Fermanagh 8 16 4 6 1 7
Clonmantagh Hill Kilkenny 1 16 2 2 1 3
Eyeries Coast West Cork 2 16 3 1 0 2
Inis Meáin Clare 1 16 1 2 0 1
John McSparran Memorial Hill Farm Antrim 6 16 2 1 0 4
Killary Harbour: Foher West Galway 2 16 2 2 0 1
Little Deer Park ASSI Antrim 6 16 6 7 1 4
Scawt Hill Antrim 4 16 1 3 0 3
Silent Valley Down 5 16 6 4 1 7
Achill Island: Keel: St Finian’s Well West Mayo 2 15 3 3 0 2
Cave Hill Antrim 3 15 2 1 0 13
Clandeboye Estate Down 1 15 0 1 0 9
Cloughey Dunes Down 4 15 3 5 1 10
Cummer West Galway 1 15 2 1 0 1
Drum Manor Forest Park Tyrone 2 15 0 1 0 7
East Torr Td, nr Torr Head Antrim 4 15 8 1 2 1
Glenbeg Lough West Cork 2 15 1 2 0 1
Glennahoo South Kerry 1 15 1 2 0 1
Great Heath of Maryborough Laois 4 15 4 2 0 2
Harphall Td, Carnlough Antrim 1 15 0 0 0 2
Inishturk West Mayo 3 15 2 3 0 1
Knockninny ASSI Fermanagh 2 15 3 3 1 3
Melmore Head West Donegal 2 15 5 1 0 1
Muckros Head West Donegal 6 15 7 2 0 2
Slemish Mountain Antrim 3 15 1 5 0 3
Teelin Point West Donegal 3 15 7 3 1 1
Tory Island West Donegal 2 15 2 1 0 2

Irish Waxcap Map (Number of Species)

But are Waxcaps always found in grasslands? In North America, they are considered to be woodland fungi and there is a thought that they have moved out from woods in Europe into grasslands (or the woods were felled and they adapted well to their new treeless habitat). However, in Ireland, unlike GB, we seem to find waxcaps commonly in woods as well as grasslands. Here is a list of Waxcaps found so far in woods in Ireland:

Hygrocybe berkeleyi
Hygrocybe calciphila
Hygrocybe cantharellus
Hygrocybe ceracea
Hygrocybe chlorophana
Hygrocybe coccinea
Hygrocybe conica
Hygrocybe glutinipes
Hygrocybe insipida
Hygrocybe irrigata
Hygrocybe miniata
Hygrocybe mucronella
Hygrocybe persistens
Hygrocybe pratensis
Hygrocybe psittacina
Hygrocybe punicea
Hygrocybe quieta
Hygrocybe reidii
Hygrocybe russocoriacea
Hygrocybe virginea
Hygrocybe vitellina