AN IRISHWOMAN'S DIARY

SNIFF, snuff. Stale air. Sniff again. Sulphorous fumes. Crouching, sometimes crawling, his nostrils twitched. It was that curious smell that drew him on.

Just more than 10 years ago, a Romanian scientist investigating the foundations for a new power station made one of the most extraordinary and underrated discoveries of this century. With his nose. He had abseiled down a deep well to investigate the limestone bedrock below, when he picked up a pungent scent.

He followed the trail, almost got lost, certainly risked his neck, and found himself in a cavern teeming with bizarre tiny animals that he had never seen before.

Small wonder. Movile cave near the Black Sea in Romania has been found to house entirely new life forms, living in a methane and nitrogen atmosphere and by a lake of "sulphur soup". In spite of little or no oxygen, there are thriving colonies of blind woodlice, spiders and watery scorpions which developed more than five million years ago. This most complex caval ecosystem is believed to hold the key to the origins of life on earth.

Strictly Controlled

Back in 1986, Romania was still in the grip of Ceaucescu's dictatorship, scientific research was strictly controlled, and so it took a little time for the word to get out. Since then, it has given, a boost to adventure tourism in a country where speleologists have discovered more than 10,000 caves in recent years.

Movile and surrounding caverns now have a Himalayan reputation among cave divers - those strange sorts attracted to the sterile subterranea, who have no fear of claustrophobia. In fact, they don't even know the meaning of the word. Gliding weightless through forbidding beauty" is one description of the activity, which is regarded as being perhaps the most dangerous adventure sport. The closest to being an astronaut, say some.

Cave diving is definitely not a listed activity for a group of Irish schoolchildren soon bound for Romania. However, caving and scientific research is. The group of 12, from north and south of the border, intend, to spend much of July exploring the country's Carpathian mountains. They will be led by teachers and caving instructors from home, and will work with students from Bucharest University.

Main mover behind the trip is Ernie Lawrence, the granddaddy - if he will excuse the Diary - of Irish canoeing. A map with more Liffey Descents behind him than he would care to remember Lawrence led the first Irish adventure sport expedition abroad some 25 years ago. Destination then was the Grand Canyon. The paddlers covered all 200 miles and believe that they were the first canoeing group to complete the course.

Ernie made kayaks in Co Kildare, until he moved to Wilson's Hospital School in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, with Audrey, his spouse. Though is it not exactly limestone territory, potholing became his passion. River sources soon replaced rivers in his vocabulary. Or perhaps he had just been reading too much about Balrog's Bathtub and the Forest of Fangorn in Tolkien's classic, Lord of the Rings.

His enthusiasm was infectious. Weekend forays to the Burren, and this island's other great caving area in Co Fermanagh, became a regular part of Wilson's Hospital School's outdoor education curriculum. Kerry is also on the caver's map since the Crag Cave complex was delivered by Prof John Gunn, a geologist from Manchester Polytechnic, in 1983.

Source Search

Gunn had been asked by Kerry County Council to investigate water pollution on the Maine river. His source search led him to a 100 metre long cavern, which was identified as part of a complex a couple of years later by a group of British cave divers. In local folklore, the original Crag cave is associated with those two adventurous lovers, Diarmuid and Grainne "who seem to have left their mark on just about every mountain in the country.

Well over a year ago, Lawrence began planning the expedition to Romania with his students. He made contact with the Bucharest University group involved in the discovery of Movile cave. Earlier this year, Sivliu Constantin of the university came to Ireland to discuss plans and logistics, and gave a series of lectures in Dublin, Clare and Fermanagh.

Romania has some of eastern Europe's most spectacular landscapes of karst; caves are large, long, deep and very beautiful. The epicentre is the wet, wooded hilly area known as the Muntu Apusini in the east, where rivers vanish and reappear with mysterious frequency.

It was felt that the expedition should have a cross Border emphasis. The final group of 12 reflects a healthy geographical spread. Schools or universities in 11 counties, from Antrim to Cork, Tyrone to Tipperary are represented. Training weekends covering caving skills and karst sciences were organised, in co operation with the Burren Outdoor Education Centre in Co Clare, Gortatole Education Centre and the Marble Arch eaves in Co Fermanagh, and the Speleologieal Union of Ireland.

Heavyweight Team

With the students will be a heavy weight team of adult leaders, directed by Ernie Lawrence and Colin Bunce, a geologist and outdoor education instructor in Co Clare. Also accompanying the group will be David Scott, geologist, caving instructor and science leader from Co Fermanagh; Mary Ahern, medical officer and nurse from Co Limerick; Julie Stephenson, teacher and caving instructor, also from Co Fermanagh; John Potter, a Co Dublin caver; John Sweeney, an outdoor pursuits instructor from Co Clare; Audrey Lawrence, caver and base camp manager; and Emma Lawrence who is studying at Winchester University and who will make the video.

The aim is not only to explore the re ion and participate in scientific research, but also to introduce Irish students to the concept of overseas expedition planning. After the trip, the group will be asked to give a lecture to a Students Union of Ireland conference in October, and to travel to other schools colleges and clubs which wish hear about the experience.

The catch? Money, of course. The overall cost is pitched at £17,000, which is a modest budget for a group of 22. To date, the expedition has received lots of encouragement, but little in the way of "spondulicks". All offers welcome to Youth Cave Romania at telephone (044)71324 or Old Parish House, Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath.