River

She's a professor of chemistry at Dublin City University, but she founded the DCU Water Institute, which is, it's massive.

It brings together researchers from like multidisciplinary all the different areas to study like pollution of our rivers our lakes our ponds protecting aquatic ecosystems developing new technologies and trying to inform policy actual government policy so the Water Institute is it's just this brilliant body so myself and Fiona chat about everything from Rivers to building ponds to data centres to the threat of flooding caused by climate change.

Before we get into the chat, let's do a little ocarina pause.

That's my high-pitched ocarina.

So really, it's an institute where people want to study all aspects of water.

I mean, here's the thing.

Rivers, ponds, the rain.

It's this strange thing when you come to anything to do with biodiversity.

Can't really argue with that.

Lee Curry's quite good on Rivers as well, you know.

Ooh, Lee.

We're seeing Lee later.

in went the little sailing-ship depending only upon the breeze and the skill of the captain in through that narrow winding unknown channel into the unknown bay carefully gray steered while his men sounded the depth of water until at last they were through the breakers and inside then the sailors found at once as they dipped up the water that it was sweet fresh river water and not salt water had it been merely a bay the water would have been salt captain robert gray had discovered the river of the west which indians many years before had said flowed into the bitter waters indians in their canoes now came out over the broad gleaming river dancing blue in the sunshine as captain gray sailed up the river for fifteen miles or so at last he anchored and then they had a busy time the indians were trading furs and fish and roots the armorer was hammering at his forge working up those iron bars carpenters were making repairs painters were painting and caulking the ship some of the sailors were washing down the ship and others were refilling the water-casks with fresh water on a tuesday four days after they entered captain gray and his mate went on shore to take a short view of the country so the old log book says they did more they took possession of the country in the name of the united states of america that really did not amount to much because gray was only a private fur trader and no official report was ever made by him to the government so far as we know gray hoisted on the columbia river the american flag and planted there on the shore some new england pine-tree shillings under a tree and named the river after his plucky little ship they named the two capes also one was to be cape hancock and the other cape adams after two famous new england men but the old name cape disappointment was the one which after all stuck to the northern headland pine tree shillings were just the thing to plant in the oregon country there were a few pines along the columbia river though not many but all the hills which rolled back from this broad glorious stream were black with dense forests of other cone bearing trees spruce and fir and hemlock another interesting thing is that this river on the western coast was discovered just three hundred years after columbus discovered america fourteen ninety two and seventeen ninety two and that the united states was only nine years old when the american flag was hoisted in the river and on the shore captain gray stayed in the river some ten days trading with the swarms of indians who came out to his ship and getting a fresh start the old log-book told just which days were bright and sunny and which were cloudy or rainy but the old log does not tell us half as much as we want to know about the wonderful crossing of that terrible bar and of the stay in the river gray's daring in facing those breakers and entering the river gave the united states the very first right she had to claim any part of the oregon country before that spain and great britain were the only ones having any real right to it The crossing of that fearsome bar was a daring thing to do with only a sailing vessel, tossed this way and that by the wind or the currents, to face those terrific breakers which roared and dashed and thundered at the entrance of the Columbia.

In 1805 the Lewis and Clark expedition came overland from St. Louis, and they discovered and explored part of the river from the other direction.

Chapter 6 The Adventures of Lewis and Clark Thirteen years after Captain Gray entered the Columbia River, a party of 32 men and one woman, nearly all Americans, were coming up the Missouri River on an exploring expedition.

Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark were the two leaders, and nearly all their men were American soldiers.

All were white except three.

A second was her husband, the guide, who was half Indian and half French.

The third was a black, black negro.

Up the Missouri River in 1805 came this party in the bright spring sunshine.

This is how like full my mind is right now.

So I'm writing that while I've just received my edits for Morn River.

So it's full on.

I'm going to be working full time up until Christmas.

So it would be like, you know, every Thursday I do the Riot Club.

That's my day where I focus on the Riot Club.

you know, from now on with Mourne River and this Audible one, I'm going to be having to split up time.

So it's like, you know, Monday, Tuesday, Mourne River, Wednesday, Friday, Audible.