He was a geologist by profession, an environmentalist by nature, an ecologist by conviction. He was a visionary, a realist, a dreamer, a planner. He saw what was, and what could be. He inspired, he supported. He gave freely of himself to the causes in which he believed.

Now he is gone from us, and we who knew his worth must seek to persevere along the path he trod until his life's work is realised, not for his benefit, not for ours, but for the enduring good of generations to come.

He had twin goals, the first a project that could culminate in the designation of a World Heritage Site close to the town in which he lived, the second a project to rehabilitate the wild salmon fishery on the River Erne, with concomitant commercial spinoffs in tourism.

He knew what the river and its salmon had meant to the region for thousands and thousands of recorded years of history. He detailed, in his professional work as a geologist, that the region itself was home to a stupendous planetary phenomenon, the site of earth's earliest building material in the form of a rocky outcrop called the Ballyshannon Unconformity.

It is on the promotion of those goals that this web site will focus in future issues.

His name was and is Paul Rohleder, and news of his presumed death has caused shock to all who knew him or knew of him. It is a name known to many readers of this web site.

As a working geologist he had his own company, Slievedaragh Teo., whose address was The Mall, Ballyshannon, County Donegal, and he explored rock formations and mineral deposits all over the country.

It was a lonely task, many times attended with risk.

He was last seen attending Mass at the Franciscan Friary in Rossnowlagh on Tuesday, September 2, 2003. When his prolonged absence was noted and his parked car discovered near Bunglass Cliffs, a massive search was begun, involving mountain rescue teams, Gardai, and an Aer Corps helicopter.

It has been unfruitful to date.

To the writer of this item, Paul Rohleder was a special friend. We never met. Our communication was conducted through cyber space. It was only when Paul went missing that I learned he was only 42 years old, 5ft 9ins, of slim build, and had dark hair.

Personal details, personality traits, preferences in pursuits (Paul was an avid angler), did not enter into our relationship. All I knew of him was that he strove to do good by his fellow beings, by the salmon of sea, and by the very earth of his native land.

By happenstance, his last communication arrived as a simple photograph, sent by mail in late August. It is reproduced below. It shows a mere sliver of the Ballyshannon Unconformity, and also his geologist's hammer.

The Ballyshannon Unconformity-a detail -photo by P.M. Rohleder

It is to Paul I am indebted for the painting of the Falls of Assaroe which appears elsewhere on this web site. In an e-mail he explained:

"I am glad you received and liked the painting of the Assaroe Falls and that it arrived in Ottawa in one piece. I saw it for sale in a gift shop last autumn here in Ballyshannon, and I said to myself "That picture is only meant for one person.".I am sorry you could not have come here for a visit and saved me the postage!"

Bunglass Cliffs, where Paul Rohleder's parked car was discovered, are described in the Official Guide to Donegal as rising sheer out of the sea to a height of 1,024 ft.

"The view from these cliffs, especially from the point named "Amharc Mor" (The Great View), has scarcely a parallel for grandeur anywhere in Europe. Beneath lie the blue waters of Bunglass Bay, and away in front is the magnificent range of mountains that terminates in the precipitous Slieve League (1972 ft.). The more venturesome climbers will go further ahead along the edge of the mighty cliffs to the narrow "One Man's Pass," described as "a narrow footway, high in the air, with an awful abyss yawning on either side." This is a dangerous part of Slieve League. As may be inferred from its name, only one person at a time can pass along this narrow ledge, on one side of which a precipice of more than 1800 ft. drops sheer down to the sea, and on the other an almost equally precipitous escarpment falls down to a lonely tarn."

Readers may consult previous articles pertinent to the work of Paul Rohleder, including The Ballyshannon Unconformity and his Map of planned River Erne enhancement.

In view of recent events, the following passage from the first item is a timely reminder of the importance of Paul Rohleder's work:

"Since much of Ballyshannon's natural heritage was destroyed by outsiders who cared nothing for the damage they wrought, before it too falls to the dynamiters and the cement pavers the Ballyshannon Unconformity should be designated a heritage site, a landscape in stone. There are many precedents world wide."

Just last month, in County Louth, within two days of its discovery an underground chamber or souterrain, dating back more than a thousand years, was destroyed. It had been found on a site where construction of 363 houses is planned to take place.

Paul, we did not know how fortunate we were to know you, in person or in cyber space. We do know you were a Canadian whose professional career in Ireland forged a strong link between our two countries.

Only two sites in Ireland enjoy Heritage World Status, the Boyne Valley and Skellig Michael. An effort is underway to achieve such recognition for the Cliffs of Moher. It is past time that the Ballyshannon Unconformity be added to the list. Paul would like that.

J.W.
Oct. 2003.