“…Some of these Devonian aquifers are fractured enough to have developed some permeability, however, this is not to an extent to be classified as regionally important aquifers (Pracht, 1997). Recent research has demonstrated that fractured bedrock aquifers give rise to elevated concentrations of arsenic (Bondu et al, 2016) and other trace metals in groundwaters in the US, Canada, Africa, France, Italy, Greece, and certain regions in Asia (Ayotte et al, 2003(Ayotte et al, , 2006Smedley et al, 2007;Verplanck et al, 2008;Ryan et al, 2011Ryan et al, , 2015Drummer et al, 2015;Reyes et al, 2015;Zkeri et al, 2015;Andy et al, 2017). In Ireland, these hard rock aquifers, or poorly productive aquifers (PPA) underlie 60% of the country (Robins and Misstear, 2000) and provide an important water source for farms, houses, small housing estates, hotels, and small businesses.…”