Spits                                       Bars                            Tombolos

A spit is a narrow          A bar is a narrow       A tombolo is a

ridge of sand or            ridge of sand or         narrow ridge of

shingle.One end          shingle which seals    sand or shingle

juts out into the            off the mouth of         which joins an

sea,while the               a bay.                         offshore island

other is connected       A spit may grow in      to the 

to the land.                  length until it              mainland.

Longshore drift stops   completely seals         A spit may 

when it reaches a         off a bay.The             grow in length

bay or other sheltered  former spit is then      until its 

place.The material       referred to as a           seaward end

carried by the              bar.A lagoon is            reaches a 

longshore drift is          a small lake               nearby isalnd. 

deposited at these       formed behind            The former spit

places and may           the bar.It was              is then referred

build up gradually       originally part of           to as a 

to form a spit.              the bay,which was       tombolo.

                                   sealed off by the 

                                   bar.

Examples:                  Examples:                  Examples:

Portmarnock,              Lady's Island Lake,      Howth,
Co.Dublin.                  Co.Wexford.                Co.Dublin,was
Bannow Bay,              Loch Muiri,                  once an island
Co.Wexford.               Co.Clare.                     until the Sutton
                                                                      tombolo joined
                                                                      it to the  
                                                                      mainland.