Offaly Naturalists' Field Club Programme 2012
Download the 2012 Offaly Naturalist's Field Club programme. Many thanks to all of the leaders who have put on events
Lough Boora BioBlitz Friday 18th May 5.00pm to Saturday 19th May 2012
BioBlitz is a scientific race against time. The aim of this fun event is to find as many species as possible within a park over a 24 hour period. This is a unique event where scientists, students and the general public can come together and learn how scientists and recorders use their skills to study the wildlife of an area. It will also introduce the non-specialist to the fabulous wealth of biodiversity that occurs all around us. The event is coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and this year Lough Boora, County Offaly has been selected as one of the four participating sites for 2012. The other three sites are Phoenix Park, Dublin, Glengarriff National Nature Reserve, Co. Cork and Crawfordsburn Country Park, Co Down.
Lough Boora is a diverse site largely comprising cutaway bog with regenerating wetland and woodland habitats. There are also significant areas of forestry and agriculture. The Lough Boora site encompasses lands owned and managed by Bord na Móna, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Coillte and the Irish Wildlife Trust as well as a whole medley of county, community and local interest groups. So far we have over 30 experts to join us in identifying all the species of Lough Boora but we need more. If you are interested in helping out please email heritage@offalycoco.ie. See more at http://bioblitz.biodiversityireland.ie/ and www.loughbooraparklands.ie
Connemara came out top in 2010 with 542 species, while last year Killarney National Park was the winner with a staggering 1088 species! Let's see what we can record at Lough Boora!
Engage with Architecture 2012 - March Programme
This was an exciting month with delivery of the Engage with Architecture 2012 project. It brought out a whole range of projects from junior school to transition year projects, to talks, posters, narrated slide shows and more. There is an Engage with Architecture page on facebook so get regular updates by signing up! You can download a summary of the Engage project. Part of the project is called 'In conversation with...' and 5 youtube clips about owners and their buildings seen on www.youtube.com/offalyheritage
Clara Bog Visitor Centre
Clara Bog is well known for its raised bog. Clara Bog Visitor Centre opening times for April 2012 are 10am -5 pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings 10am – 1pm. Admission is free. It shares the site with Clara library and is opposite the swimming pool on the Ferbane road. More information is available from Claraguides@environ.ie or on the Clara Bog facebook page
Croghan, County Offaly - a new publication by John Feehan - launched Friday 16th December 2011
This new publication was launched on Friday 16th December in Croghan Community Centre by Pat Gallagher, County Manager. It is A3, hardback and it is highly illustrated. John's clear narration describes the evolution of Croghan hill and the wider landscape setting. Published by Offaly County Council in association with UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, it is €30.00 and available from the following shops
- Croghan Mini Market
- Quinns Centra and Scullys in Daingean
- Killeens in Rhode
- Midland Books, High Street, Tullamore
- Offaly Archaeological and Historical Society, Bury Quay Tullamore
Alternatively post a cheque for €30.00 made out to Offaly County Council attn: Heritage Office, Offaly County Council, Charleville Road, Tullamore, Co. Offaly for free delivery within Ireland.
Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society 2012 Programme
All talks are hosted in the OHAS premises in Bury Quay, Tullamore unless stated. For more details email info@offalyhistory.com
Forthcoming lectures in 2012
14 May 2012 Professor Rolf Loeber on 'Early seventeenth century plantation architecture in the Midlands and Ulster: Government control and planters’
Kinnitty - My Home in the Slieve Blooms by Paddy Lowry
This important book of Paddy's stories and memories was launched on Wednesday 23rd November 2011 and is selling for €15.00 in Peavoys and Clears in Kinnitty, Heffernans and Doolands in Kilcormac, Grennans in Rath and Midland Books and Balcony Books in Tullamore.
Offaly Annual Heritage Seminar
The dates for the 2012 Annual Heritage Seminar are Friday 23rd November and Saturday 24th November.
The 10th annual Offaly Heritage Seminar was held on the 18th and 19th November 2011. There was a crowd of over 80 gathered in St Mary’s National School for the Friday evening session hosted by the Edenderry Historical Society which saw the launch of the third Heritage Plan for Offaly. This was launched by Michael Starrett CEO of the Heritage Council based in Kilkenny. Download Full programme.
A highlight of the Friday evening was the presentation of the story of attempted mining of lead and silver at Blundell Hill, Edenderry. This research was carried out by Dr Martin Critchley and Dr Sharon Schwartz who had come to inspect an opening in Blundell Park in the first week of October. They said they were initially skeptical about the possibility of a mine shaft as there have been no mines recorded for Offaly up until now. However what they found was indeed a mine shaft and led them to carry out research about the successive Marquis of Downshires’ interest in looking for lead and silver sporadically from the period 1760 to 1860.
Rachel McKenna’s presentation about the Engage with Architecture project highlighted the importance of working creatively in these challenging times and the benefits of holding a range of talks and school and community workshops – she was pleased to announce that this project has secured funding for 2012.
Saturday morning saw torrential rain that did not deter 35 people travelling to hear all about Gallen Monastic Site at Ferbane from archaeologist Caimin O’Brien. Offaly County Council has continued its programme of 3d laser scanning to record over 150 carved stones at Gallen and another 15 at Lemanaghan. These will be on line by the end of 2011. Caimin discussed the unusual aspect of having an early church with a vast number of burials and then it being replaced in the 1600s about 200 meters away with an Augustinian church where the current graveyard is. The headstones here have exceptional carvings and there is some superb iron detailing on surrounds.
The alternative field trip was hosted by the Clara Bog visitor centre run by the NPWS which just opened last spring. Mary Healy, Head Guide, laid on a super morning of talks by the wildlife rangers, Noel Bugler and Colm Malone who talked about the work of the ranger and Kieran Buckley came in to talk about the grey partridge project which has received so much national attention this autumn. Mary profiled the education and community projects the centre started this year. This is a great addition to the range of activities in Offaly and was recognized when Clara Bog Visitor Centre won the 'Best Children's Event' in the Heritage Council National Heritage Week Awards for their Mini Ranger Day
All convened back in the Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society in Tullamore for the afternoon session which commenced with Andy Halpin Assistant Keeper from the National Museum of Ireland talking about recent archaeological finds in Offaly. This was prompted by Joe Clancy’s find of bog butter this spring. While the radiocarbon date is still to come Andy estimates this find of bog butter to be about 2000 years old. Like the Fadden Mor Psalter which was found in Birr Parish, it was critically important to keep the bog butter and its cask covered in damp bog to conserve it until the conservation department from the museum took over. He also showed images of other recent finds, a leather bag from Cushina, date 776-952 AD found in 2010, a leather shoe from Derrinlough, found by Jane Bulfin who was in the audience, the range of finds at the Broze Age Settlement at Clonfinlough, stone ‘battleaxes’ from Garryhinch, and a stone adzehead from 4,000 to 2,000 BC found in 2003 and a stone axehead from Tubbred in 2002. And of course Old Croghan Man found in 2003 which is now part of a major exhibition in the National Museum of Ireland. Andy said that there is a good tradition of reporting finds in Offaly and emphasized the importance of contacting the museum as soon as the find is made in order to conserve the item and get information about the site of the find. He did say there has been some metal detecting activity which is illegal and to be aware of this.
The following session was a presentation by the pupils of St Kieran’s National School in Broughall. Rosemary Feeney who works in the school had heard about the Placename recording idea at the Hertiage seminar in 2009. She brought the idea back to the school where it was enthusiastically taken up by the Principal Ester Lambe and the students. Pupils Anna, John, Chelsea, Aine, Grainne won the audience’s hearts with their research and presentation of field names and stories they have gathered – all about Soldier’s hill, Plum Tree Field, the Screeching Valley, Bannon’s Field, the Tobacco Field, Reilig Field, the Fruitful corner. The project led onto being the inspiration for the float for the St Patrick’s Day parade and has also influenced the community music project which is being featured next Sunday in Kilcormac.
John Feehan provided the concluding talkwhich was an insight into the wonderful book he has written about the Croghan area. This will be launched in Croghan Community Centre on 16th December. Croghan is an area many visit and enjoy in the landscape but John has provided a highly illustrated book showing how the area came to be formed 100s of millions of years ago, and its subsequent human story. A highlight is Slieve Bloom artist , Jock Nicol’s reconstruction drawing of the Croghan volcano erupting. The book will be available from the 16th in local shops and is very good value at €30.00.
Offaly Heritage Plan 2012-2016
The third Offaly Heritage Plan (2012-2016)was adopted at the October Council Council meeting on Monday 17th October. It was launched by Michael Starrett CEO of the Heritage Council at the Annual seminar on the weekend of 18th/19th November 2011.
Heritage Week 2011
2011 saw the busiest heritage week to date in Offaly. Download the Offaly Heritage Week brochure here. Have a look at www.heritageweek.ie to see what was happening nationally. The feedback says that the three main reasons for attending are
- to see sites that are not always accessible
- to see familiar sites but people have not known what to look for
- to see them with an informed guide or group sharing their knowledge
For a profile of the Saturday tour of Harry Clarke and his studios see the Harry Clarke Irish Times slide show
Would you like an email reminder of Offaly Heritage Events?
If so, register with the Offaly heritage office.
President Obama and Moneygall
Click here to download the information panel about the Moneygall Obama connection which is in Moneygall (11MB)
3D Modelling and Virtual Gallery of Selected Carved Stone and Buildings in Offaly
See Download 3d scans of Offaly's carved stone and structures..
Edenderry Historical Society - 2011 Lectures & Tours
(All talks will take place at 7.45pm in the Parish Centre)
9th December: ‘The 1798 rebellion and the Battle of Rathangan’ by Mario Corrigan
Slieve Bloom Walks
For a full programme of walks in the Slieve Blooms see www.slievebloom.ie