‘Wild Loop Head Nature Weekend 2022’
18th and 19th June 2022
Loop Head Together in conjunction with ‘Wild Loop Head’ and many local groups, individuals and businesses are pleased to present the ‘Wild Loop Head Nature Weekend 2022 - on the 18th and 19th of June - a two day itinerary of events, talks, presentations and nature walks, taking place across the peninsula!
Mark the dates in your diary and start registering for events as soon as you can. It’s going to be a fabulously interesting weekend!
Full Details below:
Saturday 18th June
10am: Join a walk & talk to the Loop Head bird colonies with Cormac McGinley of Cormac’s Coast and meet fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and choughs. Price: € 25.00 To register email: cormacscoast@gmail.com
2pm: Talk by Mary Kate Bolger of Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt: “The Shannon Dolphins” at Halla Eoin Kilbaha. This is a free event.
TBC: Discover the colourful underwater world of the Pollock Holes with Kilkee SubAqua Club. This is a free event but donations to the Kilkee SubAqua Club are welcome. To register email: phillipwalker444@gmail.com
4-6pm: Discover Loop Head’s hedgerows and their plants and animals on a pony trek with Carmen’s Riding School. Price: € 25.00 (children) & € 40.00 (adults) To register call or text: 086-226 4447
4pm: Nature Art at Sonas Studios: Come and enjoy learning how to print with transfer dyes and local grasses. Price: €15.00 To register email: info@kimthittichai.com
Sunday 19th June
10am: Whale Watching on Loop Head with the IWDG and Purecamping’s Trea Heapes. Be at the Loop Head parking area at 10am or go straight to the tip of the headland. This is a free event but please consider joining the IWDG.
1pm: Talk by entomologist Nick Larter: “Insects of Loop Head’s Sod Hedges” at Halla Eoin Kilbaha. This is a free event.
3pm: Talk by Laura J. Foley of Wild Atlantic Hemp: “The Hemp4Soil Project” at Halla Eoin Kilbaha. This is a free event.
4pm: Nature Art at Sonas Studios. Come and enjoy learning how to print with transfer dyes and local grasses. Price: €15.00 To register email: info@kimthittichai.com
TBC: Boat Trip on the Shannon Estuary with Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt to see the Shannon Dolphins and other wildlife. Price: €35 (adults) & €20 (children) To register email: info@dolphinwatch.ie
6pm: Biodiversity Blitz at the Purecamping Woodlands. Explore and discover the plants and animals of a young ash woodland and adjoining wildflower meadows. This is a free event. To register email: info@purecamping.ie
Wild Loop Head Nature Weekend 2022 - 18th & 19th June - Contributers:
Cormac’s Coast - www.cormacscoast.com
McGinley has degrees in zoology and marine biology and is an expert on all coastal wildlife. He runs Cormac’s Coast and is available for tours and talks around the Cliffs of Moher all year round.
Carmen’s Riding School - www.carmensridingschool.ie
Carmen’s Riding School was established in 2011 by Carmen Maguire who has been working with horses since her early teens and is also a trained social worker specialized in children and teenagers with special needs and behavioural difficulties.
Kilkee Sub Aqua Club www.kilkeesubaquaclub.com
Kilkee Sub Aqua Club was founded in 1982 to promote scuba diving and snorkelling in West Clare and operates on a voluntary non-profit-making basis. The club has over 30 members and is a member club of CFT - Comhairle Fó Thuinn (The Irish Underwater Council) - the regulatory body for sports diving in Ireland.
Sonas Studios - www.kimthittichai.com
Kim Thittichai is an artist and tutor based in the north-western corner of the peninsula overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Her work is heavily influenced by the local wildlife and scenery.
Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt - www.dolphinwatch.ie
Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt was founded by Geoff and Susanne Magee in 1992 and taken over by Mary Kate Bolger in 2022. Mary Kate has degrees in zoology and biology, has studied Bottlenose Dolphins in Spain and Australia and has been working as a Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt crew member since 2016.
Nick Larter
Nick is an university-trained entomologist based in Ennis, Co. Clare. He has been studying the insect fauna associated with Loop Head’s sod hedges since 2015 and his lecture will reflect on the importance of this habitat and summarise some of his most exciting findings to date.
Laura J. Foley - www.wildatlantichemp.com
Laura is a hemp farmer and has been running Wild Atlantic Hemp together with her husband Daniel since 2018. The Hemp4Soil project, which explores the impact of hemp and biochar on soil health, was launched in 2021 and will enter its practical phase in 2022. www.wildatlantichemp.com
Purecamping - www.purecamping.ie
Purecamping is run by Trea and Kevin Heapes and in addition to offering accommodation and yoga retreats it is also home to a small-scale rewilding project which features a young woodland and wildflower meadows.
IWDG - www.iwdg.ieThe Irish Whale and Dolphin Group is one of Ireland’s major conservation organisations with a focus on maritime habitats. In addition to public whale watching events the IWDG also offers lectures and courses.
General Information
Talks at Halla Eoin (Eircode: V15 W273) There is no pre-booking necessary to attend the talks but please be at the hall at least 5 minutes before the talk begins. Halla Eoin is located between Kilbaha village and the Bridges of Ross next to the Church of the Little Ark.
Outdoor Events
Meeting time and place and other relevant information for all outdoor events will be given to you upon booking.
The small print: The organiser of the weekend, Loop Head Together, takes no responsibility for any loss, damage or injury. Partaking in any of the events is at your own risk.
If you have any questions please contact carstenkrieger@hotmail.com
