Category: trips

This year we enjoyed a beautiful few days in Southwest Donegal. Yet another very well attended IQUA fieldtrip with 35 attendees making the trek northwest.

A packed agenda meant that a few sites had to be dropped but we still managed to see the Derryness submerged forest, Inishkeel, Cloghanmore Court Tomb, a Station and Souterraine at Turas Colmcille, and the spectacular Sheskinmore Nature Reserve.

The IQUA committee wish to thank all the speakers.

Thanks in particular to Malcolm and Ellen for organising such a memorable weekend.

***Please note that there will be a delay in releasing the finalised Southwest Donegal Fieldguide while we add in few additional papers***

Glacial Landforms Working Group NI Field Meeting: The Quaternary Glaciation of the Mournes, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. 27th – 30th October 2016

Preliminary Programme
The glacial geology of Northern Ireland, like much of the UK, is characterised by a contrast between complete ice sheet coverage during the last glacial maximum and local upland ice cap glaciations typical of average glacial conditions during the Quaternary. Recent studies by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University have contributed to understandings of the style and timing of the Late-glacial re-advance in Co. Down, as well as the nature and extent of upland glaciations in the Mountains of Mourne. The coastal location of the Mournes has resulted in a complex interplay between local icefield glaciers, the Irish Sea Ice stream and regional scale ice cap outlet glaciers.
This fieldtrip will introduce the range large scale glacial landforms that reflect processes operating beneath the Irish Ice Sheet at Last Glacial Maximum (glacial breaches, Rogen moraines, drumlins, glacial lineations and subglacial meltwater channels). Field visits will provide insights into the style and rate of ice retreat in the Irish Sea. We will be looking for evidence of small ice-cap style glaciation of the Mountains of Mourne during field visits to the Annalong valley.
Two and a half field days are planned, preceded by introductory talks on Thursday evening in Newcastle, Co. Down.

Day 0 (Thursday evening) Registration and introductory talk, Newcastle, Co. Down.
Sam Roberson, Mark Cooper, Iestyn Barr, Paul Dunlop and Jon Merritt.
Day 1 (Friday) Mountains of Mourne – Bloody Bridge, Annalong valley moraines, Blue Lough, Slieve Binnian tors.
Leaders: Sam Roberson, Peter Wilson
Day 2 (Saturday) The Mourne Plain – Cranfield Moraine, Derryoge harbour and Killkeel steps.
Leaders: Jon Merritt, Mark Cooper, Sam Roberson
Day 3 (Sunday morning -until 1.00pm) Drumlins and Rogens – Slieve Croob, Waringsford and Ballynahinch.
Leaders: Paul Dunlop and Jon Merritt.

Contributors

Sam Roberson, Mark Cooper, Jon Merritt (British Geological Survey); Iestyn Barr (Queen’s University Belfast), Paul Dunlop, Peter Wilson, Michael Dempster (Ulster University), Jasper Knight (University of Witwatersrand).

Registration
Maximum number of participants: 50
Registration is free. Other costs will involve accommodation (see below) and a field guide (estimated at £15).
Please register by emailing the registration form to sam.roberson@bgs.ac.uk. Please indicate if you want a place in the pre-booked hostel accommodation (see below).
You will then be contacted via e-mail with a confirmation of your place and payment information.
Accommodation
We have booked the Hutt Hostel in Newcastle, Co. Down, (http://www.hutthostel.com/) which can accommodate up to 40 people. The cost will be £55 p.p. for three nights. Towels are available for a fee £2.50. There are probably not enough for everybody so you are encouraged to bring your own.
For those wishing to book their own accommodation, Newcastle is a thriving seaside resort and there are a range of reasonable value B&Bs in the town.

Further Information

Sam Roberson (sam.roberson@bgs.ac.uk) or Iestyn Barr (i.barr@qub.ac.uk)

IQUA’s 2013 North Mayo Field Meeting took place from September 20-22. We last visited this fascinating area in 1991, but since then several field seasons of detailed excavations, surveys and environmental work have greatly deepened our understanding of this beautiful stretch of coastline, in particular regarding the Mesolithic and Neolithic inhabitants of the area and the environmental context of their settlements.

IQUA was fortunate to have leaders with the expertise of Graeme Warren, Steve Davis, Seamus Caulfield, Steve McCarron and Mike Philcox for the weekend. The field guide that was prepared for this meeting is available for purchase in print and pdf format on the IQUA field guide’s webpage.

North Mayo Field Meeting 2013 poster

Programme:

Fri 20th Sept

19.30–20.30: ‘A Landscape Fossilised’: Archaeology and Palaeoenvironmental Research in North Mayo. A short presentation by Seamas Caulfield and Graeme Warren setting the context for the weekend fieldtrip. Wine and nibbles to follow.

Location: Belderrig Research and Study Centre, www.belderrig.ie/Research.htm

After the talk, we retreated to the Belderrig Bay Hotel, otherwise known as ’The Pub’.

Sat 21st Sept

09.00–13.00: Meet at Belderrig Research and Study Centre at 9am. The intention is for most cars to park at the Centre, as space at the Harbour is restricted. Anyone arriving post-9.30 please rendezvous at Belderrig Harbour.

Walking tour of Belderrig, included:

* Belderrig Harbour glacial sections (incl. ‘shelly drift’ (McCabe, 1986) and extensive sections east of Harbour)
* Mesolithic-Neolithic archaeological site at Belderg More (Warren 2009)
* Neolithic-Bronze Age prehistoric ‘farm’ at Belderg Beg (Caulfield 1978, 1983) and associated fossil pine forests (Caulfield et al 1998)
* Palaeoenvironmental sampling locations (Verrill & Tipping 2010 a & b)

13.00–14.00: Lunch (soup & sandwiches) at Belderrig Research and Study Centre & short talk to introduce glacial history of area.

14.00-18.00: Tours of glacial sections in valleys east of Belderrig, as far east as Ballycastle, time permitting (incl. Glenulra Valley; McCabe et al., 2007). Car sharing from Belderrig ideally. First Stop: Conaghra valley (GR 54.31, -9.50).

Sun 22nd Sept

On Sunday the Trip proceeded eastwards and did not return through Belderrig.

10.00–12.30: Céide Fields: Walking tour of Céide Fields including Behy court tomb and the visitor centre (Caulfield 1978, 1983, Caulfield et al 1998, Molloy & O’Connell 1995, O’Connell & Molloy 2001; see also Caseldine et al 2005).

12.30–13.30: Lunch at Céide Fields café.

13.30 onwards: Visit to glaciotectonics sections around Killala Bay; incl. Kilcummin Head (west side of Bay, 15km east of Ballycastle) and (optionally) Carrownedin, Enniscrone (east side of Bay; GR 54.23, -9.09).

IQUA is delighted to announce this year’s IQUA Field Meeting in Roscommon and South Sligo on September 7-9th. The Meeting will introduce the outstanding karstic landscape features of Roscommon and its rich glacial geology. It will examine turlough life and the enigmatic pitfields. It will also cover the Famine in Roscommon and explore the complex monuments near Tulsk and Rathcroghan. There will even be a chance to slip into the otherworld through Oweynagat’s Cave. On Sunday, a visit will be paid to the Bricklieve Mountains of south Sligo to explore their geology and follow the exciting new work on the least known of the Irish megalithic complexes. We will find out about what was so important about the Neolithic farming economy from new high resolution pollen work in this region.

The Meeting Fee is €20/30 for IQUA members/non-members and €10/15 for student and unwaged members/non-members. For those who cannot join the Meeting from the start on the evening of Friday 7th, it is possible to join up with the Meeting on subsequent days at any of the pre-arranged meeting locations as detailed fully on the Roscommon Field Meeting 2012 poster. The fee can also be paid at point at which you join the Meeting.

Further details, if needed, are available from the IQUA Secretary, Dr. Bettina Stefanini by email or by mobile on 087 218 0048.

Please note that the Seminar to open the Field Meeting on the evening of Friday 7th in Tully’s Hotel, Castlerea, is open to the public. It features two talks, the first by Mary Kelly on “Why the Famine Affected Castlerea Differently to Other Places in Co. Roscommon”, and the second by Kevin Barton on “Geophysical Explorations of the Rathcroghan Mound and their Intriguing Possibilities”.

Please arrange your own accommodation, see below for a list of possibilities. Transport: There is a train to Castlerea but transport to each site will be by private car throughout the trip.

Accommodation in Castlerea:
*Tully’s Hotel, small hotel in the centre of Castlerea: phone 094 962 0200
*Fallon’s B&B, phone: 094 962 1183
*Armcashel B&B, www.armcashel.com phone: 094 962 0117
*Ronanae’s B&B, phone: 094 962 0431
*Clonalis House is a Historic House that does B&B, http://clonalis.com/ phone: 094 962 0014