Trek • Learn • Enrich
Join local Archaeologist Michael Gibbons for a 3 day exploration of Connemara and its surroundings. Dive into the local history feet-first through guided hikes, famine walks, visits to archaeological sites, and storytelling. Then, return to the Notre Dame Kylemore facility for a home-cooked dinner and fireside chats and music. The weekend includes en-suite accommodation (sharing or individually), all meals prepared by our in-house Chef with locally sourced ingredients (alcohol not included), and all hikes. Come for a weekend of exploration, learning, comradery, and lots of fun.
Please Note: Participants must have appropriate hiking gear for all climates and must acknowledge that the Walking Ease is: Moderate
Dates
23-25 August 2024
Cost
€795, which includes:
- ensuite accommodation
- all meals (prepared by an in-house chef)
- guided hikes
Michael Gibbons
Michael is a member of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland with almost 40 years of experience as an archaeologist and completed a 5 year term on the Archaeology Committee of the Heritage Council. He has worked with the Department of Antiquities in Jerusalem and for the Museum of London City Excavation Programme. In Ireland, he worked on the Donegal Archaeological Survey and Galway Archaeological Survey before being appointed as Co-Director of the National Sites and Monuments Record, Office of Public Works for a period of ten years. This survey covered 16 counties including Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo and Roscommon. He has also directed surveys on Croagh Patrick and other pilgrimage landscapes including the Sceilg Mhichíl World Heritage Site as well as mapping the uplands, inter-tidal areas and islands of the Connacht Coast. He has written and lectured extensively on the management of National Monuments and World Heritage Sites in Ireland and has sought to raise awareness of the role of ICOMOS and UNESCO Guidelines and Charters in Heritage Management. He has served a term with Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann – The Folklore of Ireland Council, to which he was nominated by the Minister for Education. Most recently he carried out survey work on Caher Island, Inishkeas and Inishglora on behalf of Mayo Co Council. He was project archaeologist and promoter during the work to establish a historic trail around the site of the Marconi Station in Clifden (opened in 2016).