Cove to Cove along the Stradbally coast May 13th

The May outing of  the  Waterford Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust takes place on Sunday May 13th at Stradbally,  Co Waterford.  The topics will include the ecology of the coves and the flora of roadside verges.  The walk begins at 2.30 and will take about 2.5 hours  and is suitable for all ages.  Dogs may be taken on the lead.   All welcome.  Directions:  From Waterford follow the main Cork Road past the Kilmacthomas exit.  The signposted exit for Stradbally is about 2 miles past the Kilmacthomas exit.  Go through the village to Stradbally Cove where there is good parking.

Seaweed workshop April 14th

On Saturday, April 14th, 2 local IWT members will lead a seaweed workshop at Clonea Strand Hotel near Dungarvan as part of the Waterford Festival of Food. Hilary and Marie, along with Grace, will do a 2 hour talk / demo / tasting session and beach walk on how to identify edible seaweeds and how to cook with them to make tasty and wholesome dishes and snacks. Booking is necessary for this event with the organisers ...click here   

Dunmore cliff walk April 15th

The Dunmore – Rathmoylan cliff walk is coming into its spring glory with the aroma of gorse and the brilliance of sea thrift and sea campion all around. The Irish Wildlife Trust Waterford invites  members and the general public to come along for its April outing on Sunday April 15.   This is a 2.5 hour walk  and apart from the descent and rise from Portally Cove and the rise from Rathmoylan Cove, the route is easy along prepared track or field edge.  Start time is 2.30 pm and meeting point is the Lifeboat House, Dunmore East.   A bus will do the return leg.  We visit the Kittiwake colony at the start of the walk and learn something of this interesting sea bird. The outing is family friendly but dogs must be kept on the lead.  Walk leader is Ray McGrath.

pix from Kilsheelan walk

Discover the secret lives of Jellyfish

‘Waterford Open Water’ presents A talk on the natural history of jellyfish


Date: Wednesday 14th March 2012

Time: 8 – 9 pm (45 min talk followed by open discussion)

Venue: Ramada Hotel, Waterford

Speaker: Dr Tom Doyle

This talk will provide a general introduction to jellyfish and their importance in coastal seas. The talk will discuss the different types of jellyfish in Irish waters (e.g. Moon, Portuguese Man-O-War), their life cycle (where do jellyfish go during the winter?), treatment/prevention of jellyfish stings (the pros and cons), their impacts on society (e.g. both positive and negative), and whether jellyfish are increasing with climate change or overfishing.

Dr Doyle is Ireland’s leading jellyfish expert. He has addressed the European Parliament on the rise of jellyfish, published his findings in international journals, and regularly speaks on national radio shows including Mooney Goes Wild, Morning Ireland, and Moncrieff. Tom is currently working on the EcoJel Project which is funded by the European Union Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Ireland Wales Programme 2007-2013 – INTERREG 4A. EcoJel is a collaboration between Swansea University (Wales) and University College Cork (Ireland). EcoJel aims to assess the opportunities and detrimental impacts of jellyfish in the Irish Sea.

All are welcome. The talk is free but please contact Colm Breathnach on info@waterfordopenwater.com so we can get an idea of numbers. Tea and coffee will be served.

March walk

The March walk of the Irish Wildlife Trust takes place next Sunday March 11th starting at 2.30 pm.  The Gurteens LePoer  estate   in Kilsheelan  is our destination.  The walk will take in river, farm, pond and woodland habitats and promises to be an absorbing  walk on one of the oldest and most interesting estate lands.   The walk will take about 2.5 hours. This is a family friendly outing on mostly flat terrain  but dogs should be kept on the lead at all times.  Meeting point is Kilsheelan, Co Tipperary at the car park on the left hand side of the road just past the motte and shrine.  Kilsheelan is about 45 minutes from Waterford on the Clonmel road.  

IWT National Newt Survey

Register now and take part in training days near you!            

The Irish Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce that our smooth newt survey will be running again in 2012 and we are calling on people to once again get out and search their local pond for newts! The smooth newt is one of our few native amphibian species and this survey aims to increase our knowledge of the distribution of the species, but also make Irish people more familiar with this little ‘water dragon’.

This year we will be focussing our efforts in counties where we currently have few or no records, including counties Carlow, Clare, Donegal, Kildare, Laois, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Tipperary, Wicklow and Wexford.  Training days will be taking place in counties Clare, Donegal, Laois, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Kildare and Wexford . If you would like to attend a training day, you must register with us. Members of the Irish Wildlife Trust can attend the workshop for free and non-members must pay a small attendance fee (€20) to participate. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. 

To register as a surveyor or for more information contact Dr Daniel Buckley at newts@iwt.ie or on 0863691982 or check out our website www.iwt.ie

This project is funded by Dublin zoo and Fota Wildlife Park.

Training day information...our nearest one

Wexford:    3^rd  March, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve