Joint QRA/IQUA Field Meeting, Co. Louth.

A joint IQUA/QRA field meeting to Co. Louth will take place on 5-7 April. Louth is Ireland’s smallest county, but has a rich and varied natural and cultural heritage and played a central role in the Ulster Cycle of tales from early Irish literature. The field meeting will take us back as far as the formation of the island, and will illustrate various geological, glacial and coastal landforms, Ireland’s most easterly raised bog, and a selection of prehistoric and historic sites.

The meeting will officially kick off with Introductory talks and a social event  at 7 pm at the Imperial Hotel’s Copper Room, Dundalk. Transport to sites will be arranged for Saturday and Sunday, departing from central Dundalk, heading southwards along the coast and the southern part of the county on Saturday and out along the Cooley Peninsula on Sunday. We expect to complete the trip by returning to Dundalk by mid-afternoon (3.30 pm) on the Sunday. The itinerary at times includes walking along rough terrain or for lengthy stretches, and is therefore moderately strenuous. April being what it is, participants should be prepared for all weather. A preliminary schedule is attached.

Registration for full IQUA or QRA members is €60 (€30 student/unwaged). For non-members, registration will be €85 (€45 student/unwaged). *To register your interest in participating in the field meeting, please complete this form by 15 March.* For anyone arriving in Dundalk on Friday afternoon, there is an optional Walking Tour (80–90 minutes) of Dundalk starting at 3 pm (extra €5 per person).

Food and accommodation are not covered by the registration fee. There is an option to book lunch at the Monasterboice Inn (€14.50) on the Saturday, or to bring along a packed lunch (no nearby shops). On Sunday, there are a range of eateries in Carlingford. The Imperial and Gateway hotels offered marginally cheaper rates than available online, but are nevertheless pricey (Imperial: €386 for one person for two nights; €155BB SGL per room per night, and €165BB DBL/TWN per room per night – phone to request these rates, stating IQUA group rate). We can arrange morning pick-ups for anyone staying at the Gateway or Fairways hotels, south of the town.

For further details, please contact Gill Plunkett (g.plunkett@qub.ac.uk).