Interested in spending your summer focused on the natural world? If so, consider one of the following field courses, organised by Birdwatch Ireland on Cape Clear Island, Co Cork: a nature photography course run by wildlife photographer Eddie Dunne, June 11th-15th; a field ecology course run by botanist Simon Berrow and ecologist Geoff Oliver, July 2nd-6th; a seabirds and migration course run by countryside bird survey coordinator Dick Coombes, August 13th-17th; a beginningbirdwatching course run by wildlife artist Dave Daly, August 27th-31st; and a birdringing course run by John Murphy, September 17th-21st. Each course costs £125, excluding accommodation. Contact Faith Wilson or Declan Murphy at Birdwatch Ireland for more details. Tel: 012804322, e-mail: bird@indigo.ie
Forging the City, an exhibition of ironwork in Dublin, continues at Dublin Civic Trust exhibition centre at 4 Castle Street, Dublin 2. It plots the development of iron working in Ireland and includes examples of wrought and cast iron from the 17th to the 20th century. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. 5 p.m. Admission free.
A flotilla of boats will move up the Grand Canal into Dublin to rest in Ringsend Basin over the next few days to mark the World Canals Conference. More than 200 delegates from the US, Canada, Britain and Ireland are expected to attend the event, which takes place in Dublin and Belfast from Wednesday to Friday. This year's theme is Living Heritage; delegates will explore restoration work and modern reconstruction work on inland waterways around the world, including the automation of the Shannon-Erne Waterway and restoration works on the Royal Canal and River Lagan.
I have A Museum is an exciting project in which five Dublin schools "adopted" a museum, got to know it and developed their own heritage-based projects from the encounter. Instigated by Dublin Civic Trust, the participating museums were the National Museum of Ireland, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Hugh Lane gallery, the Chester Beatty Library and Dublinia. The results are on show at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin, until May 16th.
Forest Friends Ireland (Cairde na Coille) is a Dublin-based group that promotes the conservation and restoration of forests at a local and global level. Working mainly with urban disadvantaged communities and groups, it aims to develop projects such as tree nurseries, woodlands and forests using mainly broadleaf and native coniferous species. Forest Friends Ireland hopes to set up regional bases and work with local authorities later this year. It is recruiting new members, so if you are interested in finding out more, contact John Haughton on 01-8325415 or Stephen Coyne on 01-4550374.
