October 2007 Public Lecture Hosted by Environmental Change Institute

A Public lecture on Rocks, Rails and Ríomhaire: A Geo-Multimedia Tour of the Connemara Landscape on the Galway-Clifden Railway will be given by Ronán Hennessy, a PhD Student in the Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences & Environmental Change Institute at NUI Galway on Tuesday, 2 October at 8 pm.

The seemingly untamed natural landscape of Connemara, and its potential as a tourism attraction, was a major factor in the routing of a railroad through the region in the closing years of nineteenth century. To celebrate the geological and railway heritage of Connemara, Mr. Hennessy has worked closely with the Galway Heritage Forum and with Galway County Council Heritage Officer Marie Mannion, to design a virtual field trip of the Connemara landscape.

Using Google Earth as the virtual tour 'landscape', users can embark on a field trip following the now disused 49 mile long railway line, discovering the region's rich geological and geomorphologic heritage. 'Disembarking' at any of the eight stations along the route, users can investigate the local geology, visit the nearby mines and quarries, explore the famous glaciated Inagh and Maam valleys, and even take off from Alcock and Brown's landing site near Clifden – bound for Newfoundland, which coincidently shares a similar geological history with Connemara.

Dr. Martin Feely, Senior Lecturer, Geofluids Research Group, Dept. of Earth and Ocean Sciences and Environmental Change Institute said, "Ronán s presentation will give a flavour of the revolution that is taking place in science with the transfer of real landscapes to the virtual space of pan, zoom, tilt and play. The lecture will appeal to people of all ages and interests as it combines archaeology, heritage, geology, local history and environmental technology."

The lecture will take place in the Orbsen Building Seminar Room, Environmental Change Institute, NUI Galway. Tea, Coffee & Beverages will be available from 7:30p.m. Attendance is free and all are welcome.