Mountain Research Group Workshop and Field Trip
The UCD Mountain Research group, one of the Earth Institute Strategic Priority projects, recently held a workshop entitled: “A Future for Ireland’s Mountains” at UCD with an accompanying field excursion to the Dublin Mountains (14 & 15 October).
Attendees at the workshop represented groups which form a cross-section of parties interested in mountains and upland landscapes ranging from academic interests (UCD Archaeology, Geography, and Earth Sciences), to government entities (Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage), to heritage groups (Abartha Heritage), to recreation groups (Mountaineering Ireland and Mountain Meitheal Ireland), and other organizations interested in upland landscapes (the Wicklow Uplands Council, Coillte, and the Dublin Mountains Partnership). The discussion-based workshop used their range of background and expertise to explore challenges facing Ireland’s upland areas, focusing on existing knowledge gaps that can be addressed through interdisciplinary research. In addition to the one-day forum, a field excursion to the Dublin Mountains offered the opportunity to view an upland landscape with an interdisciplinary perspective. This time spent physically present in a mountain landscape afforded the opportunity for more informal discussions regarding pressing issues in the management, use and preservation of mountain landscapes.
