Category Archives: Conference

UK and Ireland Lakes Network Conference 2019 – Lakes Protecting, Enhancing and Restoring.

The 2019 UK and Ireland Lakes Network 2019 Conference “Lakes – Protecting, Enhancing and Restoring”  is about to commence in Westport, Ireland. The programme is available here:

UKILN Programme 2019

2019 UKILN Conference Poster

The keynote speech will be from Mr. Udo Gattenlöhner, from the Global Nature Fund and sessions cover monitoring and assessment, actions on the ground and research.

It is a great opportunity to network and keep up to date with lake issues and best practice

UKILN Conference 2019 – “Lakes Protecting, Enhancing and Restoring”

Draft 2019 UKILN Conference ProgrammeThis year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Ireland) are hosting the United Kingdom and Ireland Lake Network (UKLIN) Conference on the 16th and 17th of October 2019 in Westport.

This year’s theme is “Lakes – protecting, enhancing, restoring”. The theme encompasses activities from monitoring to actions on the ground to protect, enhance and restore lakes. The thread running through the conference will be the Water Framework Directive (WFD), in a broad sense. The purpose of the conference is to show how everyone plays a role in bringing about good water quality and habitat conditions. It is to illustrate how our activities are linked and form building blocks. It is through working together that achieving good water quality is possible.

The proposed schedule is to have a day of presentations on the 16th of October followed by a fieldtrip to the Marine Institute Facility at Newport on Lough Feeagh and other lakes in the West on the 17th of October.

For more information, see the 2019 UKILN Conference Poster v2

And the full conference programme Draft 2019 UKILN Conference Programme

To register visit

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/lakes-protecting-enhancing-and-restoring-uklin-conference-tickets-6013888703

2018 Conference

UK and Ireland Lakes Network Conference 2018

21st and 22nd May, Seamus Heaney Homeplace, Bellaghy

“CONNECTING PEOPLE AND LAKES: PAST AND PRESENT”

SEE BOOKING LINK BELOW

Conference Day Two – £25.00

Tour Day One – £25.00

 Dinner  Day One – £25.00

The UK and Ireland Lakes Network is an association of people and organisations who have an interest in managing lakes through a whole catchment approach. The body achieves this through the sharing of the experience and expertise.

UKILN brings together all those different organisations, ranging from national regulators to local interest groups and specialist professionals. It covers the whole variety of lake issues from the environment to local community needs, leisure uses and legal requirements through to the more intangible values such as their cultural and spiritual qualities.

2018 Conference

In 2018 the UK and Ireland Lakes Network will be holding its conference in Northern Ireland in the new Seamus Heaney Homeplace Centre. Over the last number of years, the themes of the UK and Ireland conference have been fairly scientific based including, water quality management and environmental protection.  However, this year 2018 the conference will look at other aspects of Lakes that are equally important.  These include themes such as the connections between lakes and health and well-being, the sublime and poetic features of our wet landscapes, the  past and present cultural traditions associated with our lake resources and how and why we just want to connect with water itself.  (See below for booking details)

Venue

The new Seamus Heaney Homeplace centre has just been opened in 2017 in Northern Ireland.  Seamus Heaney was a Nobel laureate and internationally renowned poet whose work often celebrated the Lough Beg landscape in which he was born and brought up.   It would therefore be of relevance and opportune to maybe examine themes he often wrote about such as the connections of  water to the cultural, historic and spiritual aspects of our lives. The main conference day is on the 22 May 2018

Themes

The theme of the conference will  be “ Connecting People and Lakes: Past and Present”

Speakers and potential speaker topics will therefore include:

  • The sublime inspiration of lakes and water.
  • The healing power of water and Lakes.
  • The importance of water and lakes to ancient people. (The archaeology of lakes as food sources, sanctuaries and places of worship and habitation.)
  • The cultural legacy and traditions stemming from lakes.  eg traditional fishing boats, religious traditions, songs and ballads of lakes, heritage buildings left on shores.
  • How and why do people connect to lakes
  • What do we mean by a sustainable lake and what are the health, social and economic benefits ?

Dates and Timeline

Monday 21st May 2018: Tour Day

2pm – 5pm      Tour of Heaney Country –  the starting point of the tour is Seamus Heaney Homeplace 45 Main Street, Bellaghy.  BT45 8HT

You will be taken on a guided tour around Heaney Country by Gerry Darby, you will visit some of the sites referred to in his writing, hear poetry recitals and gain an understanding of his interpretation of the landscape.  Please bring appropriate outdoor wear in case of inclement weather.  Following the tour, the bus will drop you off at your hotel (Ardtara Country House) to check in

8pm                 Conference Dinner at Ardtara Country House

Tuesday 22nd May 2018: Main Conference Day

9.30am            Registration, tea & coffee

10am               Conference opened by Gerry Darby, Chairperson, UKILN

10.30am          Dr Liam Campbell, Built and Cultural Heritage Officer Lough Neagh: The
Cultural Legacy of Ireland’s Loughs.

11.00am          Dr Paul Logue, Senior Archaeologist with Department for Communities,
Historic Environment Division: Lakes Crannogs and Irish Landscapes of Power.

11.30am          tea & coffee break

12noon            Alish Hanna and Niall Hanna. The Musical and Singing Traditions of Lough
Neagh, Past and Present.

12.30pm          Greta Mc Carron, Local Authority Waters and Communities Officer, Republic
of Ireland: How Lakes and Water can improve our Health and Well-being.

1.00pm            Lunch

2.00pm            Dr Trish Murphy, Celebrate Water, Inishowen Donegal: A view from Lough
Foyle. Joining Rivers, People and The Sea.

2.30pm            Scott Ferguson, Seven Lochs Wetland Park, Scotland: Connecting Lakes and
People In an Urban Environment.

3.00pm            tea & coffee break

3.30pm            Conference summary & close by Gerry Darby UKILN Chairperson

4pm                 Transport to Belfast International Airport & Belfast City Airport

Getting there

By Car

The conference venue is Seamus Heaney Homeplace

45 Main Street, Bellaghy.  BT45 8HT

Click here for Google Map

The Conference dinner venue / Hotel is

8 Gorteade Road, Upperlands.  BT46 5SA

Click here for Google Map

 

Accommodation

You are advised to book your accommodation as early as possible, there are only a limited number of rooms available.  The recommended accommodation is Ardtara Country House Hotel  8 Gorteade Road, Upperlands.  BT46 5SA

 

The following delegate rate has been agreed:

B&B single occupancy £99

B&B twin occupancy £139

Please telephone to book 028 7964 4490 – this delegate rate cannot be booked online, you will need to quote UK & Ireland Lakes Network

 

If Ardtara is fully booked, the nearest hotel is Walsh’s Hotel, Maghera https://www.walshshotel.com/  There are no special delegate rates