Blue Thunder By Donnie Phair
Conference Schedule
Wednesday 2nd October 2024 – Pre-Conference Céili
20:00 – Pre Event @ Pats Bar, Townhall Street, Enniskillen.
Pre-Conference Céili. Gary Curley & Stephen McKee music.
No booking required. FREE EVENT.
Thursday 3rd October 2024 – DAY 1 – Active Collaboration for Stillwaters. Book Now
09:00 – Lough Erne Resort (FREE EVENT)
Transport available from central Enniskillen to venue.
Selected online sessions 
available. Book Online Ticket for Day 1
09:00 – click here for Day 1 Programme
09:00 – Registration and pre-conference networking
10:00 – Welcome from Dan Hoare (Chair of UK & Ireland Lakes Network) and Richard Watson, Independent Chairman (Lough Erne Landscape Partnership). Available online
10:10 – Formal Opening (introduced by Joanne Sherwood – Director, RSPB Northern Ireland). Available online
10:20 – The Local Significance of Lough Erne. Available online
11:00 – Comfort break
11:15 – Exploring good practice showcasing UK & Ireland case studies – 10 minute presentations focused on our growing understanding of stillwaters systems dynamics and responses, followed by a Q&A session with the presenters. Available online.
- Lough Erne Landscape Partnership; our community engagement approach, Elmarie Swanepoel (Lough Erne Landscape Partnership)
- Lake Restoration: A tale of the unexpected. Linda May (UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology)
- Sharing experience of involving communities in stillwater initiatives from North Wales, Laura Owen Sanderson (North Wales Rivers Trust)
- Making partnerships work for water – Jenny Wheeldon and Gina Crane (Esmée Fairbairn Foundation)
The presentations will feature some of the following themes:
- Resilient nature
- Exemplar landscape scale initiatives
- Dealing with water quality pressures
- Engaging with communities
12:15 – Lunch and networking
13:10 – Welcome to the afternoon session (Dan Hoare, UKILN)
13:15 – Young people’s perspectives on still waters and engaging with young people. Available online.
- Dakota Reid (RSPB NI), Rhys Irvine (RSPB Youth Panel) & Emily Chittenden (Broads Authority)
14:00 – Structured networking sessions to support the development of new connections, create a community of practice, spark collaboration & create space for future visioning for still waters
15:15 – Comfort break
15:30 – A Meeting of Minds – opportunities for collaboration around still waters
16:15 – Summary of Day 1, and ambition for Day 2, Dan Hoare, UKILN
16:30 – Informal networking & session close
Thursday 3rd October – Evening Social @ Tully Mill Restaurant, Florencecourt. Booking required. £30 per person
Transport available from Lough Erne Resort & central Enniskillen.
19.30 – A Meeting of Minds social event at Tully Mill Restaurant, includes reception drink, BBQ style two course meal, traditional music, a heritage talk and a Mummers performance.
Friday 4th October 2024 – 06:30 – Early morning open water dip at Trory Jetty, Lough Erne – £5 per person. Book Now
Join us for a early morning open water dip in Lough Erne at Trory Jetty just outside of Enniskillen (overlooking the majestic Devenish Island at sunrise). Activity will include an introduction to the benefits of cold water therapy, controlled breathing techniques and a short dip in Lough Erne. To warm up afterwards you can enjoy a complementary hot drink and a breakfast roll. Activity is open to beginners, and you do not need to be a confident swimmer.
Booking is essential and places are limited. Free transport available from the Lough Erne Resort, as well as Enniskillen Town (several collection points).
Friday 4th October – Option 1 – Resilient Nature and Exemplar Landscape Management, Manor House Country Hotel Book Now
Transport available from Lough Erne Resort & central Enniskillen to Manor House Country Hotel
09:00 – Click here for Day 2 – Option 1 Programme
09:00 – Registration & welcome
09.30 – RSPB NI hosting a conversation on species conservation & land management. Includes presentations and facilitated discussions.
- Seán Woods (RSPB NI) – Landscape scale recovery for wetland species and habitat, working with the farming community
- Nancy Reed (RSPB NI) – Delivering conservation across a network of Islands at Lough Erne
- Glen Cooper (Natural England) – Lake shoreline restoration techniques
- Peter McEvoy (Ulster Wildlife) – The Farmer Group Model for delivering landscape/catchment scale results
11:30 – Early lunch and networking at Manor House Country Hotel
12:30 – Afternoon site visits around the Lough Erne area by bus and boat
17:00 – Return to Manor House Country Hotel & opportunity for informal networking
(event close)
Friday 4th October – Option 2 – Engaging Communities with Stillwaters and Dealing with Water Quality Pressures, Fermanagh House, Enniskillen Book Now
Selected online sessions available. Book Online Ticket for Day 2 – Option 2
09:00 – Click here for Day 2 – Option 2 Programme
09:00 – Registration & welcome
09:40 – Welcome to the day
09:45 – Bringing the Waterways Ireland archives to life Available online
- Sharon Lavin (Waterways Ireland)
10:00 – Engaging communities as we develop solutions for nutrient overload and algal blooms Available online
A conversation led by Joanna Braniff (Chair of Northern Ireland Freshwater Task Force) with
- Linda May (UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology)
- John Barry (Queen’s University, Belfast)
- Mark Horton (Ballinderry Rivers Trust & The Rivers Trust)
10:45 – How can citizen science help us better understand Lough Erne (or your stillwater) and its protection? Available online
- Riverfly Monitoring Initiative – Lisa Kirkwood (Riverfly Partnership)
- Invasive mussel monitoring – Chris Hilcox (Friends of Little Woods)
- Lake Buddies -Vicky Veerkamp (LAWPRO)
- WaterBlitz – Laura Ballantyne (Freshwater Watch)
- Lakefly monitoring – Melanie Fletcher (Natural England)
- Freshwater citizen science overview – Ken Whelan (independent fisheries scientist)
11:30 – Comfort break
11:45 – Visioning session – creative workshop on collaboration and engaging communities around stillwaters
12:30 – Close morning session
12.40 – Lunch and networking
13:30 – Walk to Round O Jetty – departure point for boat trip (or alternate bad weather option)
14:00 – Boat trip on Lough Erne to Devenish Island
16:00 – Return to Round O Jetty & opportunity for informal networking at Blakes of the Hollow
(event close)
Thursday 17th October 2024 – 13:00 – 14:00 – Online Session – A Meeting of Minds: building on event outcomes Book Now
Conference Information
A Meeting of Minds – a two-day event hosted by the Lough Erne Landscape Partnership and the UK & Ireland Lakes Network
This collaborative event in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on 3-4 October 2024 will bring together the local community, stakeholders with an interest in stillwaters, and freshwater practitioners around the themes of:
· Engaging Communities with Still Waters
· Dealing with Water Quality Pressures
· Resilient Nature and Adapting to Climate Change
· Exemplar Landscape Scale Management
Through generous support from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and support from Lough Erne Landscape Partnership and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, all in-person and online attendance to the daytime event options is free. Booking is essential and numbers are limited, so please see booking information below.
A Meeting of Minds – event programme
This event will bring together and empower people and communities who benefit from the large loughs in Northern Ireland, along with specialists in stillwaters from across the UK and Ireland. The goal is to stimulate discussion and increase the community’s awareness, ability, and future resilience in maintaining healthy freshwater environments. It’s also a chance for people across the UK and Ireland to learn from what has been done around Lough Erne and Lough Neagh.
Why attend?
· Engage with key stakeholders and experts in the field.
· Contribute to the conservation and enhancement of our still waters and beautiful landscapes.
· Network with like-minded professionals dedicated to environmental sustainability.
Lakes are under pressure and will be increasingly so as the climate changes. Lakes are also receiving increasing public and media attention to galvanise action. This event is an opportunity to bring people together in a collaborative forum to connect and share best practices to build capability and form relationships which can provide on-going peer support.
Booking and venues
A Meeting of Minds has options for in-person and some online attendance. All booking options are available here.
Day 1 will be held at the Lough Erne Resort Lough Erne Resort. Majestically tucked away on a 600-acre peninsula overlooking Lough Erne, we are delighted to make this special start to A Meeting of Minds. Presentations on Day 1 will be available for online participation and raising questions. On the evening of Day 1, Thursday 3 October, we are inviting attendees to join us at Tully Mill Restaurant Tully Mill near Florence Court, for an evening of food, drink and a welcome to Fermanagh from local performers.
Day 2 has two options to choose from with active participation and insights from those involved in stillwaters.
Option 1 – Resilient Nature and Exemplar Landscape Management session will be hosted at the Manor House Country Hotel Manor House Country Hotel followed by site visits and boat trip.
Option 2 – Engaging Communities with Stillwaters and Dealing with Water Quality Pressures session will be held in Fermanagh House, Enniskillen, followed by a boat trip to Devenish Island.
Bursary for attendance
To make attendance as inclusive as possible, we are delighted to be able to provide a small bursary to support attendance and participation (for example to contribute to travel and accommodation). Applications are particularly welcomed from those who may otherwise find it a challenge to attend in person. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Decisions will be made weekly and will be limited by the budget available. A simple online application form is here. If you are unable to complete the online form, then please call 077100 24546 or email elmarie.swanepoel@rspb.org.uk.
Accommodation
Accommodation is available in the local area for the duration of A Meeting of Minds. For special rates please visit Festival Offers Sept / Oct 2024 (fermanaghlakelands.com).
Lough Erne Heritage Festival
Lough Erne Heritage Festival is a celebration of the rich cultural, natural, and built heritage of Fermanagh, which runs from 28 September to 5 October. A Meeting of Minds, with its focus on stillwaters, is being held alongside this week of exciting events, workshops, and performances that highlight the vibrant history and beautiful landscapes of the Lough Erne region.
For more details see Lough Erne Heritage Festival – – Fermanagh Lakelands.