Enthusiasts of geology, history and architecture are invited to participate in a two-hour Urban Geology Walk this Sunday, part of Trinity College's contribution to Science Week.
The walk will focus on the 50 different rock types used in the roads and buildings on Nassau, South Frederick and Kildare streets. The walk offers a "tactile experience", according to its organiser, Dr Patrick Wyse Jackson, author of Building Stones of Dublin. "It's not simply a lecture on the streets. It's an opportunity to feel and observe rocks very closely."
He has led walks through Dublin since the early 1990s. "We are all familiar with what Dublin is like," he says. "The people are one thing and give a friendly atmosphere, but the use of stone really imparts a mellowness in the city."
There is quite a bit of interest in the walks, so much so that Dr Wyse Jackson leads them on Sundays to keep the numbers down. One Saturday walk had 45 participants in O'Connell Street, a mistake Dr Wyse Jackson does not want to repeat. The Urban Geology Walk starts at 2 p.m. tomorrow and meets at TCD's Nassau Street entrance.