The Carton House story:Carton House, in Co Kildare, is one of Ireland's grandest stately homes.
The history of this 18th-century house, its owners, and the politics, patronage, art and architecture and music it nurtured will be the subject of a one-day conference there on August 29th. Organised by the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates at NUI Maynooth, the conference will hear accounts from previous owners the Fitzgeralds. Its present owners, Lee and Mary Mallaghan, will talk about the house since it was purchased in 1977 . Book at 01-7086706 and cshihe@nuim.ie
Talking of trees
Adults and teenagers can brush up on their knowledge of trees at the Tree ID walk at 11am on August 21st in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. The guided two- hour walk (not suitable for buggies), starts from the information office at the Upper Lake in Glendalough and will cover the history, folklore, ecology and uses of various trees. At 2pm, Dr Joanne Denyer, an expert on mosses, will bring walkers on a moss identification walk. Participants should wear suitable footwear for off-track walking. Admission free. Booking for both events begins today at 0404-45425.
Bound for Waterford
The National Biodiversity Data Centre in Waterford will host a meeting of scientists and recorders later this month. The two-day meeting, on August 26th and 27th, aims to get a full picture of Ireland’s biodiversity resources and what knowledge gaps still exist so that future priorities can be set. It will be of interest to anyone involved in surveying and researching the distribution of Ireland’s species and habitats. See biodiversityireland.ie and 051-306240.
ECOWEB
heritageireland.ie
Possibly the best site for visitors when choosing castles, parks and country houses to visit. The calendar allows you to check out what’s happening where on each specific day.
