Autumn Lecture Series - That's a Wrap!

We kicked off our Autumn Lecture Series on the 23rd of September, running for six weeks of inspiring talks every Tuesday evening. They were held at the Falls Hotel Ennistymon, which we agreed to be a fitting location, overlooking the River Inagh and less than 500 meters downstream from where Ballymacraven River joins it.

The idea for the Lecture Series was inspired by wanting to promote the importance of river health within our community and help uncover the fascinating hidden world that our rivers hold. We did this by bringing together local voices, experts, and community members to explore a range of topics. This was made possible with funding by Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO). The discussions varied in topic; from an update on what we (RBRA) have been doing, salmon at different stages of their epic life, invertebrates and how these tiny chaps play big roles in our rivers health, and finally a local and professional perspective on the future of Irish rivers.

Thanks to everyone involved. If you didn't manage to make it down to these events, we are delighted to say that we are in the planning stages of the Spring Lecture Series. Another range of talks, touching on important topics from specialists in the area of waterway restoration, through the lens of ecology, community, industry, art and much more. . .

A break down of the topics covered in the Autumn Lecture Series:

Week one: An Update on the Restore Ballymacraven River Association

Week two: Salmonids of the Inagh and Ballymacraven Rivers given by Bill Keane, the local Inland Fisheries (IFI) officer.

Week three: Bringing Salmon Home - What We Can Do To Help. This was lead by Pat O'Connor from Salmon Watch Ireland

Week four: Reading the River - Using Bioindicators to Understand the Health of Our Rivers. This was held by local ecologist and Restore Ballymacraven River Association (RBRA) volunteer Joáo Martins.

Week five: The Upgrade of the Ballymacraven Water Treatment Plant & the Ballymacraven River. Discussing this was Ruairí Ó Conchúir from LAWPRO.

Week six: The Future of Irish Rivers- A Panel Discussion. A broad range of speakers from a vairied background. Kevin Nunan representing RBRA, Ruairí Ó Conchúir from LAWPRO, Lexi Keating from Surfrider West Coast, local angler Johnny Casey, and Bill Kean from IFI.