Arcadia Ireland

As part of our Spring Semester Co-Curricular events we invited students to join Arcadia staff on a day where we explored our themes of active and local Ireland. Students from the Galway region were joined by those on the Trinity College Dublin programme where they braved the cold of January and visited the unique landscape of the Burren in Co. Clare.

Travelling along the South coast of Galway Bay the first stop of the day was Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara which is right at the edge of the sea and dates from the 16th Century. Students then travelled towards Corcomroe Abbey, a Cistercian monastery dating from the 9th century.

For many the highlight of the day was the stop at Ailwee Caves. The tour consisted of a 30 minute stroll through the beautiful caverns - over bridged chasms, under weird formations and alongside the thunderous waterfall.

From there students had the opportunity to see the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb (4,000 BC). Situated on Karst limestone, in a field east of Ballyvaughan - Corrofin Road the Poulnabrone Dolmen is one of Ireland's more accessible megalithic structures.

The final part of the day was a trip to the very scenic Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most outstanding coastal features of Ireland and are located on the Burren's edge. They are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland. Over 30,000 pairs of seabirds can be found here during the nesting season.

Students are encouraged to continue sending in photos of this event.