Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway
AC-5: Immersive Experience

This new and exciting summer school course offers students practical experience of the natural environment in the West of Ireland. It provides students with survey skills to identify natural resources, and develops their skills to evaluate the sustainable use and conservation of Ireland’s ecological resources.

County Galway, on Ireland’s Atlantic West Coast is a land of contrasts. Influenced by its oceanic climate, glacial history, hydrology, geology and human habitation, it has developed a variety of beautiful landscapes with unique and fascinating habitats and species. From the fertile rocks of the Burren karst limestone, to the raised bogs of the midlands, the sheer cliffs of the Aran Islands to the salt marshes of Galway Bay, there is a wealth of natural history to explore.

This course is largely field-based, and students visit a variety of landscapes to learn about the environment, habitats and species of the region. The course adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to studying ecology so the learners engage with all aspects of how these ecosystems are created and maintained through natural processes and anthropogenic activity. It covers conservation and sustainability issues and how a sound understanding of these ecological processes is used to combat the challenges facing the environment.

The summer school consists of two modules, each two weeks in duration, which focus on a selection of habitat types in the east and west of the county. The modules may be taken individually as a two week course or together as a comprehensive four week course.