Nature Then & Now: Wild Within Living Memory

Wednesday 19 August | 11.00am
Meet at KinShip EcoLab, Tramore Valley Park

How has nature changed within your lifetime? What creatures do you remember seeing as a child that you no longer come across? Are there plants, insects or wild places that have disappeared or perhaps new species you've noticed in recent years?

Join Irene of Ériu Ecology for a guided workshop walk at KinShip EcoLab in Tramore Valley Park as part of the Nature Then & Now series, supported by Cork City Council and the Heritage Council.

Using birds, animals, insects and plants as our guide, Irene will explore how our biodiversity has changed over the past 50 years. We'll hear the stories of species that have declined, such as the Corncrake and Curlew, alongside those that have recently become part of our landscape, including the Little Egret and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Together, we'll consider how our understanding of what is "normal" in nature shifts over time and why these changes matter.

This walk is about ecology and it's also about memory.

As part of the Nature Then & Now series, we are building an archive of memories of nature in and around Cork City. We want to capture the everyday stories that don't appear in history books: the birdsong you remember waking to, the butterflies that filled a summer garden, the places where you played, explored or first connected with nature.

Whether your memories are from fifty years ago or from last week, they are valuable. By bringing together personal stories and ecological knowledge, we're creating a shared record of how our relationship with nature has changed and what we hope to pass on to future generations.

Everyone is welcome, whether you're a lifelong nature enthusiast or simply curious about the wildlife around you. Come along, enjoy a gentle guided walk, discover the changing story of our local biodiversity, and help us build a living archive of Cork's natural heritage, one memory at a time.

Project funded by the Heritage Council and Cork City Council