On Thursday, Green Schools Committee members along with TY History and Sustainability students and their teachers, Ms O’Brien and Ms. Burke, visited Skibbereen Heritage Centre and Lough Hyne.
TY students organised the trip as they were keen to learn why Lough Hyne was Europe’s first designated marine reserve and why it is the most studied body of water of its size in the world! Recent media coverage has brought our attention to Lough Hyne as a rich but also fragile ecosystem which needs to be protected. Skibbereen Heritage Centre has a fascinating Lough Hyne section as well as an extensive Famine Exhibition.
Ms. Terri Kearney warmly welcomed us at the Heritage Centre and gave us an incredibly interesting and engaging tour. Students learned about the researchers and the various habitats in Lough Hyne such as the Rapids, Whirlpool Cliff, the Western Trough and Barloge Creek. Ms Kearney brought history alive when describing the causes and devastating effects of the famine in our local area. It was interesting to note the crucial role that policy played in food distribution and how this is still very relevant in the world today.
From the Heritage Centre we travelled to Lough Hyne to enjoy its beauty for ourselves, and we picnicked and hiked to Barloge Creek. We also met Mr. Rory Jackson who runs the Oceans Plastic Project and facilitates the Cycle Sense bike upcycling project. Students are keen to participate in both of these initiatives in the future.
