West Ireland School Tour Guide 2008

This year's Primary Times School Tour Guide is bigger and better than ever, packed with lots of places to go including farm parks, nature walks, Discover primary Science venues museums activity centres and much, much more. However the school tour can mean a great deal of extra work for the teacher - deciding where to go and and working out the finances - you naturally want to choose somewhere which the children will enjoy and benefit from visiting. Here are some ideas to help you to choose…

Please remember to mention Primary Times when booking or making enquiries. Hope you have the best ever School Tour!

City Limits Oranmore Galway takes all the hassle out of organising a School Tour.

A truly unique venue, and one that gets any group laughing and staff that will do everything to create an unforgettable School Tour. With activities such as Bowling, Laser Quest, Go Karting and Air Park to choose from and a meal in Amazonia Restaurant you can entertain kids for hours for as little as €14 per Child all under the one roof.

To make bookings easy, City Limits offers a variety of group packages to fit your budget and needs by tailoring its offering to suit your needs and budget. Contact 091 388100 and to  discuss making your event as successful as possible.

The exciting scientific worlds of astronomy, botany, engineering, and photography are all in one place at Birr Castle Demesne and Ireland’s Historic Science Centre. The Science Centre is an interactive museum revealing some of Ireland’s proudest achievements, particularly those of Birr Castle’s own Parsons family, the Earls of Rosse. The centre also features the history and building of the Third Earl’s famous ‘Great’ telescope, which remained the largest in the world for over 70 years and can still be viewed in the castle grounds today. The Demesne comprises 120 acres of exotic, award-winning gardens that feature a beautiful lake, rivers and waterfalls.

Brigit’s Garden has another very varied and interesting programme for school children. The centre has a 2 hour programme for Infants and a 3 hour programme for 1st-4th classes. For 4th-6th there is the ‘Brigit’s Garden Challenge’. Brigit’s Garden is now a Discover Primary Science centre and offers special programmes for DPS schools.

All programmes are activity-based using interactive and observational games, sensory awareness, music and drama, arts and crafts. Additional topics such as composting and recycling, gardening skills, rocks and soils, and plant life and growth can be included on request.

This 3 hour Brigit’s Garden Challenge is an interactive learning experience for older children and comprises 4 challenges to complete and a compass and directions to find the way!

A walk through the Burren Centre Exhibition is a must to appreciate the secrets of the Burren.  The  exhibition is  beautifully presented, with atmospheric lighting and sounds, the story of the Burren unfolds before your eyes, revealing the history of man and animals and how they co-existed in this apparently inhospitable place. A homely tea room awaits at the end of your journey where you can enjoy the delights of fresh home-cooked food or browse through our craft shop where  locally produced crafts are on sale.

Enjoy a unique journey through the heart of Blackwater Bog by train on the Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway. Travel by rail for 9km and stop off on the way to try your hand at turf-cutting. Learn about flora, fauna and archaeology of the area. Learn about bog bodies, how peat is formed and how we use peat to make electricity. On the 2 hour trip you can take a bog walk on the floating nature trail and learn about some of the plants found on the bog including the insect eating sun dew plant. Travel back 10,000 years as you climb down our Steps in Time and make a model of the bog.

The Glengowla Silver and Lead Mine, near Oughterard, Co. Galway, produced silver, lead, zinc and barite in the 19th century. Work at the mine ceased in the 1860s. The mine can now be explored on foot in complete safety. Apart from learning about geology, visitors on the guided tours hear about the harsh working conditions that the miners endured a century ago.

A behind-the-scenes look at Croke Park - one of the most modern and historic sporting arenas in the world - is on offer with the GAA Museum & Croke Park Stadium Tour. This one-hour guided tour brings visitors to the dressing rooms, service areas, premium and corporate levels, VIP section, media centre and, of course, pitch side.

Through the use of touch screens and audio-visual displays, the museum brings to life the players, matches, unique moments and countless memories of the past. Specially designed interactives allow visitors to test their own hurling and football skills.

The museum is open throughout the year on a daily basis and stadium tours run daily except on match days. Free supervised coach and car parking available.

The award winning Athenry Heritage Centre offers schools a unique experience in the best preserved medieval town in Ireland. Discover Irish history by dressing up in medieval costume where students become part of the history too. There are interactive exhibits, audio-visual presentations, the market square and the dungeon of terror. All school tours are led by members of staff with particular reference to the school curriculum. The highlight for the students is the chance to try have-a-go archery, the oldest tradition in the world. This event is supervised and insured by trained archers. Included within the tour is a visit to Athenry Castle and the 13th century Dominican Abbey. The Heritage Centre also has a picnic area and a wooden maze. All these activities last for two hours and the admission price is €5 per student. The Athenry Heritage Centre presents medieval history which is both fun and educational.

For a much different experience a visit to Irelands’ largest sanctuary for Birds of Prey and Owls, the Irish Raptor Research Centre / Eagles Flying is a must. Situated in Ballymote, Co. Sligo the Centre is home of more than 85 Eagles, Hawks, Owls, Falcons and Vultures.

Visitors can walk around and look at the birds being displayed in aviaries or on perches. Twice daily scientists train some of the birds for visitors and give information about the biology of these magnificent creatures. During these interactive Bird Shows you can experience birds of prey flying right over your head. Some of the birds can even be touched. The shows start at 11am and 3pm every day and last for 1 hour approximately.

For those who prefer cuddly creatures there is a large supervised pet-zoo in the Centre with guinea-pigs, rabbits, lambs, goats, donkeys, ferrets and many more. Altogether there are more than 300 birds and animals out of 68 different species in the centre. For more information visit the website www.eaglesflying.com.

The Irish Seed Savers Association tour features guided nature trails and practical activities at its unique heritage garden and orchards. The nature trail will allow the children to have an interactive experience with a variety of habitats including heritage orchards, native woodlands and hedgerows, heritage vegetable herb and flower gardens.

Activities focus on organic gardening observing how food grows, seed sowing, plant hunt and identification, native trees and woodland activities, mini-beast hunt and identification, composting, food-chains and webs.

The ISSA is now an accredited Discover Primary Science centre and the workshops can be adapted to fulfill Step 2 of the steps required to achieve a DPS award of excellence.

Activities last approximately 3 hours and the centre can cater for approximately 30 children from classes 4, 5 and 6 and the cost is a very reasonable €8 per child.

All your school tour needs will be catered for if you choose to spend the day at Waterpoint, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo. With its fantastic heated Kids Splash Pool, Fun Games organised in the swimming pool and its superb 65 metre Waterslide a great time is guaranteed for all. New to Waterpoint this year is a fabulous Outdoor Children’s Playground with Swings, Balance Wheel, Climbing Frames and more…..

There are also state of the art all-weather Astroturf Pitches available for 5-a-side games, athletics, playground games and much more. All activities are fully supervised by our qualified staff and food can be arranged at a venue of your choice.

For something different this year book the “Great Galway Adventure Day” school tour package which offers a variety of educational, historical, fun and adventure options for primary schools students. You tour includes a visit to the Galway Atlantaquaria - Ireland’s largest aquarium and home to 170 Irish species - a visit to the new Galway City Museum near the famous Spanish Arch, a visit to Leisure World Galway which has two great activities on offer: Ten Pin Bowling and Kiddies Adventureland and finally cruise the River Corrib on the Corrib Princess where you will see Galway Cathedral, the Salmon Weir and much, much more.

Lunch at can be arranged if required and there is an Early Bird rate available for all tours taking place before May 8th 2008.

If the sea and sand are more to your liking then Nevsail Watersports may be the answer.  Operating at Kilkee Beach, Co. Clare Nevsail offers a range of activities including: kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, power boating, surfing, boogie boarding, fishing trips, orienteering, team challenges, beach games and more. The programme is flexible and is tailored to suit the needs of the group and also takes into account weather conditions.