Previously Awarded Geoheritage Grants

​​Valentia Island Geoheritage Association (VIGA) is a not-for-profit organization, one of whose aims is to promote Valentia Island's geoheritage and geotourism, in tandem with developing sustainable employment and enterprise on Valentia Island and surrounding areas in Co. Kerry. The Island is home to the world-renowned Devonian tetrapod trackways which showcase one of the earliest traces of land-dwelling vertebrates (amphibians). VIGA seek to promote both the tetrapod trackway and the Valentia Slate Quarry by developing a geotour of these locations highlighting their unique geology. Other initiatives include a promotional poster of Valentia Island geology, a 1-inch geologic map of the Island and Valentia slate coasters with engraved tetrapod footprints. Additionally, the design of a geological lookout point at Valentia Slate Quarry with a dramatic, free standing, slate monolith and interpretative panels highlighting the area's geological history are also proposed.

​Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark in Co. Waterford showcases the area’s geology and mining heritage. They aim to review and then rejuvenate the existing geoheritage and geology exhibition of the Copper Coast Geopark Visitor Centre. It is proposed to rewrite, redesign, and reprint all panels within the exhibition with a more geologically engaging and up to date format, with separated zones of interest for visitors. Their intention is to increase the geoheritage educational value of the exhibition which will be a significant resource for outreach, primary and secondary schools, and children both in the local area and further afield.

​​PROJECT Belturbet is a community group in Belturbet, Co. Cavan who seek to develop their town and its environs. To promote the area's geoheritage, they propose to build a life size model of a woolly mammoth on Turbet Island as part of the existing Dreamscapes Trail. Woolly mammoth remnants were discovered on Turbet Island making it an ideal location to highlight the Island's Ice Age past. The woolly mammoth model and associated geological information will act as a focal point for tourists, schools and colleges to visit and learn about the rich geological history of the area.

​Oideas Gael are located in southwest Donegal. They seek to raise awareness of the Sliabh Liag peninsula as an area of geological and geomorphological significance by increasing local knowledge of the geology of the area and the geological processes responsible for the formation of the modern landscape. Oideas Gael aims to promote geotourism and geoheritage by creating and delivering educational programs by combining geology within a wider cultural heritage context, for example, exploring the local archaeology, folklore, placenames and the geological connections with Scotland and North America.

​​The Marble Arch UNESCO Global Geopark (MACUGG) is a cross border geopark located in counties Cavan and Fermanagh. The aim of their project is to create an online poetry map linking specific sites around the MACUGG, with each having their own poem reflecting the unique geoheritage and geology of that site. They aim to engage with both new and established poets by commissioning them to write a site-specific poem that would be inspired by the geology of a particular location within the geopark. Engagement with schools and the local communities is also envisaged, with poets working with local children to create their own poems about the local landscape and geoheritage. The project endeavours to have the poems online for UNESCO World Poetry Day on the 21st March 2021.

​​The goal of this project is to link the archaeological and historical built heritage of Cork City to its geology of Devonian sandstones, Carboniferous limestones and Quaternary sands and gravels. In doing so, it can make Cork's geoheritage accessible and engaging to local people. The project will use online innovations, a geology trail, exhibition and schools outreach to link Cork City’s historical heritage to its geology. Follow the website as it develops: https://www.hardcorecork.ie