Technical Visits

Please register early! Technical visits will be cancelled if they do not reach the minimum number of paid participants by 5 March 2024.

THIS VISIT IS CURRENTLY FULL.

See one way Ireland is managing a Just Transformation: Bord na Móna, the semi-state company with responsibility for managing peatlands, is transforming from brown peat (peat extraction) to green (renewable energy and peatland restoration). This visit to the midlands of Irealnd will include a presentation on Bord na Móna’s plans for the 80,000 hectares of peatlands they manage, followed by a visit to explore the heritage of Ireland at Clonmacnoise on the banks of the Shannon river, one of Ireland’s most ancient monastic sites and a significant heritage tourism attraction in County Offaly.

Monday 22 April
Depart 08:00 | Return 17:00
Level of physical activity Low
Minimum-Maximum 10-53
Price $95
Price includes transportation, admission fees, and guide fees.
Lunch is on your own (additional cost approximately €20).
Special notes Sunscreen and warm, waterproof clothes and footwear recommended.

This visit will take you on a journey from Dublin to the midlands of Ireland where the dominant industry was the extraction of peat from Ireland’s raised bogs. Meet with a local community which manages the Abbeyleix Bog Project. The community blockaded a peatland site to prevent industrial peat harvesting and subsequently negotiated an agreement to manage the site for peatland restoration and as an amenity for the local community. You will see the peatland restoration work at the site, then visit Lullymore Heritage Park, a major tourist attraction located on a mineral island in the Bog of Allen between the villages of Rathangan and Allenwood in North West Kildare.

Monday, 22 April 2024
Depart 08:30 | Return 17:30
Level of physical activity Low
Minimum-Maximum 10-48
Price $135
Price includes transportation, lunch, and guide fees.
Special notes Sunscreen and warm, waterproof clothes and footwear recommended.

THIS VISIT IS CURRENTLY FULL.

Visit the UNESCO biosphere reserve of Bull Island, created through both natural processes and human intervention, and the most designated ecological area in the country. See the North Bull Island Interpretive Centre’s exhibits and walk among sand dunes to explore the ecological diversity and importance of this island, its ecological sensitivities, ongoing nature-human interactions, and conservation efforts, as well as the enduring adaptation of wildlife to continued sand and silt depositions. The visit will end with lunch and shopping at Howth Harbour, a lively small fishing village with its vibrant market, seafood restaurants, and resident seals.

Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Depart 08:30 | Return 14:30
Level of physical activity Moderate
Minimum-Maximum 10-53
Price $85
Price includes transportation and guide fees.
Lunch is on your own (additional cost approximately €20).
Special notes Sunscreen and warm, waterproof clothes and footwear recommended.

Explore the remediation of an illegal landfill site near Dublin into an amenity park for the local community. A critical aspect of the site is to ensure compliance with an industrial emission license, as the site was previously a major source of emissions and the manager received a 3-year jail sentence. Meet the remediation project manager to hear about community engagement and the challenge of managing underground fires at the site. Lunch and shopping at the Kildare Village Outlet beside Kildare Town and a visit to the tourist attractions of Kildare Cathedral and the National Stud and Japanese Gardens.

Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Depart 09:00 | Return 16:00
Level of physical activity Low
Minimum-Maximum 10-53
Price $110
Price includes transportation, admission fee, and guide fees.
Lunch is on your own (additional cost approximately €20).
Special notes Sunscreen and warm, waterproof clothes and footwear recommended.

This visit is to the World Heritage site of Brú na Bóinne (Boyne Valley), which is a major tourist attraction and Ireland’s richest archaeological landscape, situated within a bend in the River Boyne. Brú na Bóinne is famous for the spectacular prehistoric passage tombs of Knowth, Newgrange, and Dowth, which were built circa 3200BC. These ceremonial structures are among the most important Neolithic sites in the world and contain the largest collection of megalithic art in Western Europe. Participants will get an insider view into the management of the sites for tourism and also the development of Ireland’s newest national park at Dowth.

Sunday 28 April
Depart 08:00 | Return 13:30
Level of physical activity Low
Minimum-Maximum 10-50 (More spaces added!)
Price $105
Price includes transportation, admission fees, and guide fees.
Lunch is on your own (additional cost approximately €20).
Special notes Sunscreen and warm, waterproof clothes and footwear recommended.

Cruise along Dublin Bay, a designated UNESCO biosphere where nature and culture connect. The cruise will first head south of Dublin Bay to the beautiful Dun Laoghaire Harbour and from there on to the north of the Bay to the traditional fishing village of Howth. During the voyage you will see and discuss aspects of the city that are not possible on any other mode of transport, including the socially sustainable regeneration of Dublin Port and Docklands, cultural heritage along the coast, Baily and Kish lighthouses, Howth head, Ireland Eye, Howth Harbour with its many seals, and the world wildlife reserve Bull Island, which has the most ecological designations of any site in the country. Return to Dublin by Dart commuter train.

Sunday 28 April
Depart 10:30 | Return 15:00
Level of physical activity Low
Minimum-Maximum 10-98
Price $100
Price includes boat and guide fees.
Additional €5 to purchase Dart ticket at the platform.
Special notes Sunscreen and warm, waterproof clothing and footwear recommended.

This technical visit will walk through significant infrastructure developments in the neighborhood of Ringsend, on the south bank of the River Liffey, discussing and reflecting on the conflicts that have arisen in recent times as a result of growth and development, and the ways in which the community has been engaged for more participative, just, and sustainable planning. The visit includes a walk past the Poolbeg Incinerator, a waste-to-energy plant, as we learn about the sustainable treatment of waste and its conversion into renewable energy, as well as about their Community Gain Fund. (A visit inside the plant is not included in this visit.) Poolbeg Lighthouse on the Great South Wall is a gentle and scenic loop walk into Dublin Bay where you can soak up some views of the surrounding coastline. (45-minute walk from the CCD to the Poolbeg Incinerator; 40-minute walk from the incinerator to Poolbeg Lighthouse; 90-minute walk from the lighthouse back to the CCD.)

Sunday, 28 April 2024
Depart 13:00 | Return 18:00
Level of physical activity Moderate
Minimum-Maximum 20-no cap
Price $30
Price includes guide fee.
Option to stop for coffee in Ringsend neighborhood on your own (additional cost approximately €10).
Special notes Photo identification required. Sunscreen, warm waterproof clothes, and walking shoes recommended.

NEW VISIT ADDED!

Visit the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland to learn about its important collections of plant species and cultivars from all over the world, and explore its beautiful grounds and its famous and exquisitely restored historic glasshouses. The guided tour will also discuss the active role that the Gardens play in contributing to research on climate change and adaptation, as a premier scientific institution in the network of European Phenological Gardens.

Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Depart 10:00 | Return 14:00
Level of physical activity Low
Minimum-Maximum 20-48
Price $55
Price includes transportation and guide fee. Lunch is on your own at the botanical garden restaurant.
Special notes Sunscreen and warm, waterproof clothes and footwear are recommended.

about technical visits

Participants must be pre-registered and pre-paid to participate. If you must cancel, the fee will be refunded, less an administration fee of 25% of the technical visit cost and contingent upon written notice of cancellation received by 4 April. After that time, no refunds will be issued.

If the visit for which you have registered does not meet the minimum number by 5 March, IAIA HQ will notify you and provide refund information or offer to transfer you to another visit. After 5 March, registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until 4 April, or until the visits reach the maximum number. Registrations will be processed in the order that payment is received. Guests of registered delegates are welcome to register for technical visits at the same rate.

Visits depart from the conference venue. Plan to check in for the visit a minimum of 15 minutes prior to the noted departure time. Busses will leave on time. Late arrivals will not be admitted.

All technical visit participants will be required to sign a liability release waiver upon check-in for the visits. The text of the release waiver can be found below. Note that IAIA, the organizing committee, and the venue will not be responsible for medical expenses, accidents, losses, or other unexpected damage to property belonging to conference participants, either during or as a result of the conference and during all tours and events. Participants are strongly advised to arrange their own insurance for health and accident, lost luggage, and trip cancellation.

IAIA24 technical visit liability release waiver

I hereby WAIVE AND RELEASE the International Association for Impact Assessment from liability pertaining to my participation in IAIA24 Technical Visits.

I understand and agree that I am releasing not only IAIA, but also IAIA’s officers, agents, and employees. I understand and agree that by signing this Waiver/Release, I am assuming full responsibility for any and all risk of death or personal injury or property damage suffered by me while participating in the IAIA24 Technical Visit.

I understand and agree that this Waiver/Release will have the effect of releasing, discharging, waiving and forever relinquishing any and all actions or causes of action that I may have or have had, whether past, present or future, whether known or unknown, and whether anticipated or unanticipated by me, arising out of my participation in the IAIA24 Technical Visit, except for the acts or omissions of IAIA, its officers, agents, or employees which are found to be negligent by a court of competent jurisdiction.

I understand and agree that this Waiver/Release applies to personal injury, property damage, or wrongful death which I may suffer, even if caused by the acts or omissions of others. I understand and agree that this Waiver/Release will be binding on me, my spouse, my heirs, my personal representatives, my assignees, my children and any guardian for said children.

I confirm that I do not have any physical limitations, medical ailments, or physical or mental disabilities that would limit or prevent me from participating in the IAIA24 Technical Visit.