Dear School Tour Co-ordinator,

 

At the moment, you and your teachers are probably discussing where to go on your school tour this year. We would like you to consider Lough Gur in Co. Limerick, which is a national treasure, rich in archaeology and folklore and is featured in the national school history syllabus.

 

In 2012, Lough Gur Development has organised School tours in March, May and June with a combination of offerings from Geoff Hunt: a Heritage & pond life specialist, Ger’s mobile farm, Guided walks of Lough Gur, Treasure hunt, the ancient game of skittles, Visit to the Heritage centre at Lough Gur and Kayaking on selected dates.

Children opting for the March and May tours with Geoff Hunt will enjoy catching pond life and bird watching through telescopes. We will also have Gers’ mobile farm, a treasure hunt and a walking tour organised on the day. We have also teamed up with Kilfinane Outdoor Education Centre to provide kayaking for schools that wish a more activity-based element to their school tour. This is for over 8 year olds only and lasts for approximately one hour. Spaces for Kayaking are limited and will be sold on a first come basis.

 

On June 21^st and 22^nd during our festival week, Legion Ireland, the Roman re-enactment group will perform as part of the School tours. We will focus on teaching children our heritage through re-enactments of Roman times with medieval costumes and entertainment, using professional actors. It is an activity-based day of fun with an educational element, specially designed for children. To maximise the educational element of the day, an art pack will be sent to the school in advance to teach children how to make weapons and outfits using household refuse bags which children can bring on the day to take part in re-enacted combat. Children will be free to explore the living history display at their leisure.

 

Lough Gur also has a Heritage centre at the lakeshore which houses replicas of such artefacts as the Lough Gur bronze shield, the original of which is on display in the National Museum in Dublin. There is also an audio visual which outlines prehistoric life in Lough Gur.

 

We have put several packages together for our school tours and summer festival day as set out below:

 

Date	School tour details 2012	Duration approximately	Cost €
Friday March 30th	Pond life exploration, Mobile Farm, Treasure Hunt, Guided walk, visit to Heritage Centre (Skittles - optional)	4.5 - 5 hours	25
Friday May 4th	Pond life exploration, Mobile Farm, Treasure Hunt, Guided walk, Visit to Heritage Centre (Skittles - optional)	4.5 - 5 hours	25
Tuesday June 12th	Kayaking, Guided walk, Treasure Hunt, Visit to Heritage Centre, Skittles	4.5 - 5 hours	30
Tuesday June 19th	Kayaking, Guided walk, Treasure Hunt, Visit to Heritage Centre, Skittles	4.5 - 5 hours	30
Thursday June 21st	Roman Re-enactment camp, Mobile farm, Guided walk, Treasure Hunt, Skittles, Visit to Heritage Centre.	5 hours	30
Friday June 22nd	Roman Re-enactment camp, Mobile farm, Treasure hunt, Guided walk, Skittles, Visit to Heritage Centre.	5 hours	30
Saturday June 23rd	Roman re-enactment workshops during the day - suitable for all the family	More details: www.loughgur.com
Sunday June 24th	Reminder! Family Festival Day by Lough Gur lake. More details www.loughgur.com	1pm -6pm Adults €5 children €2 Bouncy castles, Roman re-enactments, Kayaking, face painting & more!!
Tuesday June 26th	Kayaking , Guided walk, Treasure Hunt, Visit to Heritage Centre, Skittles	4.5 - 5 hours	30
All tours must be pre-booked. If you are interested in taking your 2012 School tour at the picturesque Lough Gur area, or finding out more please contact us at 061 385 386 & 087-2852022 Ideally we would ask that bookings for tours be made by Thursday March 1st to ensure availability. Lough Gur Development can also offer Guided tours of the area and can tailor a School tour package to meet your Schools’ requirements. Contact us on 061 385 386 mobile: 087 285 2022 or email: honeyfitz@loughgur.com. More details of our tours can be found on www.loughgur.com   Lough Gur Development is a Co-Op with 15 years experience managing professional school tours and adheres to all Insurance and Child Protection guidelines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

School tours for 2012 at Lough Gur school tours include some or all of the following.....

 

Lough Gur School Tours 2012

 

Legion Ireland:

The Re-enactment group, made up of professional actors, will focus on teaching children our heritage through re-enactments of Roman times with medieval costumes and entertainment, using actors.  It is an activity-based day of fun with an educational element, specially designed for children.  To maximise the educational element of the day, an art pack is available, which will be sent to the school in advance to teach children how to make weapons, which they can then bring on the day to take part in re-enacted combat.  ( We’re talking black refuse bags and pipe insulation as swords – no wooden swords please!) Children will be free to explore the living history display at their leisure.

 

Geoff Hunt:

Children opting for tours with Geoff Hunt will enjoy catching pond life and bird watching through telescopes.

 

Gers Mobile farm 

A domestic farm animal in a mobile unit, very practical and interactive! Animals include chickens, a goat, a calf, donkey, pigs and a few more. Always very popular!

 

Canoeing/Kayaking with Kilfinane outdoor Education Centre:

Once again we have teamed up with Kilfinane Outdoor Education Centre to provide kayaking, canoeing, etc., for schools that wish a more activity-based element to their school tour.  This is for over 8 year olds only and lasts for approximately 1.5 hours.  Be prepared to get wet !!!!!!! . Full change of clothes, shoes & towel required.

 

Treasure Hunt:

Treasure hunt around Lough Gur lakeside, taking in the sights and learning the history as you go along looking for clues.  An adventure not to be missed!

 

Heritage Centre:

Lough Gur also has a Heritage centre at the lakeshore which house replicas of such artefacts as the Lough Gur bronze shield, the original ofwhich is on display in the National Museum in Dublin.  There is also an audio visual video, ( circa 12 minutes in length) which outlines prehistoric life in Lough Gur. 

 

Walking Tours

Lough Gur guides are at hand to take schools on guided tours, visiting The Spectacles, Carraigcrothera, Boilin island, Ash point and Bouchiers Castle. The guides pass their knowledge effortlessly to the school children and questions throughout the tour are always welcome.

 

 

 

Testimonial from Lough Gur School Principal:

 

“The school tours to Lough Gur are a wonderful success and are worth taking by any school.  Booking the tour is so easy and the whole day is planned for you-at a very reasonable price.
The activities are extremely well organised, facilities are excellent and the group leaders are great with the children-very professional and well informed on how to deal with groups of excited children!
The tours incorporate so many areas of the curriculum there's something to interest everyone-Drama, Art and craft, Science, P.E. and History-All this in the beautiful surrounds of such a wonderful ancient site as Lough Gur who could ask for more as  a school tour-highly recommended and great value for money, the children love it and so do the teachers!”

Carmel Gleeson, Principal Lough Gur N.S.