Join us for a day of exploration and fun as we discover the variety of natural life abundant on the grounds of the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life on Saturday, 20 May from 11am to 5pm.

Meet Mags Flaherty and some of the National Parks and Wildlife team, Dr. Karina Dingerkuss, educator Ceila Graebner and some special guests, for a host of events giving an insight into the birds, bees, fish and trees that surround these wonderful grounds.

Discover the full programme of events below. All activities are free admission. No booking required. 

Event Timetable

11 - 11:30am: Moth Trap Release
Join National Parks and Wildlife Service Guides to discover the results of our overnight Moth trapping on the grounds. Surveys like these are really important as they give us an insight into the health of the biodiversity of our grounds here at NMI-Country Life.
Starting at the reception desk in the museum galleries.

11:30am - 12:30pm: Pond/River Dipping
Join National Parks and Wildlife Service Guides to discover some of the many and varied small creatures living in our local ponds and streams. The range of species to be found is a good measure of water quality.
Starting at the reception desk in the museum galleries.

1 - 2pm: Rare Bees of Mayo
Stories of discovering new colonies of three threatened bee species, from Mayo bee-watchers Dave Suddaby, Micheal O’Briain and Celia Graebner.
AV room in the museum galleries.

1 - 4pm: Spring Wildflower Spotting
How many flowers from the National Spring Wildflower Project’s hitlist can you find in the Museum Grounds?
Collect your spotting sheet from the reception desk in the museum galleries.

2:30 - 3:30pm: Walking the Bee-Line
Find out how Ireland’s bumblebee records are collected by walking a section of the Museum Grounds Bumble Monitoring Transect with Celia Graebner. Learn how to record and share your own sightings of wild plants and creatures.
Starting at the the reception desk in the museum galleries.

4 - 5pm: Pollinator Walk
Join Karina Dingerkus for a walk in the grounds of TPH (NMI-Country Life) to see if we can find some of our resident bumblebees and butterflies. Learn more about where they make their homes, what flowers they like to forage on and some of the differences between the many bee types.
Starting at the the reception desk in the museum galleries.