We operate two Self-catering
Businesses in County Down
Dundrum Bay Holiday Homes Tory Bush Cottages

Why I did the Geo-Ambassador Course
• Personal Knowledge, I
had a little bit of
knowledge but you know
what they say about a
little bit of knowledge.
• I wanted to able to talk to
my guests about the
Mournes. They always ask
was Bearnagh a Volcano,
indeed I had written a
blog about that back in
2008.
• I knew this region was
special, I just didn’t know
how special until I did the
course.
• The worldwide
classification system for
granite was based on the
system first used in the
Mournes

What I got out of the Course
I certainly learnt a lot about the Geology, Geomorphology and Archaeology of the area
both on the course and on subsequent Field trips and Bus Tours.
Personal development
• This talk
• Radio Ulster, I compared the Mournes to a ‘Big Blister’
• Taking guided Tours of Tollymore
Personally for me what I got out of the course was an abiding interest in Tollymore Forest
Park. I had been born and bred beside the Park, it was our childhood playground. I have
learnt so much in the last two years and my passion is to share this knowledge.

Tours of Tollymore to date
First for Mourne Cooley Gullion
2 Tours for EHOD on behalf of Follies Trust
Halloween Tour part of Hallowtides
2nd Tour for MCG
4 Public tours
Tour for MHT for local tourism businesses

Ghostly Church Building,
where is it?, what is it?

Tour in Association with Mourne
Rambler Bus
Along with two other Geo-ambassadors we are trialing
a ‘Day of Guided Walking Tours along the route of the
Mourne Rambler’, on Sunday the 16th of August
• Tollymore 09.15-11.15
• Spelga Dam, Ott Mountain 11.31-14.31
• Silent Valley 14.53-16.53

EHOD tour planned for September
A walking tour looking at Industrial Heritage within Tollymore
Forest Park.
This will include Timber Production, and the location of Sawmills,
- the Oak for Titanic Grand Staircase came from Tollymore.
The built infrastructure featuring the Gothic Architecture, of the
Follies; Entrance Gates and limekiln.
It will also take in the site of 3 mills on the edge of the forest, a
wool mill; a flax mill and a corn mill.
And finally talk about the latest industry, the Film and TV
industry.

The legacy of the MCG Geo-Tourism
Project
• Collaborations and business opportunities.
• The project shows what can be done but also that
much more still to be done.
• Geo-Tourism Study Visits
• Visitors of Cruise ships - Belfast and Warrenpoint?
• Promotion of the region as Geo-destination
• To get visitors we have to express our uniqueness
and our geology and geomorphology is our
uniqueness.