This document provides information and activities for exploring the heritage and natural environment of Portrun as part of Heritage Week 2020. It includes sections on the meaning of local place names, identifying local heritage sites and features, learning about biodiversity and protecting the natural environment. Activities encourage taking photos of heritage sites, drawing local plants and animals, and testing knowledge of Portrun. Upon completion, participants can become a solo explorer in Portrun and submit their work to receive a certificate.

1. Fun at Portrun Activity Pack
My solo explorer and fun activity guide as part of
Heritage Week 2020
Its all
connected
Heritage
Bio-
diversity

2. Lackan meansCruit means
Portrunny means
What’s in a name
Visit Portrun – take a picture, draw or sketch and send it to us –
info@portrun.ie
Activity – Click on the picture to find out more about the name

3. Activity
Where do you live?
Can you find out why your placename is what it is?
Send us your placename and the explanation of why it’s called that
Draw a picture/sketch/take a photograph which shows why your placename is
what it is
If your placename is called Riverside – why is that – is it because it’s located
close to a river?

4. Heritage
What is heritage
Heritage are things like what you like to do regularly
• It could be going for a walk with your family or friends
• It could be a favourite food that is cooked in your house
• It could be a favourite place to visit.
• Do you do things regularly with your family, this is heritage. Ask
your parents/grandparents or friendly adult what they did on a
regular basis with their family when they were growing up

5. Activity
What is heritage?
A
B
C
Doing nothing
Things we do once
Things we like to do regularly

6. Doing nothing

7. Holy Well
Heritage Trail
GraveyardSchool
Island
Visit Portrun – take a picture and send it to us –
info@portrun.ie
Activity - Click on the picture to find out more about the name

8. Cloonsellan
Abbey
Gailey Castle
River Hind Holy Well
Visit Portrun – take a picture and send it to us –
info@portrun.ie

9. Next time you go for a walk find old buildings, old trees, they have been there for a very long time
Take a heritage selfie
Draw something you like about Portrun Heritage Trail
Design a poster which includes two elements of Portrun Heritage or a protect our heritage poster
Make a video clip
Write a poem/story/song
Does anyone in your family have a special memory of Portrun, if so ask them to tell it, write it down and send to us
Besides family, where else can we look for what makes up our “heritage”? The answer is: “everywhere”! What can you find in your
neighbourhood? Our heritage is the things that we value and want to pass onto the next generation. This can be buildings and landscape but also
memories, rituals, music, skills and knowledge. The word is linked to the idea of “inheritance”
. Cultural heritage includes tangible culture (such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, books, works of art, and artifacts), intangible culture
(such as folklore, traditions, language, and knowledge), and natural heritage (including culturally significant landscapes, and biodiversity)

10. Small
Tortoiseshell
Butterfly
Flora & Fauna of Portrun
Spleenwort
Fern
Thistle Spear Marsh Orchid

11. Activity - What type of butterfly is this
Colourful Butterfly
Red Admiral Butterfly
Tortoiseshell Butterfly
Click on the letter
to reveal the
answer
A
C
B

12. What type of butterfly is this
Colourful Butterfly
Red Admiral Butterfly
Tortoiseshell Butterfly
Click on the letter
to reveal the
answer
A
C
B

13. Well done
Butterfly facts:
The longer a butterfly lives, the more likely its wings will be damaged. Scales
form the colors and patterns butterflies need for mate selection, camouflage,
predator avoidance and thermoregulation. Although a butterfly will not die if you
touch its wings, if too many scales are rubbed off, these benefits are lost.
Next time you visit Portrun take a picture or draw of some creatures who live there-
bird/flower/bug

14. Natural Environment
The
Hind River
Portrunny
Shoreline
The
Hind River
The
Hind River

15. Shoreline
Hind River
Activity Click on the picture for more information

16. Test your knowledge of Portrun
Click here
Activity

17. Why is the Holy Well named after St Diarmuid?
Activity

18. Because he liked to bathe there
Because he was from there
Because he prayed there
Click on the letter to
reveal the answer
A
B
C

19. Because he liked to bathe there
Because he was from there
Because he prayed there
A
B
C

20. WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?
Biodiversity is basically a fancy word for nature.... if it’s alive it’s part of biodiversity – look around
you, how many living things can you see – plants/bugs/people etc etc
Bio -Diversity
WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT?
Quite simply without it we would not be able to survive on Earth. That’s kind of a big deal. Here
are some reasons why:
• Food - We eat a huge variety of mammals, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains; all derived
from a living species that is part of biodiversity. Just think, how many different species will you
eat today?
• Materials - It’s hard to go about daily life without coming into contact with some sort of
material derived from biodiversity. We use wood from trees to build houses, furniture and to
make paper, as well as burning it to keep warm. We use skins, wools, silks and cotton for our
clothing. Have you used any biodiversity today? Are you wearing any biodiversity today?

21. • Air - Whatever about food, you definitely won’t make it to the end of this presentation without air!
Thankfully, we have our friendly trees to suck up our carbon dioxide waste and swap it for some
useful oxygen. It takes about 7 to 8 trees to support the oxygen requirements for each person. How
many trees are needed for your family?

22. Even though biodiversity is really important for us adults and children to continue to live, we have treated it
very badly. But why is this happening? Some reasons are:
• Habitat Loss – a living creature loses it’s home – rabbit/hedgehog/bee, they live in the wild and we as
humans are taking over the wild
• Pollution - anything we add to the environment that makes it unhealthy – throw away
plastics/weedkiller/rubbish

23. X
Is bio-diversity living or dead things – click on the correct answer below?
Dead
?Living

24. Well Done

25. Bio -Diversity
Our little island of Ireland is home to a wonderful range of biodiversity.
Insects
11,422
​All our creepy-crawlies without a backbone, supported by
exoskeletons and with six legs, with or without wings; from
bees to butterflies, beetles to dragonflies.
NON-INSECT INVERTEBRATES
8,000
Like insects, they don't have a back-bone. Unlike insects, they don't
need to have six legs; from millipedes to mussels, spiders to lobsters.
Land Mammals
25
The same mammalian features as above, but they spend their
time living on dry land
https://www.biodiversityinschools.com/irish-biodiversity.html

26. Vascular Plants
2,328
​These are like advanced plants. They have a vascular system
used to transport water, minerals and photosynthesis products
around the plant; examples include flowers and trees
Fish
592
​Including marine fish and freshwater fish.
Birds
457
Our warm-blooded, feathered friends with beaks and wings.

27. ACTIVITY
• When you are next walking in Portrun or anywhere take note of the following:
• How many insects can you see
• How many land animals can you see, remember to note humans
• How many different types of flowers/plants/grass/hedge/tree can you see
• How many different types of birds can you see

29. Leave No Trace

30. Leave Only Pawprints

31. Congratulations
you have completed all of our Heritage and Information pack
Well done
Why not be a solo explorer in Portrun for a day – bring family and friends
Draw-sketch-paint-take a photo of any piece of heritage/flora/fauna that you see in the Portrun area, send to
portrun.ie leaving your e-mail address, we will contact you to present you with your Certificate of Participation
and a small gift
Click to end slide show