Participants perspective on the Mourne Cooley Gullion Geo-Ambassador Course

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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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.