Outreach

Heritage in schools

Burrenbeo Trust is a participating Heritage Expert in the Heritage in Schools scheme, offering engaging, place-based learning experiences for primary schools across Ireland. Through this programme, our education staff visit schools or lead field trips focused on exploring the unique heritage of the Burren and other Irish landscapes.

Our sessions support the SESE curriculum, covering topics such as local geology, biodiversity, archaeology, built heritage, and cultural traditions. With a hands-on and interactive approach, Burrenbeo Trust encourages children to develop a deeper connection to their local environment and heritage.

Available to primary schools in counties including Clare, Galway, Limerick, Mayo, and beyond, our involvement in Heritage in Schools helps foster environmental awareness, curiosity, and a sense of place in young learners.

Find out more via our page on the Heritage in Schools website.

John Hynes’ farm

John Hynes’ farm in the Boston area offers a unique opportunity for field trips focused on sustainable farming, biodiversity, and cultural heritage. Set across rich limestone pastures, the farm uses traditional winterage grazing to maintain one of Europe’s most spectacular and species-rich grasslands, with up to 45 plant species per square metre. Visitors can explore how low-impact farming supports rare wildflowers, ancient landscapes, and conservation in action – all while learning from a working farm deeply rooted in tradition and innovation.

Slieve Carron

Also known locally as Eagle’s Rock, Slieve Carron is a state-managed nature reserve nestled in the heart of the north Burren. This site showcases an incredible diversity of habitats, including species-rich grassland, limestone pavement, heathland, mature hazel woodland, and actively grazed pastures. These varied landscapes make Slieve Carron an ideal outdoor classroom for exploring the connection between the Burren’s geology, ancient farming practices and rare flora and fauna.

In addition to its geological and ecological richness, Slieve Carron is steeped in cultural heritage. Visitors can discover a fulacht fiadh (ancient cooking site), a holy well, the site of a hermitage cave, and the remains of an 11th-century oratory – all offering insight into the deep and layered human history of the area.

Templecronan

Tucked away in a quiet Burren valley near Carran, Templecronan is a deeply atmospheric early Christian monastic site. Believed to date back to the 12th century, the site features a beautifully weathered Romanesque church, ancient grave slabs, and the remains of a nearby holy well. Surrounded by hazel woodland and rich limestone grassland, Templecronan offers a unique blend of cultural heritage and natural beauty. It is a place where archaeology, spirituality, and biodiversity meet – ideal for exploring the layered history of human settlement in the Burren, as well as the sacred connection between people and landscape that has endured through the centuries. During your field trip with us, we will make our way to Templecronan via a working Burren farm; exploring the stunning limestone pavement, the local flora and interesting archaeological features on the way.