121Introduction and location

This year’s SUICRO Symposium will be held in the village of Clonbur Co. Galway over the October bank holiday weekend 23rd – 26th. Clonbur is located on the edge of the Connemara Gaeltacht, right between lough Corrib & lough Mask and is only 5–10 minutes’ drive from the scenic Caving region of Cong.

Fairhill House Hotel will be the venue for the weekend. Contact details for reference are info@fairhillhouse.com or 094 9546176. At this stage the hotel is fully booked out for the weekend but further accommodation options are below, or via the organizers.

Parking is limited outside the Hotel but there is plenty of on-street Parking available. Clonbur Community Centre, which is next door, can accommodate larger vehicles and Camper Vans for the weekend

Clonbur village contains a supermarket, a number of excellent pubs and two fine restaurants, so you shouldn’t need to wander too far for anything!

Directions from the East or South:

• Galway City -> Headford N84 -> Cross R334 -> Cong R346 -> Clonbur R345

Directions from the North:

• Claremorris Co. Mayo -> Ballinrobe R331 -> The Neale R334 -> Cong R345 -> Clonbur R345

 

Agenda for the weekend:

It’s the 31st anniversary of SUICRO and this year’s event aims to maintain the highest standards set in previous years with a steady schedule of presentations from local and international Cavers including:

• Martyn Farr on Cong and further afield
• Howard and Deb Limbert on Vietnam
• Steph Dwyer on Picos de Europa
• Arantxa Gea on Spain
• Pat Cronin and more Clare Cavers with updates on Co. Clare
• Petie Barry on exploration history
• Jock Read on Leitrim and Fermanagh
• Short talks on Aghnahoo, ICRO and more!

Tony Seddon will be on site with his Starless River shop

• As always, Tony will load up the van with a selection of Caving gear.. but if you require something specific, ensure you get in touch with him on info@starlessriver.com to pre-order anything you need.

 

Brief timetable

Friday:

Friday evening from 6pm: Meet and greet at Fairhill House Hotel Bar with a Traditional Irish Music Session until late – Cavers bring your musical instruments!!

Saturday:

Saturday morning 10.30am: SUI AGM + tea/coffee.

Saturday afternoon: Rope Race (SRT) Competition at the Pigeon Hole cave.

– Other workshops / activities to be confirmed.

Saturday afternoon 4pm: Rugby World Cup Semi Finals.

Saturday evening from 7pm: National and International talks, finishing with Keynote speaker Martyn Farr on his explorations in the Cong area and further afield.

Finishing the night will be the Raffle in aid of the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation.

Sunday:

Sunday morning 10.30am: ICRO AGM followed by Open Forum + tea/coffee.

Sunday afternoon: A “Try Caving “workshop will be held for non-cavers and the general public.

– Other workshops / activities to be confirmed.

Sunday afternoon 4pm: Rugby World Cup Semi Finals.

Sunday evening from 7pm: National and International talks, finishing with Keynote speakers Howard and Deb Limbert on their discovery and exploration of Hang Son Doong in Vietnam, currently containing the worlds largest cave passage.

Finishing the night will be a Table Quiz in aid of Aghnahoo Caver’s cottage in Fermanagh.

Prizes:

The SUI Literary Award; Prize for best piece of Irish cave literature since the last SUICRO.

The Jack Coleman Award; presented to the most outstanding talk at SUICRO.

Photo competition; categories for consideration are “Caving in Ireland” and “Caving abroad”.

• Please email photos to suicro.org@gmail.com or bring them along at the weekend.

Caving in the area:

Some of the local caves include the beautiful Ballymaglancy and the Pigeon Hole amongst others and are well worth a visit. Cave locations, access arrangements and descriptions will be readily available at the weekend for those who are new to the area and wish to explore them!

Other activities in the area:

There is no shortage of activities for all the family,

• Mountain biking through woodlands or the purpose built Derroura MTB track. Plenty of interesting lake side road cycling available also.
• Canyoning.
• Water sports such as Kayaking can be arranged through Petersburgh Outdoor Education and through the Organizers.
• Hill walking nearby or the Maumturks are only a 25 minute drive away.
• Lots of Sightseeing opportunities around lough Corrib and lough Mask.
• Unfortunately the fishing season is closed until February.
• Playgrounds are available for children in the local villages – more details through the Organizers.

Accommodation options:

The hotel is fully booked but there are plenty of self-catering options available as detailed below.

Petersburgh Outdoor Education Centre have bunks going in Dorms for 12 Euro per person per night. They can be contacted directly on 09495 46483, 09495 46416 or info@petersburg.ie. Be certain to mention that you are part of the Caving Conference/Symposium

B&B options:

• Ballykine House, Clonbur – Ann on 09495 46150
• Island View, Clonbur – Mary on 09495 46302
• Lake Shore Guest House, Clonbur – Bernie on 087 7611481
• Rusheen House, Clonbur – Noreen on 087 9236202

Self catering options:

• Clonbur Self Catering – Brendan on 087 2510837
• Self Catering and Boat Hire Clonbur – Hugh on 087 0537791
• Self Catering Dringeen – Pat on 087 2557056
• Dooroy Lodge Dringeen – Rhone on 087 2406788

Organisers

Email suicro.org@gmail.com for further information or contact one of the organisers below:

• Seamus Breathnach
• Una Donoghue
• Eoghan Mullan