Welcome to the Geographical Society of Ireland
The Geographical Society of Ireland (GSI), the professional representative organisation of geographers in Ireland, was founded in 1934. Over eighty years later, the GSI continues to raise awareness of the value and impact of Geography in Ireland and beyond, through a diverse range of activities and collaborations.
Society members are actively engaged in enhancing the international profile of Irish geography through their engagement with the International Geographical Union (IGU), RGS-IBG, Association of American Geographers (AAG) and other international groupings.
Geographers from the University of Limerick and Queen’s University Belfast lead new digital humanities project on the histories of the Ordnance Survey.
A team of geographers, historians, linguists and computer scientists from the University of Limerick (UL) and Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) have been awarded €740,000 from a fund supporting UK-Ireland collaboration in Digital Humanities. The joint award scheme draws together funding from the Irish Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to fund eleven digital humanities projects across the UK and Ireland. OS200: Digitally Re-Mapping Ireland’s Ordnance Survey Heritage, co-lead by Dr Catherine Porter (UL) and Professor Keith Lilley (QUB), is a collaboration which aims to reinvigorate interest in the Ordnance Survey (OS) by re-connecting and sharing the divided legacies of the OS in Ireland. OS200 will use 21st century technologies to analyse and visualise how Ordnance Survey staff operated on the ground in the 19th century and will create a free online resource revealing hidden and forgotten aspects of life and work from across Britain and Ireland. Partners include the Department for Communities and Public Record Office in Northern, the Royal Irish Academy, the Digital Repository of Ireland, Logainm at Dublin City University, and the Irish Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
GSI Participate in International Geographical Society Gathering on Climate Change, Biodiversity and SDG Research ahead of COP26 UN Climate Change Conference
Following an invitation from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, the Royal Geographical Society and the International Geographical Union, the Geographical Society of Ireland participated in an online International Geographical Society Gathering on 22 June 2021, ahead of the Conferences of the Parties meeting scheduled for later in the year for Glasgow, UK. The main objective of the ‘gathering’ was to bring together geographers from different geographical societies to find out what is being done by Geographers in these different communities in relation to the climate (and biodiversity) crisis, and what we might be able to do, as Geographers, in order to meaningfully address the issue. 65 people from 30 countries participated at the event and more than 10 geographical societies, including GSI shared their activities and projects related to these important topics. You can read the GSI submission here.
The gathering also considered a Joint Statement on the climate and biodiversity crises to be signed by a range of the world's Geographical Societies. The GSI look forward to further supporting this and other initiatives so we can play our part in drawing attention to, understanding and developing solutions to these major global challenges of our time.
The gathering also considered a Joint Statement on the climate and biodiversity crises to be signed by a range of the world's Geographical Societies. The GSI look forward to further supporting this and other initiatives so we can play our part in drawing attention to, understanding and developing solutions to these major global challenges of our time.
GSI Member Dr Ruth McManus (DCU) appointed to the Board of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas
Dr Ruth McManus (DCU) has recently been appointed to the Board of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas as one of two new honorary editors, the other being Dr Jonathan Wright (History, MU). She follows in the footsteps of distinguished geographers Professor Anngret Simms and Dr Jacinta Prunty. The IHTA project, established in 1981 as one of the research projects of the Royal Irish Academy, records the topographical development of Irish towns. It is part of a wider European scheme, with towns atlases containing broadly similar information available for different countries, thereby facilitating international comparative research. In addition to the printed fascicles, digital versions of the atlases and ancillary publications including books, maps and a suburbs series, are also available. These provide a significant resource for research and teaching purposes
Geographical Society of Ireland AGMThe Annual General Meeting of the GSI will take place during CIG 2021 (session time will be confirmed as soon as possible). A number of Officers positions will be open for election at the AGM. The nomination form is available here:
Positions for renewal are:
If you have any queries, please contact Dr. Karen Keaveney
secretary@geographicalsocietyireland.ie If you have any queries on either of the above please contact Dr. Karen Keaveney at secretary@geographicalsocietyireland.ie
Maynooth Geographers Celebrate GeoNight 2021 with
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Editorship of Irish Geography
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GSI Member
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Dr Susan Pike (DCU) has been appointed President of the Geographical Association. Susan works in Geography Teacher Education at DCU's Institute of Education, where she has coordinated Geography Education for 20 years. As a geographer, she also contributes to a range of other areas including early childhood education, as well as Masters options in Climate Change Education and Poverty and Social Inclusion in Education.
The Geographical Association (GA) is the leading subject association for teachers of geography. Its mission is to further geographical knowledge and understanding through education, with the vision of being a 'vibrant and diverse subject community inspiring high-quality geographical teaching and learning'.
From its roots at a meeting to exchange lantern slides 128 years ago, it now has members in more than 60 countries and strong links with geographical organisations around the world. Having a GSI member as president will no doubt increase the visibility of the GSI internationally, and strengthen our links with Geographers and teachers of Geography across varied institutional sectors. Susan's chosen presidential theme this year is 'Compassionate Geographies', clearly a theme that is has relevance on lots of levels.
The Geographical Association (GA) is the leading subject association for teachers of geography. Its mission is to further geographical knowledge and understanding through education, with the vision of being a 'vibrant and diverse subject community inspiring high-quality geographical teaching and learning'.
From its roots at a meeting to exchange lantern slides 128 years ago, it now has members in more than 60 countries and strong links with geographical organisations around the world. Having a GSI member as president will no doubt increase the visibility of the GSI internationally, and strengthen our links with Geographers and teachers of Geography across varied institutional sectors. Susan's chosen presidential theme this year is 'Compassionate Geographies', clearly a theme that is has relevance on lots of levels.
New Research: Memories of Droughts in Ireland
The drought of Summer 2018 reminded us of how vulnerable Irish society is to water shortages, from local farms to businesses, wells to water supplies and even biodiversity. In a country renowned for rainfall we often forget that in the past Ireland has experienced some significant drought periods, particularly in the 1990s, 1970s and before. Funded by the Irish Research Council, Geographers from UCD and Maynooth University are looking to document local experiences and coping strategies that were implemented by individuals during past drought events and to identify lessons that can be learned from local experiences. So, if you have stories of your experience of drought you would like to share, know of weather records or diaries that you think may be of interest, or would simply like to find out more, please visit:
www.ucd.ie/droughtmemories
www.ucd.ie/droughtmemories
Appointment of New President to the GSI
The Society is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Kathy Reilly (School of Geography, Archaeology & Irish Studies, NUI Galway) as the new President of the Geographical Society of Ireland. Kathy takes over from Dr Adrian Kavanagh (Department of Geography, Maynooth University). The Society welcomes Kathy to the role and extends its gratitude to Adrian for his tireless work and dedication to the Geography in Ireland over the course of the past four years.
Tips and Tricks: IRC Postgraduate (PhD) Funding
GSI PECN Information Session
Friday 16th October
Applying for IRC funding? Come to the GSI PECN information session aimed at postgraduate Geography students who are applying for the Irish Research Council's (IRC) Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship 2021. The event will facilitate peer-to-peer exchange with members of the Irish Geography postgraduate and early-career community that have successfully applied and received IRC funding in previous years. Come along to garner tips and tricks and learn about the process of writing a successful Geography postgraduate IRC application.
Join the session from 2-4 pm on Friday 16th October on Zoom. Register on Eventbrite here: IRC-tips-tricks-2020.eventbrite.ie. Not yet a member of the Geographical Society of Ireland or the Postgraduate and Early Career Network? You can register to be a member of the GSI here and subscribe to the PECN mailing list here.
Join the session from 2-4 pm on Friday 16th October on Zoom. Register on Eventbrite here: IRC-tips-tricks-2020.eventbrite.ie. Not yet a member of the Geographical Society of Ireland or the Postgraduate and Early Career Network? You can register to be a member of the GSI here and subscribe to the PECN mailing list here.
Maedhbh Nic Lochlainn (TCD) wins USI-IRC Why Research Matters Video Competition
PhD student at TCD, Maedhbh Nic Lochlainn, has won the award for creativity in the inaugural USI-IRC Why Research Matters Video Competition.
Maedhbh’s research (on which her award-winning video is based) investigates how activists have used social media to contest housing and water issues in Ireland since the financial crisis. Maedhbh adopts a geographical approach to understand how activist use of social media works between and across digital technologies/platforms and material places. Using a combination of digital ethnography, maps, and participatory research interviews, she is contributing new understandings of activist practices and how these involve combining digital and material tactics in pursuit of transformative social change. Maedhbh points out that the importance of this question of the geographies of digital contention or protest has been highlighted during the ongoing pandemic, in which mass protest gatherings, alternative forms of digital dissent, and their potentials and limitations have captured popular attention. She observes, “We don’t understand enough about the practicalities and implications of these practices, but they matter for how we affect change and govern contemporary societies.” Maedhbh’s award was chosen by Creative Ireland’s Sheila Deegan. The winning video can be accessed here.
Maedhbh’s research (on which her award-winning video is based) investigates how activists have used social media to contest housing and water issues in Ireland since the financial crisis. Maedhbh adopts a geographical approach to understand how activist use of social media works between and across digital technologies/platforms and material places. Using a combination of digital ethnography, maps, and participatory research interviews, she is contributing new understandings of activist practices and how these involve combining digital and material tactics in pursuit of transformative social change. Maedhbh points out that the importance of this question of the geographies of digital contention or protest has been highlighted during the ongoing pandemic, in which mass protest gatherings, alternative forms of digital dissent, and their potentials and limitations have captured popular attention. She observes, “We don’t understand enough about the practicalities and implications of these practices, but they matter for how we affect change and govern contemporary societies.” Maedhbh’s award was chosen by Creative Ireland’s Sheila Deegan. The winning video can be accessed here.
Geographers Respond to Covid-19
Irish Geographers, in collaboration with others, have made a number of contributions to our understanding of the pandemic, the challenges it poses, its impacts on communities and the implications of management strategies. In doing so, the significance of space, place and location, as well as spatial mobility and interaction as factors that underpin how the pandemic works, has been highlighted. Ronan Foleys’s editorial in the most recent edition of Irish Geography ‘Geography and the Covid-19 Crisis in Ireland’ examines these issues from a number of disciplinary perspectives. In doing so, Foley reminds us all of the fundamental importance of geographical knowledge.
Also, highlighting the importance of knowledge gleaned from spatial analysis is the research by Gerald Mills et. al. ‘Making sense of publicly available data on COVID-19 in Ireland’. Involving a collaboration between geographers and medical practitioners, this work draws on publicly available data to examine the impact and pace of the pandemic as it waxed and waned unevenly across the country. Finally, McCarthy and MacCarron’s work on the spatial analysis of the death notices published on RIP.ie (which has received significant attention in the media) highlights the counties most affected by the saddest impacts of the virus, whilst also reminding us of the real people, families and communities that lie behind the statistics. Our condolences to all those who have lost loved ones during this crisis.
Images above: (top) shows the reduction traffic levels in response to the lockdown (supplied by G. Mills) and (below) shows deaths as recorded on RIP.ie (supplied by G.McCarthy) .
In Memory of Michael J. Bannon, formerly professor of planning at UCDGographers, especially those of a certain age, will be sorry to learn that Professor Michael J. Bannon, formerly of the UCD planning department, died on 18 December 2019. A UCD Geography graduate of the mid-1960s, Michael was a long-time advocate and exponent of the links between Geography and Physical, especially regional, Planning. For Obituary by Arnold Horner See here
In Memory of Gordon Herries Davies (1932-2019)Gordon Davies, otherwise Gordon Leslie Herries Davies (he favoured the latter form from the late 1970s), who died on 22 February 2019 was one of the most significant figures ‘doing Geography’ in Ireland during the second half of the last century. More....
EUGEO 2019
This year Geography at NUI Galway hosted the 7th EUGEO Congress in conjunction with the 51st Conference of Irish Geographers, in Galway City in the west of Ireland. The conference took place over four days (May 15th – 18th 2019) and the theme for the 2019 conference was Re-Imagining Europe's Future Society and Landscapes. The theme focuses on the centrality of the concepts of society and landscape within the Discipline of Geography and the importance of the relationship that exists between the physical and cultural landscape. Over 500 delegates attended the conference representing an astonishing 37 countries.
Save GeographyIn response to the changed position of Geography within the Junior cycle curriculum The Association of Geography Teachers of Ireland has created petition, calling for the restoration of Geography as a core subject on the Junior Cycle curriculum. If you can, please support this petition.
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New followers on TwitterThanks to all who participated in the 2019 Year of Geography initiative. Its success can be seen not only in its coverage in the local media but also in the increased traffic on twitter and other forms of social media. Followers on Twitter have increased from 408 on January 1st 2019 to 1,815 today! As can be seen from the diagram below (produced by Adrian Kavanagh) each month saw new followers!
Donegal features as the final county on the GSI's Year of Geography InitatiativeDecember sees Donegal feature as the final county on the very successful Year of Geography social media initiative, the objective of which has been to better highlight Geography across the island of Ireland and to better illustrate to the Irish public the work that geographers do. Follow #DonegalWeek in to find Tweets about people's favourite Donegal places, interesting place names, maps of everything from the county's coastal heritage its transport network, border connections and border passes and much more.
Prof. Des Gillmor makes a strong case for Geography in letter published in The Irish Times.Prof. Des Gillmor (Trinity College Dublin) published a letter in the Irish Times outlining how students see that geography is of ‘vital relevance to their lives and to the world today’, that twice as many students study geography at Leaving Cert than study history, and that geography is ‘the only subject which deals comprehensively’ with contemporary challenges such as climate change. Read the letter here
Nine reasons why geography mattersRTE Brainstorm recently published an article by By Anna Davies, Irish Research Council and Frances Fahy, NUI Galway outlining why geography is so important!
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Membership
Membership of the society is open to anyone with an interest in environmental and geographical issues. Benefits of membership include; - A subscription to the international peer-reviewed journal Irish Geography, - Participation in field trips and events sponsored by the society - Access to a network of individuals and organisations with similar interests. - Information on geographical events in Ireland and overseas. |
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Contact UsTo contact the Geographical Society of Ireland please complete the form below or email us at
gsi.procomms@gmail.com |