Bat Conservation Ireland 10th Irish Bat Conference

Dates: Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March 2023

Location: Athlone Springs Hotel, Co. Roscommon, N37 F9T3

We are delighted to bring you the 10th National Bat Conference, which will bring together leading experts in bat research, education, conservation and activism.  It is a great opportunity to come together after an extra-long break of 6 years, to meet colleagues, friends and batty experts to learn about new developments, technology and research, as well as developing new skills.

Opening Address: Minister Malcolm Noonan, TD, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform

Additional key speakers:

• Prof. Fiona Mathews, Prof. of Environmental Biology (Evolution, Behaviour & Environment), School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex;
• Dr. Hugo Rebelo, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Portugal;
• Enda Mullen, Divisional Ecologist, National Parks and Wildlife Service

We will also have numerous presentations on various aspects of bat research, projects, conservation and more.

Workshops will take place on Sunday 12 March and will cover the following topics:

• Bat Surveys & Windfarms – Pre & Post Planning Monitoring;
• Bats and Lighting;
• Use of New Imaging Technologies in Bat Work;
• Bats and Heritage Buildings;
• How to Run a Bat Walk & Resources for Bat Groups.

Members of the Irish Planning Institute who attend the three relevant workshops on Sunday morning will earn 3 CPD points.

The provisional conference programme is available here – 10th Irish Bat Conference Programme

Tickets can be booked for the full conference or either Saturday 11 March or Sunday 12 March. Price includes access to talks and/or workshops, teas/coffees, lunch on the day and the wine reception on Saturday evening. Accommodation and dinner are the responsibility of individual delegates. The Athlone Springs Hotel is has a limited number of rooms available for Friday 10 and Saturday 11 March.  Please contact the hotel directly for more information.

Parking is available at the hotel.  For delegates taking public transport, Athlone is serviced by trains and buses from various locations around Ireland.  The Athlone Springs Hotel is situated approx. 6km from Athlone Train Station and is serviced by the A1 and A2 buses from the train station.

This conference is grant aided by The National Parks and Wildlife Service

Many thanks to conference sponsors