Bats and Heritage Structures

Join us for a free online workshop to learn about protecting bats during management, maintenance and restoration of heritage structures. This workshop is aimed at conservation architects, engineers, planners and heritage site managers who may be involved in planning and carrying out works. Heritage sites include listed buildings, stone bridges, ruins, traditional farm buildings and other sites of historical or archaeological interest. To attend this workshop you are not expected to have any prior knowledge of bats or biodiversity.

The seminar will include:

A short introduction to Irish bats by Dr Niamh Roche of Bat Conservation Ireland. Niamh co-ordinates a number of Irish bat monitoring schemes and recently co-authored an Identification Guide to Ireland’s Bats.

A presentation from Dr Tina Aughney, also of Bat Conservation Ireland, who has worked on many heritage sites with bats. For this talk she will describe the steps taken to protect bats at a stone bridge that required structural strengthening works, as well as her experiences at other heritage sites.

Fergal McNamara of 7LArchitects is an RIAI Grade 1 Conservation Architect who has been involved in restoration works on heritage sites with bats. Fergal will detail his experiences of working on a Norman tower house site, which is also a bat roost, in County Galway.

The workshop will finish up with a 20 minute, participant-led, open discussion session with the expert panel.

What this workshop will achieve: Participants will learn more about ensuring bat species are protected at heritage sites when works are required. This will help any planned works remain in compliance with the wildlife legislation.

Members of the Irish Planning Institute will be entitled to 2 CPD points for attending this workshop.

This workshop is funded by The Heritage Council and is free for participants to attend.

A zoom link will be sent to registered participants in advance of the event.