A Botanical Walk on Whiddy Island [Ellen Hutchins Festival]

Ireland’s first female botanist is to be celebrated at the Ellen Hutchins Festival this August and this Whiddy Island Walk is a perfect way to learn more about a remarkable scientist

Ellen explored Whiddy Island in search of plants, and some of the rather unusual species can still be found in exactly the same places she describes seeing them 200 years ago. The walk on August 29th will be led by Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington (former NUIG botany lecturer).

The event is free, but you will either need to pay for the ferry to the island or book on the ‘Celebrating Ellen Hutchins’ boat trip taking place in the morning.

The Ellen Hutchins Festival commemorates the 200th anniversary of Hutchin’s death and will follow in Ellen’s footsteps, visiting her favourite plant hunting grounds such as Whiddy Island and Glengarriff Woods. There will also be talks, an exhibition about her life & work, visits to her birthplace, home and burial site, and an exhibition of her artwork.

For the full event programme, see http://ellenhutchins.com
Ferry times: http://www.whiddyislandferry.com/ferry.php