2024 Annual Conference Details
The theme for the 2024 IAH (Irish Group) Annual Conference is ‘Groundwater & Nature Based Solutions’.
The conference will be held on the 16th and 17th April 2024 at the Tullamore Court Hotel.
The Eventbrite link for the conference is now open: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/44th-annual-iah-irish-group-conference-tickets-852208437377
Contact conference@iah-ireland.org for inquiries.
2024 Annual Conference
The theme of this year’s conference is Groundwater & Nature Based Solutions. We have an interesting, wide ranging and informative programme that will offer insight, experience, guidance, suggestions and ideas related to this topical and important theme.
Nature Based Solutions is an approach that promotes nature as a means for providing solutions to clumate mitigation and adaptation challenges, and the concept is at the core of EU policies and frameworks. There are numerous definitions and meanings of the concept, but fundamentally it is about linking positive outcomes for society with the notion of nature as a means of achieving the outcomes (Nesshover et al 2017); hydrogeologists have been working in this sphere for decades!
Some speakers will offer practical perspectives and experiences on issues related to groundwater – covering case and site studies, as well as insights into complexities of groundwater behaviour in particular environments (river channels and floodplains, urban settings, coastal and near shore zones); others will offer insights from deep systems, from peatlands, and from the machine learning perspective that will be invaluable to practitioners in Ireland and overseas.
The early career hydrogeologists will present posters and our two keynote speakers (Minister of State Malcolm Noonan TD, and Dr Catherine Farrell) will gave the conference framing contexts.
The Eventbrite link for the conference is now open: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/44th-annual-iah-irish-group-conference-tickets-852208437377
Please find the updated conference proceedings below.
The IAH (Irish Group) gratefully acknowledge the support of sponsors and exhibitors at the 2023 conference and for past conferences and look forward to seeing them again in the future.
The sponsors and exhibitors for the 43rd IAH Annual Groundwater Conference are shown below, please click on their logo to be redirected to their website:
About the Annual Conference
The first IAH (Irish Group) Groundwater Conference was held in 1981, four years after the Irish Chapter was founded in 1976. The two-day conference has evolved over the years with the growing IAH membership and has become a keenly anticipated event in the IAH calendar for members and non-members alike.
The conference usually takes place in April (currently held in Tullamore, Co. Offaly) of any given year. The IAH (Irish Group) Committee and Conference Sub-Committee commence planning the upcoming conference in October, following the election of any new committee member at the Annual General Meeting.
Each year, the committee endeavour to present conference themes and presentations which are topical and relevant to delegates from academic, consulting , statutory and non-technical backgrounds, alike. The questionnaires distributed to delegates at the end of the conference provide invaluable feedback to the committee and inform the basis of planning future themes.
The IAH (Irish Group) Groundwater Conference can be expected to benefit hydrogeologists, engineers, local authorities, consultants, planners, environmental scientists, public health officials, professionals and practitioners from a variety of sectors involved with groundwater.
The conference programme comprises the following components:
– Themed presentation sessions (five/six over 2 days), including a ECHN session, from national and international speakers.
– Exhibitor displays during tea/coffee and lunch breaks.
– Social evening.
– Technical workshop.
The conference is an important event for the IAH (Irish Group) as most of the funding for the association is derived from the annual conference. We gratefully acknowledge the continued attendance of all delegates, in particular the support of the conference exhibitors.
Proceedings are made available to download from the IAH (Irish Group) website six months after the conference has ended.
Download proceedings from previous annual conferences:
An index of all the previous presentations since 1981 can be viewed here.