ANNUAL IAH (IRISH GROUP) FIELD TRIP 2026: Urban Hydrogeology of Co. Cork – 17 & 18 October 2026

Logistics

Over the course of the weekend, we will have insightful input from Gerry Baker (ARUP), Sarah Blake (Geological Survey Ireland) and John Weatherill (University College Cork), with additional help from some of their colleagues. Please see below for preliminary details.

The field trip will commence on Saturday, with the bus departing from TOBIN’s Dublin office at 7:00 am and travelling to Cork City. We will meet at the Address Hotel at approximately 10:45 am (where cars can be parked and left for the day), before undertaking a guided hydrogeological walking tour of the city centre. This will include an overview of Cork city’s hydrogeology, groundwater flooding and dewatering issues. After lunch, the group will visit some GSI geothermal boreholes, and then travel to Midleton for the afternoon, where we will be provided with further insight into the characteristic hydrogeology of the Cork synclines overlain by gravel aquifers, with a particular focus on groundwater flooding challenges and solutions.

We will then continue to The Address hotel for the evening.

On Sunday, our field trip will continue to Mallow. Our contributors will lead visits to a range of sites of geological, hydrogeological and geophysical interest. Our final itinerary is yet to be finalised for Sunday, but more information will follow in the coming weeks.

Please note (in order to save the trees!!) we will not be automatically providing hard copies of the field trip guide this year. These will be available to download as pdf before the weekend. Of course, if you still wish to be provided with a hard copy, please let me know and I will print one for you to have on the day.

Pick up / Drop off

The meeting point on Saturday morning is The Address Hotel Car Park. Please be at the hotel for 10:45 am. On Sunday morning, people can park/leave their cars at Muddy Hill Car Park in Mallow. Please note spaces may be limited, but ample parking is available throughout Mallow town. We will meet at Muddy Hill Car Park on Sunday at 9:00 am.

Drivers will be dropped back to their cars at the end of each day. As always, we encourage people travelling from outside of Dublin to carpool.

PPE/Clothing

As it stands, there is no need for any PPE other than a pair of boots and wellies. Please note that both days involve a lot of walking, so please dress accordingly. Please make sure you wrap up warm with layers which you can easily slip on/peel off (and a raincoat for good measure).

Accommodation & Meal

The Address Hotel in Cork has kindly offered IAH fieldtrip rates. Please see previous emails for price breakdowns. Please quote ‘IAH 2026’ when booking.

**Please note you are responsible for booking of your own accommodation. The hotel is holding a number of rooms for us but may be booked out already. Other accommodation (including B&Bs and hostels) is available nearby. 

Attendance & Cost


If you are considering attending this year’s fieldtrip, please answer the poll here: IAH Field Trip 2026 – IAH Field Trip 2026 – Fill out form 

Alternatively, please email the fieldtrip secretary (Karina O’Donnell, fieldtrip@iah-ireland.org), indicating if you:

  • Are attending? (one or both days)
  • Wish to travel on bus from Dublin or will be joining us in Cork? Logistics to be confirmed shortly but, as always, we encourage Fieldtrippers to avail of the bus for the duration of the fieldtrip if at all possible.
  • Wish to stay in the group hotel?
  • Wish to attend the group evening meal?
  • Any questions or issues, please let us know.

The charge to attendees will match last years cost. The charge this year will be €90 for those taking the bus from Dublin and availing of lunch on the Saturday and Sunday. The charge for those joining us in Cork city and availing of lunch on the Saturday and Sunday will be €60. If you are only attending one day and one lunch, the cost will be €30. Please note that participants must pay their own accommodation and dinner costs themselves. For unwaged or student members, there will be no charge for bus or lunch on Saturday or Sunday. Please contact the field trip secretary for more information.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Fieldtrip guides from previous years are available here: