Lifelong Learning
Culture and Heritage Tours is a strong advocate of lifelong learning. Culture and Heritage Tours has developed and designed a programme of non formal and informal lifelong learning courses suited to the adventurous traveller with a quest for knowledge about the unique Irish cultural social history that defines the island of Ireland.
Our educational courses are designed to be informative and go beyond just showing people the amazing heritage of Ireland, but enable them to experience this material culture through a training pair of eyes in order to question and understand the significance of these features. All this will take place in an informal discursive context under the guidance of a highly experienced and informed academic. The courses are residential to foster a group learning experience.
We offer a varied delivery schedule to deal with the demand from domestic as well as international learners. Please contact us directly for our programme schedule.
ICI0113 - Informal residential lifelong learning course
Course title: Pilgrimage and Procession in Ireland
The residential course is part of the informal lifelong learning programme being developed by Culture and Heritage Tours.
This unique experiental course is a combination of formal lectures, group discussions and field excursions. The course will be delivered by a leading authority on heritage and history of pilgrimage in Ireland in the medieval and modern period.
The multi-disciplinary course is designed to draw together strands of information from subjects such as history, archaeology, geography, sociology and folklore and will provide the learner with the skills and competency to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the role of pilgrimage and procession in Ireland and in a wider European perspective.
The course will enable the participants to debate whether there has been a dilution of the spiritual aspects of many of the great shrines of the medieval world, many of the smaller shrines, such as those associated with local holy wells, have arguably managed to continue as a devotional foci from the early medieval period to the present day.
This course is suited to anyone interested in the history, archaeology and heritage of the practice and traditions of religious pilgrimage in Ireland. It is an informal learning outcome based course.
We will forward course dates, learning outcomes and registration fees details upon request (enquiry option).
ICI0213 - Informal residential lifelong learning course
Course title: Saints, Kings and Vikings - Early Medieval Ireland c.400-1100
This interdisciplinary course examines the development of Irish society through time, from the introduction of Christianity between the fifth and seventh centuries, through the turbulent years of the early Viking age, to the changing social and political circumstances of the eleventh century.
The course will introduce the participants to the complex history and archaeology of early medieval Ireland. Among the themes addressed will be the Patrician mission, the development of the early medieval church, settlement and society, royal power, the ’Golden Age’, the arrival of the Vikings, raids and raiding bases, urban development, the Battle of Clontarf and the socio-political changes of the eleventh century.
Participants will be introduced to a range of primary sources (all in translation) including the Irish law tracts, annals and some saga material. Archaeological evdence will also be examined.
We will forward course dates, learning outcomes and registration fee details upon request (enquiry option).
ICI0313 - Informal residential lifelong learning course
Course title: Death be not proud - funerals and funerary practices in nineteenth and twentieth century Ireland
This unique experiental course combines formal lectures, group discussions and field excursions in a relaxed and group focussed manner. The course will be delivered by a leading authority on heritage and history of Ireland.
The course aims at introducing the participants to the most difficult life stage for a family and showing how, in a uniquely Irish manner, the community comes together not just to greive, but to celebrate the life, of the deceased. The participants will be shown how wakes were orchestrated in adherence with the contemporary customs and traditions which bore their uniquely non-Christian origins. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries witnessed periods of major social change in Ireland, with religious orders providing solice, education and health services to Irish communities.
The course aims at enriching the participants understanding of the key developments during this period. In addition the participants will learn in detail about the range of cultural material associated with an Irish funeral, ranging from clay pipes to the types of grave markers.
This course is suited to anyone interested in the social history on the nineteenth and twentieth century in Ireland within the context of the funerary traditions and customs. Also suited to those interested in historic gravemarkers (their recording and interpretation) and people interested in family history. It is an informal learning outcome based course.
We will forward course dates, learning outcomes and registration fee details upon request (enquiry option).
ICI0513 - Informal residential lifelong learning course
Course title: The Archaeological Heritage of Ireland
The archaeological heritage of the Irish landscape is reflected not only through the visible upstanding archaeological monuments, but through the low visibility archaeological features that may appear mundane. The course shall look at the archaeological evidence for human activity in Ireland from prehistoric (7000 B.C.) to modern times (A.D. 1800).
The course aims at introducing the participants to a select range of features of archaeological and historical interest that occur throughout the Irish countryside. These features shall include amongst other sites, megalithic tombs (e.g. Boyne Valley/ Carrowmore), crannógs (river settlements), tower houses and field systems (stone and earthen walls). The participants will learn how to identify such features and be familiar with aspects of the contemporary society that constructed, used and re-used such features.
This course is tailored to all adults who want to either learn about or advance their existing knowledge of the archaeological heritage of Ireland. The course will use case studies such as the Harvard Archaeological Expedition of the 1930’s, Wood Quay in the 1970’s and the results of the developer led excavations from 1990-2010.
We will forward course dates, learning outcomes and registration fees details upon request (enquiry option).