By Lisa O’Grady, Thurles, Co.Tipperary, FdSc Rural and Countryside Management, Greenmount Campus

“As part of my studies on the Foundation degree (FdSc) Rural and Countryside Management (RCM) course at Greenmount Campus, I undertook two work placements this summer.  The first was an Environmental Education / Gardening Children’s Project with Dublin City Council which aimed at getting city children in tune with nature.  The second was field surveying with an environmental consultant on two projects, one in Donegal and the other in Fermanagh.  

My first placement was varied and valuable with many aspects to it from development of the project, holding meetings with local Community Development Officers, residents and children, to sourcing environmental education materials, buying tools and plants, and then planting up sites working with the children. One of the most enjoyable aspects was bringing the children on a field trip to the Botanic Gardens, Dublin. We had many fun activities planned and the children, who were mostly from disadvantaged inner city areas, really got a lot out of the visit, especially when they came face to face with squirrels for the first time (even though they were greys!).  

My second placement involved working on two surveys.  The first was a hedgerow survey of Co. Donegal, the second a survey for Marsh Fritillary butterfly larvae at a site in Co. Fermanagh.  Both surveys were very interesting and I learned lots but it was certainly not a job for the fainthearted, as it entailed working mostly ten hour days in all weather conditions!   The highlight was the discovery of many Marsh Fritillary butterfly larvae webs - this butterfly is an endangered species and each discovery was so exciting. I really felt I was helping towards its protection for the future and that all the hard work was well worth it.  Part of the placement also included writing up all the data from field work – it was really great to see the project through from start to finish.

I would strongly recommend doing a couple of different placements to get a feel for different types of work, especially if anyone was in doubt as to which career direction to take.”

Lisa O’Grady taking GPS readings in the field to plot the location of the Marsh fritillary butterfly larvae in Fermanagh

Lisa O’Grady and local residents celebrate the completion of the Wildlife Garden project