Find events near you on our calendar below. New events added every week!
BioBlitz at Castletown House and Parklands, Celbridge, County Kildare
May 22 @ 3:00 pm - May 23 @ 3:00 pm
Friday 22nd May 2026.
3-4:30pm River Dipping. Meeting at the gazebo at the stable entrance, an OPW staff member will take some kick samples from river to how the rich diversity of life within a pond habitat. A popular educational activities for children and adults of all ages. Identification literature and the OPW staff will be on hand to teach children the diversity of pond life beyond simply tadpoles!
4-5pm: Trees of Castletown House. Meeting at the gazebo at the stable entrance, where OPW staff will lead a walk showing the range of Ireland’s tree species, discussing their folklore and biology.
The National Botanic Garden Botanist’s will have set out plant ID labels to flowering plants.
7:30pm: Dusk Chorus. Meeting at the gazebo at the front of house, Neil Bourke of BirdWatch Ireland (Kildare Branch) will lead a group around the Castletown grounds to hear our birds as they begin their dusk chorus.
9:30-11pm: Bat Walk. Meeting at the gazebo at the stable entrance, Anna Collins of Bat Conservation Ireland (Kildare Branch) will lead the bat walk. Learn about the diversity of bat species resident in Castletown House and the wider grounds. We will also explore their diet and the importance of insect life to sustain them. This is free but ticketed through Eventbrite.
Saturday 23rd May 2026
5:30-8am: Dawn Chorus Walk. Meeting at the gazebo at the stable entrance, join us on this dawn walk with Lorcán Scott OPW Biodiversity Officer, to listen to the woods awaken with birdsong and learn how to identify some of our resident bird species. This is free but ticketed through Eventbrite.
10-11am: Meadow walk. Meeting at the gazebo at the stable entrance. OPW staff will lead a walk through the flower-filled meadows and explain how these have been managed to improve the number of flowering plants, and explain how anyone can turn a grass lawn into a vibrant patch of meadow, filled with pollinators.
10:30am-1pm: Learning to identify Irish Plants (Botanists from National Botanical Gardens). Throughout the morning we will have a team of botanist’s on-hand to show people how to identify native Irish plants. As plants are identified they will be signposted prominently throughout the Gardens so that visitors can be meet these plants as they walk around.
12-1pm: River Dipping. Meeting at the gazebo at the stable entrance, an OPW staff member will take some kick samples from river to how the rich diversity of life within a pond habitat. A popular educational activities for children and adults of all ages. Identification literature and the OPW staff will be on hand to teach children the diversity of pond life beyond simply tadpoles!
1-2pm: BIRD BINGO at Castletown. Armed with bird bingo card in hand, take a bird walk around the meadows, woods and pond to list of all the species seen and heard. This is self-guided.
3pm: Final species list. At 3 the adjudicators will begin collating the lists of species that have been gathered during the day by the experts and members of the public. These will then be uploaded to the National Biodiversity Data Centre website as a permanent record of the day.
Partners: OPW & National Botanic Gardens (OPW); Bat Conservation Ireland; BirdWatch Ireland; Moths Ireland; Kildare CoCo (Biodiversity Office)
