This article is a heritage news one. There are a number of community based projects I am touting over the next couple of weeks. These heritage projects I deem educational and are aimed to get people out and about and engage with Cork's rich history and geography.

(a) Photographing the Lee Valley, Landscapes and Memories

As noted two weeks ago in this column, as part of European Heritage Days, my photo exhibition of the Lee Valley, which ran in the Cork Vision Centre last November, is now on display in Gougane Barra Hotel. It will remain there for the month of September. Neil and Katie Lucey at the hotel are kindly facilitating the event. In recent weeks, I have moved the exhibition onto the pilgrimage island for an afternoon. This was completed with kind permission of the Diocese of Cork and Ross, Bishop John Buckley, Fr. Bernard Cotter and Sheila O'Leary and I am indebted to these people for continuing to my work in Gougane Barra.

Apart from the midgets 'eating me alive' putting the exhibition on Gougane Barra pilgrimage island was a useful tool in promoting, highlighting and engaging the general public who visit Gougane Barra for many reasons. I was interested to see parents showing children the pictures and telling them where some of the sites were and locals who pointed out to me people and places they knew very well.

So I made a few more contacts. I found the whole process exciting from my perspective as a geographer and an amateur photographer to see the hundred or so photos I selected to highlight the rich landscapes and memories in the valley back at the source of the Lee. I found it satisfying to bring the pictures out in the open air next to the oratory. I found it very poignant at times to reflect on Gougane's history and the pictures, which reflect and connected the rest of the valley.

As an aside, I have found that the river might connect communities physically but does not connect communities. There is a fragmentation between parishes as each tries to carve out its own being but bound up with the local and the national historical narrative.

(b) Culture Night Talk, 19th September

To further promote our River Lee Valley, for culture night on Friday, 19 September, I will deliver a talk entitled "A River of Memory, Landscape and memories in the Lee Valley" at the Lifetime Lab on Lee Road (formerly the Old Waterworks). Admission is free and all are welcome. The talk starts at 7pm.

(c) Discover Cork: Schools' Heritage Project 2008

The Discover Cork: Schools' Heritage Project 2008 was founded by me in 2003 and continues to grow and strengthen with each passing year with the fantastic support from the schools, students, parents and sponsors. There are two editions of the Project, a City and County. The two editions are to provide time for myself to travel around to the schools who take part and provide them with a workshop in how to approach, compile and write a project on an historical aspect of your local area.

One can enter as an individual, group or class. During the 2007-2008 school year, 90 schools took part with just over 2,000 children taking part. And of course, apart from the super work of the students, parents, grandparents, members of the community are engaged. So probably bringing the total number of people involved to circa 10,000 people in the city and county.

Both the city and county editions were recently launched for the 2008/ 2009 school year with the help of the city edition's best school effort for this year, Scoil Mhuire on Wellington Road. This year I am delighted myself to be able to fund part of the project. I am also indebted to my co-sponsors who deserve praise in their continued realisation and role in raising the importance of this community-based project. So I'd like to thank Cork Civic Trust and the role of John X. Miller, Cork City Council and the involvement of the Heritage Officer Niamh Twomey, Andrew Roche of Iarnród Éireann, the Evening Echo, Rosarie Murphy of Laura's / Buckley's Drapery, the Lifetime Lab and Mervyn Horgan, C2 design and Leila Cotter and Sean Kelly of Lucky Meadows Equestrian Centre, Watergrasshill.