1st year students go GREEN in Wicklow!
100 first-year students from the School of Tourism & Hospitality Management across Grangegorman and Tallaght campuses, participated in a field trip to Wicklow last Thursday 13th November 2025. Students from Tourism Management, Hospitality Management, Event Management, International Hospitality & Tourism Management and Tourism & Digital Marketing, spent the day visiting Beyond the Trees Avondale, Powerscourt House & Gardens and Powerscourt Distillery, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, as part of the first-year experience.
The group was welcomed to Beyond The Trees Avondale by Catherine Holt, and Louise Fitzpatrick from Coillte spoke to the group about the attraction’s Sustainability Strategy, and managing and marketing the operation. Students were then guided on a tour of the treetop walkway and viewing tower by David Ballesty of EAK Ireland Treetop Walk.
Students were welcomed to Powerscourt House & Gardens by Fiona Farren, House Manager. The group enjoyed the fabulous gardens and century old trees in Ireland’s first visitor attraction to be certified by Sustainable Tourism Network (STN).
At the Powerscourt Distillery students learned about the distillation and maturation process of the whiskey, the event spaces available on site, and the noted the recent Icon of Whiskey Award for Sustainable Distillery of the Year and Sustainability Officer award.
The students were accompanied on the day by Louise Bellew, Geraldine Gorham, Julie Mullane, Ruth Craggs, Ann Conway, Carles Pratt, Samantha Morris, Ziene Mottiar, Bernadette Quinn and Kevin Griffin. The field trip was funded by the school.