Water is Life! River Sampling at The Organic Centre

What to Expect

Water is Life! is a two-hour practical session at The Organic Centre in Rossinver led by Yosef Dvores, built around sampling the Ballagh River that runs through north Leitrim. Participants get out to the water and learn the methods used to assess a local waterway, looking at what lives in it and what that tells you about the health of the river.

The emphasis is on skills people can use afterwards on their own local stream or river rather than a lecture about water quality in the abstract. The workshop is run as part of Water Heritage Day, the water-focused strand of National Heritage Week, with support from the River Basin Management Service. Tea, coffee and cakes are served afterwards, which turns the second part of the afternoon into a chance to talk over what people found. Children are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult, and the riverbank setting means practical footwear is sensible.

Good to Know

• Date: Sunday 23 August 2026, the closing Sunday of National Heritage Week
• Time: 1pm to 3pm
• Venue: The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co. Leitrim
• Led by Yosef Dvores, with sampling on the Ballagh River
• Free to attend, booked through the Eventbrite listing run by The Organic Centre
• Children must be accompanied by an adult
• Refreshments of tea, coffee and cakes are served afterwards
• Part of Water Heritage Day, supported by the River Basin Management Service

Getting There

The Organic Centre is at Rossinver in north Leitrim, in the hills between Lough Melvin and the Dartry range, signposted from the road between Kinlough and Manorhamilton. Kinlough and Bundoran lie to the north-west, Manorhamilton to the south, and Sligo city is about an hour’s drive away. There is on-site parking at the centre, which also has a shop, gardens and a cafe. There is no rail service to this part of the county; the nearest stations are at Sligo and Enniskillen, both a drive away. Bring boots or shoes you do not mind getting wet, as part of the session takes place at the riverbank.