Hello all,
        I would like to second Tom Barrett's good recommendation for the
Federation of Irish Beekeepers summer course at Gormanston.  As the sole
attendee from the USA I found the course to be very interesting. Talking
about bees with several hundred other beekeepers, starting from early
morning breakfast, through the daytime and evening classes, and till well
past midnight at the pub was truly an unforgettable experience.  In
addition to lectures, there were practical demonstrations and a field trip
to the Irish Agricultural College to look at the apiary there.
        The style of beekeeping practiced in Ireland and England is very different
than U.S. beekeeping.  The hive styles, frames, etc are not those used in
the USA, Canada, or the rest of Europe (National and WBC hives).  Honey
flows differ tremendously from what we am used to in the western USA.
(Patsy Bennet from the Irish research station at Clonroache says his
records show that 100% of the seasons crop is derived from 15 days of honey
flow, and, if it rains...there goes the crop).  And, the bees are kept in a
much more settled environment with "garden" beekeepers much more common
than in my part of the US.  The course emphasis is very much geared towards
the small scale, intensive managment beekeeper and, while I did not learn a
lot that was directly applicable to my management requirements, it was very
helpful to learn about the other management styles because it made me
question why I do a number of the things I have to do.  Thinking about
environmental reasons for different bee behavior (and beekeeper behavior)
was very stimulating.
        This was the 50th consecutive year that the course has been held.  It is
now always held at Gormanston, just north of Dublin and is usually the
third week in July, a good time to visit Ireland.  I got to meet beekeepers
from Ireland, England, Wales, the Isle of Man, Belgium, Japan, and France.
The Irish National Honey show is held during the week as well and it was a
great chance to see honey show displays from England and Ireland, as well
as a good opportunity to buy a number of different types of honey at the
end of the show. In short, its a great time, very inexpensive for the week,
and a good excuse to visit Ireland.
 
Patrick M. O'Hearn
Bears Choice Honey
Aztec, NM