Lorna Siggins
Lorna Siggins is a print and radio reporter, and a former Irish Times western correspondent. She is the author of Search and Rescue: True stories of Irish Air-Sea Rescues and the Loss of R116 (2022); Everest Callling (1994) on the first Irish Everest expedition; Mayday! Mayday! (2004); and Once Upon a Time in the West: the Corrib gas controversy (2010). She is also co-producer with Sarah Blake of the Doc on One "Miracle in Galway Bay" which recently won a Celtic Media Award
Irish Company Joins Seaweed and Offshore Wind Project in North Sea
19th March 2024 Power From the Sea
Irish renewable energy developer Simply Blue has joined a North Sea consortium working on a commercial scale seaweed farm located within an offshore wind farm. The “North Sea Farm 1 Project” involves ten hectares of water off the Netherlands coast,…
A Connemara shellfish business is using Brexit-related grant aid for a new packaging and labelling machine. Killary Fjord Shellfish in Leenane received grant aid of over €16,000 through Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) under the Brexit Sustainable Aquaculture Growth Scheme. The…
Northabout crew from the Irish yacht’s historic polar circumnavigation marked the 80th birthday of their expedition skipper Jarlath Cunnane in Mayo last weekend. The adventurer, boat builder and holder of the prestigious Blue Water Medal, was joined by fellow sailors…
Sharing Ireland's Sea Space is "an Opportunity, Not a Problem" - Marine Institute's New Chief Executive Dr Rick Officer
13th March 2024 Wavelength Podcast
Good news – there is a sustained trend towards improvement in fish stocks in Irish waters, the Marine Institute’s new chief executive, Dr Rick Officer says. Speaking to Wavelengths, he says “huge credit” is due to Irish fishers for weathering…
Case for New Inis Oírr Pier Bolstered By Delay in Collecting Island Referendum Votes
10th March 2024 Island News
The case made by Aran islanders for a new pier at Inis Oírr has been bolstered by a delay in collecting referendum vote boxes from the island. Four Aran island boxes did not arrive at the Galway West count centre…
RNLI Marks Bicentenary in Dublin on the Liffey and in London's Westminster Abbey
4th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
Dublin’s Tom Clarke bridge was lifted for an RNLI lifeboat on Monday morning – but it wasn’t in response to a tasking. The Dun Laoghaire Harbour lifeboat steamed up the Liffey and berthed on North Wall Quay to mark the…
Incident Where Fishing Crew Survived Asphyxiation Could Have Been "Far More Serious" - MCIB Report
1st March 2024 MCIB
An incident where two crew members of a fishing vessel were asphyxiated during a fish tank cleaning operation could have had a “far more serious outcome” but for a number of factors, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has said.…
European Ombusdman Calls for Independent Inquiry Into Large Number of Mediterranean Deaths
1st March 2024 Rescue
A European Ombudsman inquiry into Frontex’s role in search and rescue operations says that the current rules leave the EU’s border and coast guard agency unable fully to fulfil its fundamental rights obligations. The inquiry says Frontex has no internal…
Industrial Strategy for Offshore Renewable Energy Due Shortly - Coveney
25th February 2024 Power From the Sea
Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney has said he intends to publish an offshore renewable energy (ORE) industrial strategy very shortly. A draft of the strategy was due to be presented to Cabinet this week, he told the third annual national…
Keith Payne On How To Build A Dunfanaghy Currach And Write A Poem About It In 16 Weeks
22nd February 2024 Wavelength Podcast
Currachs and naomhógs are among the only sea craft built upside down, and the expertise dates back generations. Poet Keith Payne learned all this and much more when he found himself working on a Dunfanaghy currach over 16 weeks. He…
An Oireachtas committee is to hear the case of the Arklow fisherman who discovered serious stability issues with a Dutch-built trawler and was left with debts of 1 million euro. The Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen meets…
The Irish Coast Guard has released images of the new livery for its next generation of search and rescue aircraft. The livery has been designed for the AW189 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, which will be provided under the new ten-year…
"Engage With Us" - Appeal By Simply Blue Group's Dr Val Cummins to Eamon Ryan
15th February 2024 Power From the Sea
Ireland is “ about five years behind other countries” on floating offshore wind, Simply Blue Group’s chief impact officer Dr Val Cummins has said. Dr Cummins was responding to a reported call by Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan on fellow…
Virtual Public Consultation On Floating Wind Farm off Scottish Coast Closes Next Monday
15th February 2024 Power From the Sea
The “virtual” consultation on the Ossian wind farm project off the Scottish coast has included four live question and answer sessions, along with availability of documentation on the project’s website. The Ossian project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables…
Coastal residents are urged to support a new campaign to save the Hen Harrier and its “captivating skydance” before it becomes extinct. BirdWatch Ireland, An Taisce and the Environmental Pillar are urging people across the country to call for a…
Marine Scientists Call on Open Water Swimmers and Coastal Walkers to Help Map Seagrass in Galway Bay
8th February 2024 Wavelength Podcast
Open water swimmers at Galway's Blackrock tower tend to swim east, but scientists would love it if they sometimes swam west – weather permitting. That’s an area rich in seagrass in Galway Bay, and one of a number of habitats…
Ireland Referred to EU Court of Justice Over River Basin Management Plan
8th February 2024 News Update
Ireland has been referred by the European Commission to its court of justice for failing to finalise revision of its river basin management plan. Ireland is one of six EU member states which have had the court referral issued to…
MCIB Report Recommends Measures After Fishing Crewman Sustains Crush Injury in Deck Incident Off Cork Coast
31st January 2024 MCIB
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has recommended that the Minister for Transport should consider introducing regulations specific to the installation and operation of articulated hydraulic deck cranes on fishing vessels. The MCIB recommendation is one of a number issued…
Next Generation Marine Turbine For Renewable Energy Successfully Tested at University of Galway
25th January 2024 Power From the Sea
The University of Galway has confirmed the successful testing of a next-generation marine hydrokinetic turbine foil for renewable energy. The technology was designed by US-headquartered global leader in marine energy ORPC Ireland and fabricated by ÉireComposites, based Indreabhán, Co Galway.…
Royal Cork Yacht Club's First Female Admiral Annamarie Fegan (Podcast Here!)
23rd January 2024 Wavelength Podcast
“It only took 304 years…” The words of Royal Cork Yacht Club’s first female admiral, Annamarie Fegan, on her election to the post this week. As Afloat reports here, Fegan, who already broke new ground in the world’s oldest yacht…