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
Consultant Kieran Mulvey made the recommendation in a report prepared for Minister of State for Fisheries Timmy Dooley to inform a new five-year strategy for the fisheries sector under the Programme for Government. Mulvey said discussions across the sector consistently…
The Government has approved the drafting of the Maritime Area Planning (Marine Protected Areas) (Amendment) Bill 2026. The move will amend the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 and will provide a legislative basis for the designation and effective management of…
"Pinger" To Deter Dusty The Dolphin During Lifesaving Training in Clare The Focus of Public Consultation Meeting
6th July 2026 Marine Wildlife
Clare Water Safety is holding a “public engagement” tonight, Monday July 6th, on the use of a device to protect participants in its lifesaving programme from Dusty the resident dolphin. As Afloat has reported, Dusty is a solitary dolphin which…
"Major Boost" To Curlew Population Promised With Irish-British Initiative
3rd July 2026 Marine Wildlife
A new collaboration involving conservation groups in Ireland and Britain aims to provide a major boost to the curlew population in Ireland, two Government ministers have said. A special licensing arrangement between Ireland and Britain will allow for the importation…
Ireland has become one of the few countries in the world to complete a detailed airborne geophysical survey, according to the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI). After "16 years and over 440,000 km of flying", the survey known as the Tellus Programme…
Ringsend and District Historical Society is hosting a cruise in Dublin Bay to celebrate Bloomsday. The trip by Dublin Bay Cruises will steam from Poolbeg marina to the Martello Tower at Sandycove on Saturday, June 13th - several days before the…
Construction of a very short canal in Oman on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz could help to solve current issues with shippingsince the US invasion of Iran, according to economist Pablo Rodas-Martini.Writing on LinkedIn, the former chief…
Development of Ireland’s national designated maritime area plan (DMAP) is still “on track”, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has confirmed. It expects the national D-Map to be adopted by the end of 2027, with offshore renewable energy…
MARA Study Raised Concerns About Impact of Surveys At Sea On Marine Life
27th May 2026 Marine Planning
A new study for Ireland’s marine regulator says that repeated geophysical and geotechnical surveys, which are also clustered and overlap with sensitive habitats, could negatively impact marine life.As Afloat has reported, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) published a study…
Agricultural Run-Off and Sewage Threatening Seagrass Meadows on Northern Irish Coast
16th May 2026 Marine Wildlife
New research by Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has found that seagrass meadows across Northern Ireland are under threat from severe pollution linked to agricultural run-off and sewage. Even meadows which have legal protection from human disturbance, such as marine protected…
Dooley Asks Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien To Pursue Issues Relating To FV Mary Kate
7th May 2026 Fishing
Minister of State for Fisheries Timmy Dooley has asked his Cabinet colleague Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien to take up issues relating to the former fishing vessel Mary Kate. In a letter to owner CJ Gaffney of Arklow, Mr Dooley…
Oyster Shells Can Remove Rare Earth Elements From Polluted Water - TCD Research
27th March 2026 Marine Science
Discarded oyster shells can capture and remove rare earth elements from polluted water, according to new research by a team at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). The research, which has been published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, shows…
Fine Gael MEP Calls for Review of Mary Kate Case By Two Government Departments
19th March 2026 Fishing
Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly has called on two government departments to review the case of the fishing vessel Mary Kate and engage again with EU authorities. “It is disappointing that a thorough investigation has not yet been carried out…
At Least 38 New Marine Species Discovered in Japanese-Led International Expedition
13th March 2026 Marine Wildlife
A Japanese-led international expedition has discovered 38 new species and identified another 28 potential new species across two of Japan’s most understudied deep-sea regions. The Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census Expedition was undertaken in June 2025, in partnership with the Japan…
Research by an Atlantic Technological University (ATU) ecologist has found that numbers for corncrakes are up slightly in the past five years due to conservation measures. The corncrake, which was once abundant in coastal and rural Ireland, became an endangered…
How to Make a Rudder Mid Atlantic With Restaurateur Jamie Peaker
23rd February 2026 Wavelength Podcast
Galway-based adventurer and restaurateur Jamie Peaker has driven across Africa, he has travelled extensively in South America, he has completed the Trans-Mongolian Express, and he and his wife Nina have raced by rickshaw from Nepal to southern India. His sailing…
Inishowen Maritime Museum Receives Investment for New Planetarium From Shared Island Fund
23rd February 2026 Island News
Donegal’s Inishowen Maritime Museum is to receive capital investment of €232,911 for a new planetarium under a Shared Island funding initiative. The funding is part of a total capital investment of €2.7million from the cross-border initiative to develop “visitor experiences”…
New Species Of Deep Sea Worm Found South-West of Ireland Identified
13th February 2026 Marine Science
A new species of deep-sea worm has been identified in the depths of the north-east Atlantic south-west of Ireland. The species, named, Melinnopsis nathanieli, was collected from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain Sustained Observatory (PAP-SO), a long-term scientific study site in…
'An Tír Faoi Thoinn - The Land Beneath the Waves' Photography Exhibition Opens at Galway City Museum
11th February 2026 Galway Harbour
Galway’s enduring connection to the sea is celebrated in a new underwater photography exhibition featuring the work of the late Dr John Costelloe. Dr Costelloe was a marine biologist, passionate diver and gifted underwater photographer. The exhibition, entitled l An…
2025 A Key Year for Renewable Energy - Ministers Address Summit
6th February 2026 Power From the Sea
Establishment of an offshore wind clearing house by the Taoiseach and a successful result in the Tonn Nua auction are among renewable energy highlights identified by Government ministers at a renewable energy summit. Addressing the Renewable Energy Summit, Minister for…
