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
Seagrasses "the Serengeti of the Seas" - Galway Atlantaquaria Public Talk
7th May 2023 Marine Wildlife
“The Serengeti of the seas” is how seagrasses are described by a North American scientist who is concerned about the future of a “forgotten” coastal ecosystem. Katie May Laumann of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is one…
Financial Costs of Invasive Alien Species Equivalent To Natural Disasters- QUB-led Research
8th May 2023 Marine Wildlife
Financial losses caused by invasive species have been equivalent to the cost of natural disasters over the past 40 years, according to an international study involving Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). The study analyses how “invasive alien species” such as zebra…
Memorial Service for Mariners at Galway Bay Sailing Club This Monday, May 8th
6th May 2023 Galway Harbour
A flotilla of yachts and fishing boats will converge on Galway Bay Sailing Club (GBSC) this Monday evening for a memorial service for mariners. The event is scheduled for 7 pm at GBSC on May 8th, just a day after…
An Achill currach built by artist Mark Redden is part of a project on display for the next fortnight in Dublin’s Temple Bar. Redden says the project began as a conversation about how a damaged two-handed Achill currach, An Trá…
Inis Mhic Oileáin: One of Two Unique Places in the World - Artist Maria Simonds-Gooding
27th April 2023 Wavelength Podcast
“There are two places in the world that create a sort of a spark within one that is so unique…and one of those is Inis Mhic Oileáin..” That’s how award-winning artist Maria Simonds-Gooding feels about the Kerry island, one of…
Laser Dinghy Circumnavigator of Ireland Honoured by Galway City Mayor
25th April 2023 Galway Harbour
Richard Hayes, who circumnavigated Ireland in a Laser One dinghy five years ago, has been honoured at a mayoral reception in Galway city. Hayes had set out on his voyage with two main aims - to highlight the preventable nature…
"Not One Cent" of Brexit Compensation Funding Paid Out - Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation
21st April 2023 Fishing
The Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) has described as “an absolute scandal” the Government’s delay in paying out funding to compensate the seafood sector for the impact of Brexit. The Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) worth almost 1 billion euro was allocated…
Ireland's sea fish landings were down, but prices were up last year, according to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). BIM’s annual business of seafood report for 2022 estimates that the seafood sector was worth 1.3 billion euros last year. In spite…
70th Anniversary of 'Tóstal na Gaillimhe' Currach Regatta Planned for Early May in Galway Bay
19th April 2023 Currachs
The 70th anniversary of “Tóstal na Gaillimhe”, a traditional currach regatta, is to be celebrated off Salthill in Galway Bay in early May. After a break of ten years, the event planned for May 6th and 7th has been billed…
The disappearance of 129 people led by Sir John Franklin after they set out in 1845 to find a sea route to the Orient by way of the North-west Passage is one of the great mysteries of high-latitude exploration. That’s…
North Galway Windfarm Project Proposed Geotechnical Survey Raises Concerns Among Inshore Fleet
15th April 2023 Galway Harbour
Inshore fishermen working grounds in Galway Bay have expressed concern about the impact of geotechnical works for one of the Irish west coast’s first offshore wind farms. The Sceirde Rocks fixed bottom offshore wind farm in north Galway Bay is…
Inquest into Irish Coast Guard Caitriona Lucas Will Hold Second Preliminary Hearing
13th April 2023 Coastguard
The family of Irish Coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas have asked that three former transport ministers, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, appear as witnesses at the full inquest into her death. Ms Lucas (41), an Irish Coast Guard Doooin unit volunteer, died…
Inquest To Be Adjourned into Irish Coast Guard Volunteer Caitriona Lucas's Death
12th April 2023 Coastguard
An inquest into the death of Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas is expected to be adjourned today (April 12), following an application by legal representatives for the Lucas family for a number of witnesses and documentation. Lawyers for Ms…
Fishing Industry Leader Questions Handling of Remote Electronic Monitoring Pilot Project Appeal
8th April 2023 Fishing
A fishing industry leader has questioned the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency’s handling of its appeal for volunteers for remote electronic monitoring of fishing vessels. Late last month, the SFPA issued a press release stating that it was enlisting the support…
A Government decision to deploy a Naval Service patrol ship for maritime security in the Mediterranean has been welcomed by the Defence Forces. As Afloat reported earlier, The LÉ William Butler Yeats has been identified as the vessel which will…
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have welcomed the final report of the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss which extends to the marine environment. The report by 99 members of the Citizens’ Assembly carries 159 recommendations on how Ireland can improve its response…
Nigeria, Egypt and China are the leading export markets for Irish seafood outside of the EU. A report by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) states that 93.4 per cent of seafood exported last year comprised pelagic species, including blue…
Canadian Operator of Corrib Gas Field Increases Its Stake in North Mayo Project
3rd April 2023 Power From the Sea
The Canadian-based operator of the Corrib gas field has increased its stake in the north Mayo project to 56.5 per cent. Vermilion Energy says it is now “the largest provider of domestic natural gas in Ireland” after confirming acquisition of…
Lack of Naval Capability to Monitor Russian Commercial Ships Criticised (Air Corps Ship Photos Here)
3rd April 2023 Navy
Politician and former Army Ranger Cathal Berry has criticised the State’s lack of resources to monitor Russian Federation-flagged commercial ships off the west coast. The Independent TD for Kildare South told Newstalk Breakfast that it was “simply not good enough…
Russian Ambassador to Ireland Questions Reporting on Russian Commercial Ships Off Irish Coast
3rd April 2023 Ports & Shipping
The Russian commercial ships monitored by the Defence Forces off the Irish west coast over the last week have left the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Defence Forces have confirmed. The 79.8 metre-long Umka is an offshore supply vessel,…
