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
Offshore Wind Developers Must Pay Benefit to Coastal Communities - Ryan
13th January 2023 Power From the Sea
Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan says that offshore wind generators will be required to make “substantial annual contributions” to community benefit funds. He says that coastal and marine communities will “benefit significantly from offshore renewable electricity projects” as a result.…
Coast Guard Volunteers Association Seeks Legal Advice on New Whistleblowing Policy
13th January 2023 Coastguard
The Irish Coast Guard Volunteers Representative Association (ICGVRA) says it is taking legal advice on a new protective disclosure policy rolled out by the Department of Transport. Coast Guard volunteers around the coast have been informed that the department’s updated…
Recreational craft and swimmers were the largest focus of Irish Coast Guard coordinated responses in 2022, an analysis shows. As Afloat reported recently, figures released for 2022 show that the Irish Coast Guard co-ordinated responses to 2704 incidents last year. This…
Ireland Stagnates While Norway Grows - Irish Seafood Industry Calls for Debate
11th January 2023 Fishing
Irish fishing representatives have called for a wider debate on the potential growth of seafood exports. Three organisations have questioned why Ireland is not benefiting more from its own resource, and have appealed for “growth” in seafood to be “put…
A call for fresh inquests into the deaths of 50 people in the 1979 Betelgeuse tanker explosion on Cork’s Whiddy Island has been made by international maritime expert Michael Kingston. Kingston, whose father Tim died in the explosion, has written…
Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue has said he is increasing the budget for scrapping whitefish fishing vessels from 60 million to 75 million euros. As Afloat reported earlier, offers will be made to 57 owners, he said, and tax reliefs…
The island folklore of Oileáin Árann has been collated on a new website by residents of Inis Mór, working with a number of academic partners. Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann, the Árainn Folklore Project, has been “more than twenty years a-growing”, according…
Scientists Say Offshore Wind Turbines in North Sea Could Have Significant Impact on Ecosystem
8th January 2023 Power From the Sea
A team of German scientists has suggested that offshore wind farms in the North Sea could significantly impact the ecosystem. The scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon Research Institute used numerical modelling to show how there could be physical disruptions to…
Independent Environmental Regulator Required To Mitigate Impacts of Deep Sea Mining - IWDG Report
8th January 2023 Marine Wildlife
Deep-sea mining for scarce minerals and trace elements may have a “catastrophic impact” on the ocean floor, a study by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group warns. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), which Ireland is a member of, “lacks transparency”,…
A new permit scheme giving non-EEA migrant fishers the same rights as EU crew members has been welcomed by the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO). The Department of Justice confirmed the new arrangements this week, which provide for a “more…
A fuel leak is believed to have caused a fire on board a passenger ferry linking Ballyhack, Co Wexford with Passage East in Waterford, last year. A Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) report says the crew of the Frazer Tintern…
An investigation into a close-quarter incident involving two passenger ferries in Rosslare Harbour, Co Wexford, is highly critical of port control and poor communication on the bridge of one of the ships. It also highlights failure by the Government to…
Brian MacCoitir of the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation Recalls Downpatrick Head Rescue
23rd December 2022 Wavelength Podcast
There have been many extraordinary rescue efforts in Irish waters over the past year. One which few involved will ever forget lasted 22 hours, close to Downpatrick Head in north Mayo this past September. It took 14 hours alone to…
A Galway riverbank patrol group has appealed to those socialising during the festive season to keep an eye and ear out for friends in the city. The Claddagh Watch group of volunteers will walk the Corrib riverbanks up to and…
Fishing Industry Hails "Breakdown" of Norway's Attempts to Seek Access to More Blue Whiting
22nd December 2022 Fishing
Irish fishing industry organisations have welcomed the “breakdown” of attempts by Norway to seek unrestricted access to blue whiting grounds off the Irish coast. “Now is the time for the Irish Government and the EU to address the massive disparity…
Galway County Council Agree to Consultation on Proposed Beach Bye-Laws
22nd December 2022 Galway Harbour
Galway County Council has agreed to consult with watersport bodies on proposed beach bye-laws which would have banned all activities apart from swimming on 24 beaches. Officials and councillors agreed that watersport representative bodies would meet the county council’s Strategic…
The war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis have led to a collapse in the processed shrimp market, the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) says. “In previous years with shrimp, good prices would normally be expected in the…
Offshore Renewable Energy Co-operation Agreement Signed Between Ireland, European States and Britain
19th December 2022 Power From the Sea
Ireland and seven other members of the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) have agreed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Britain on increased cooperation for the development of offshore renewable energy. The agreement has been welcomed by Minister for…
Ireland’s plan to halt biodiversity decline in the marine and terrestrial environment is to be put on a statutory footing, Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan has said. Mr Noonan also said he intends to introduce stronger biodiversity responsibilities…
Development of a marina on the Aran island of Inis Mór is one step closer with Brexit-related funding approved by Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue. A sum of 475,000 euro has been granted for the provision of a floating pontoon…
