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Coastal Development in Ireland
Howth Harbour dredging project moves towards a provisional 2027 start following statutory approvals
The long-awaited Howth Harbour dredging project is moving through procurement following the granting of environmental approvals, with the Government targeting a start to works in 2027, subject to a successful contract award and an agreed programme. In a written Dáil…
Works will be conducted from the offshore support vessel Aquarius-G
The Department of Transport has been advised that Gas Networks Ireland will conduct remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey operations in the northwest Irish Sea along the pipelines of the Irish Sea Gas Interconnector. These will be followed by maintenance interventions…
Trailing wire cathodic protection works will be carried out by the commercial cabin RIB Tracer 3
Nearshore surveys of the high-pressure gas interconnector pipelines running between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man are being conducted along the shores of Loughshinny and Gormanstown by AWJ Marine. Earlier this month, multi-beam echo sounder, side-scan sonar and sub-bottom…
Tides of Change – Karin Dubsky to lead discussion on marine identity, coastal heritage and community engagement at the Tramore ocean literacy event.
The Irish Ocean Literacy Network’s (IOLN) latest community dialogue takes place in Tramore, Co. Waterford, this week, themed “marine identity- tides of change”. Coastwatch co-ordinator Karin Dubsky will deliver the keynote address at the event, which IOLN is hosting with…
Vanishing Shore Life – Bare rock on the Wexford coast where seaweeds, barnacles and sea anemones were previously found, illustrating Coastwatch's concerns over major biodiversity losses on Ireland's east coast. Photo: Karin Dubsky
Coastwatch is reporting cleaner coasts but “major” losses in shore life on the east coast during its autumn survey. The NGO is appealing for more volunteers to complete its survey which ends on October 20th. So far survey results for…
Harbour Investment — Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork Harbour is due to benefit from a dredging project costing more than €6 million, with completion scheduled for 2027
More than €6 million is to be spent on a major dredging project at Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork Harbour, with the works scheduled for completion in 2027. The project was confirmed by Minister for Defence Helen McEntee during the…
Magnificent Magnor: Boskalis’ giant backhoe dredger Magnor passes the Baily Lighthouse on Dublin Bay before entering Dublin Port for planned dredging operations. Photo: Afloat.ie
The giant Boskalis backhoe dredger Magnor arrived in Dublin Bay on Saturday morning (26 September), passing the Baily Lighthouse before entering Dublin Port. The specialist dredging vessel, one of the largest backhoe dredgers in the world, was photographed approaching the…
Clean Sweep: Big Beach Clean volunteers take part in a Clean Coasts litter pick at Brittas Bay in Co Wicklow
Almost 10,000 volunteers took part in clean-ups across all 26 counties during Ireland’s Big Beach Clean, removing an estimated 58 tonnes of marine litter from beaches, waterways, towns and villages. Clean Coasts groups, community organisations and individuals organised some 500…
Lasting Legacy: Frank McDonald, the late Irish Times journalist, author and environmental campaigner, has been honoured by Coastwatch with an annual Frank’s Day celebrating his contribution to environmental journalism and citizen science
Coastwatch has paid tribute to the late Irish Times journalist, author and activist Frank McDonald by hosting an annual event in his memory. The first “Frank’s Day”, which was held online on Thursday, is dedicated to “carrying on his spirit…
Bright Night: A beach bonfire captures the spirit of Bop ar an Trá, which will bring music, dance and light to Gaeltacht communities for Culture Night
Blazing bonfires and spectacular light shows are promised on beaches around the coast for Culture Night on September 18th. A "chain of light along the Atlantic seaboard" is promised for "Bop ar an Trá", from An Rinn in the south…
Map of the inner exclusion zone to be imposed on the River Shannon
Following similar restrictions for mariners off the Wicklow coast earlier this month, a maritime exclusion zone will be imposed in support of a “major security operation” at Shannon Airport, on the River Shannon and at Doonbeg from 12-14 September. On…
Vermilion Energy logo
The Department of Transport has been advised by Vermilion Exploration & Production Ireland Limited of an inspection campaign of the Corrib offshore pipelines and umbilical. These works will commence on Thursday 3 September and will last for approximately 14 days,…
Uisce Éireann logo
The Department of Transport has been notified by Hydro Survey on behalf of Uisce Éireann that hydrographic and metocean survey operations will be undertaken in support of the South Cork Strategic Modelling Study. These surveys will take place along the…
Stack attack — Rock crashes into the Atlantic as a section of the 67-metre An Branán Mór sea stack breaks away at the Cliffs of Moher. Photo: Melissa Blackburn
A section of the 67-metre An Branán Mór sea stack at the Cliffs of Moher has broken away and fallen into the Atlantic in a dramatic example of the continuing erosion of the Co Clare coastline. The change in the…
Family Action: Volunteers launch the 2026 Big Beach Clean at Rosslare Strand, Co Wexford, encouraging communities across Ireland to register for September's nationwide coastal clean-up and citizen science campaign, supported by Kia Ireland.
Registrations have opened for the 2026 Clean Coasts Big Beach Clean, with volunteers across Ireland invited to help remove marine litter from beaches, waterways and coastal communities between 18 and 20 September. Organised by An Taisce's Clean Coasts programme, the…
We do love a little nose around an old building—but what about a ship too! In this case, it will be the LÉ Samuel Beckett (P63), an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) designed to work in the harsher seas of the Atlantic and which opens to public tours in Cork city’s central quays.
Visitors later this month will have a total of 42 historic buildings to access in Cork City and quays when they throw open their doors free of charge on Saturday, 15th August. The annual event will give the public a…

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.