Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Coastal Development in Ireland
Boats alongside the Old Pier at Keelbeg in Union Hall, West Cork
Cork South West TD Christopher O’Sullivan has confirmed that he has arranged for a meeting to take place between Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue and Cork County Council management to discuss a funding mechanism for the repair and extension of the…
Waterford Green MEP Grace O’Sullivan in Northern Spain with some of the 25 tonnes of pellets that fell overboard from the Liberian-flagged vessel Toconao on December 8th
Green MEP Grace O’Sullivan has warned of the damage caused by plastic pellet spills in the Atlantic and the vulnerability of the Irish coastline. O’Sullivan issued her warning after a visit to Galicia, northern Spain, with Greens/EFA colleague MEP Ana…
A ghost net retrieved in Donaghadee, Co Down in late 2022
This year will see divers join in beach clean efforts in Ireland for the first time, using their skills to find and remove discarded fishing gear also known as ‘ghost nets’ from around the coast. According to the Irish Examiner,…
A map of local authority Marine Infrastructure projects 2022-2023 updated to 2024
The Irish Marine Minister, Charlie McConalogue, has announced the allocation of €12.7m to fund 15 marine infrastructure projects. These projects will address the impact of Brexit on Irish coastal communities and will be delivered by local authorities. Under the Brexit…
The Marine Institute has released a new high-resolution geomorphology map for most of the Irish continental shelf to support ocean science, environment and biodiversity management and offshore renewable energy development
The Marine Institute has released a new high-resolution geomorphology map on Ireland’s Marine Atlas for most of the Irish continental shelf to support ocean science, environment and biodiversity management and offshore renewable energy development. Geomorphology is the scientific study of…
Minister for Environment and Climate Eamon Ryan - Projects selected for funding under the programmes will have to contribute to national climate and energy targets
Coastal communities can apply for climate action grants from a €27 million “funding pot” announced by Minister for Environment and Climate Eamon Ryan. Speaking in Co Cavan, Ryan said it was one of the largest of its kind, earmarked for…
The cable vessel Cable Vigilance
The Department of Transport has been notified by Optic Marine that it will carry out works from Wednesday 10 to Friday 22 January off the coast of Ireland north-west of Belmullet, subject to operational and weather constraints. The subsea surveys…
The bell of an old foghorn symbolises Danny McCarthy’s sound art installation Found Sound (Lost at Sea) 11.1.11
A lost coastal sound will return to echo through Cork city centre for one day this January. Found Sound (Lost at Sea) 11.1.11 is an installation by sound artist Danny McCarthy which, on Thursday 11 January, will resonate across Emmet…
Geminid Meteor - This shower is named after the constellation Gemini, from which the meteors appear to come from in the sky
Cloud cover permitting, coastal and island residents should enjoy all-night views of the Geminid meteor showers over Ireland this week. Astronomy Ireland is asking observers to count the meteors or shooting stars seen, with the best viewing on the nights…
Looking north towards O'Brien's Tower at the Cliffs of Moher
A developer has succeeded in a legal challenge over parking at the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare. As The Sunday Independent reports, the Supreme Court has ruled against Clare County Council’s bid to be granted leave to appeal an…
Detail of Cuan na Gaillimhe, the Aran Islands as Gaeilge which concludes the Bluescale Map Series
Ireland’s national seabed mapping programme, INFOMAR completes its Bluescale Map Series with the release of its stunning map of the Aran Islands. Now all 18 maps in the series are available for free to the public, in English and now…
Kinvara Harbour in South Galway is marking UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people
The south Galway harbour of Kinvara is marking United Nations (UN) international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people with a candlelit vigil on Wednesday evening (Nov 29). The UN day, which has been observed annually on November 29th since…
New Treatment Plant for An Spidéal - (Left to right) Padraic Mac Diarmada Comhlacht Forbartha An Spidéil, An Comh, Padraig Mac An Iomaire, Paul Fallon, Úisce Éireann, Liam Conneally, Chief Executive, Galway County Council, Cllr Liam Carroll, Cathaoirleach Galway County Council, Senator Seán Kyne, Cllr Eileen Mannion and An Comh, Tomás Ó Curraoin at the official opening of An Spidéal wastewater treatment plant
Water quality for sailors, swimmers, surfers and anglers off the south Connemara harbour of An Spidéal is expected to improve due to the commissioning of its first waste water treatment plant. Uisce Éireann was joined by local representatives who saw…
An excerpt from the bluescale map of Dublin Bay
Explore the depths of Dublin Bay, from Killiney to Howth, in remarkable detail thanks to a new addition to INFOMAR’s Bluescale Map Series. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the collection when complete will comprise 18 high-resolution bathymetric maps highlighting the…
The Rivers Trust logo
The Rivers Trust supports the findings of new report that rings alarm bells about the critical state of water quality management in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The Surfers Against Sewage Water Quality Report for 2023 says that in Northern…
A view over County Mayo's Killala Bay, where Ireland’s first underwater artificial reef is proposed
Scoping the creation of Ireland’s first underwater artificial reef in Mayo’s Killala Bay has received a grant of 50,000 euro as one of a number of outdoor projects approved for funding by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys.…

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.