The significant role played by the Irish Naval Service in the 1979 Fastnet Race Disaster has sometimes been overlooked in the dramatic images of helicopters and lifeboats in direct action writes W Nixon. But in fact the LE Deirdre under…

Two chic barge berths at Belfast Harbour Marina are available for bookings for those looking for a different base to explore Northern Ireland. The berths — named ‘Harland’ and ‘Wolff’ after the city’s iconic shipyard — comprise the renovated barge…

Marine wildlife miracle Spirtle appears to have taken up residence off the Kerry coast if the many sightings over recent weeks are anything to go by. Last month the young dolphin was spotted in the area some weeks after she…

As part of Heritage Week (17-25 August) the programme includes a selection of lovely islands and a wide range of activities to entice you. From waltzing on Scattery Island, Co Clare or learning about boatbuilding on Bere Island there are…

Crayfish plague has been confirmed in the River Nore in Co Kilkenny, marking the eighth record in Irish rivers since 2015 — and the third detected this year alone, as TheJournal.ie reports. Outbreaks of crayfish plague pose a significant threat…

Minke and humpback whales arriving and other species of whales and dolphins along the Irish coast is a good omen for this years All Island Whale Watch day. Organiser of the event, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) invite…

The Irish Times says Westmeath County Council is investigating an oil spill on the River Shannon south of Athlone in which a number of fish and birds have died. Efforts were made to contain the spill on the Al River,…

The chief executives of Fáilte Ireland and Waterways Ireland met last week to discuss their new Strategic Partnership Programme to develop tourism along the latter’s network of inland waterways. The agreement is focused on delivering “a programme of works to…

Island life, in all its challenges, also harbours opportunity for the transition to renewable energy — and the people of the Aran Islands are putting that into practice. Juliette Gash reports for RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland from the Galway…

A Mayo based renewable energy startup Solar MarineEnergy is making plans to build Ireland’s first floating solar energy plant which it proposes to locate in Cork Harbour, writes the Irish Examiner. “We have secured permission from the Port of Cork…

Citizen science pinpointed the first samples of a rare kelp in Irish waters, and now NUI Galway researchers are hoping that sea swimmers, divers and kayakers may help to find more writes Lorna Siggins Samples of golden kelp (Laminaria ochroleuca),…

On the eve of Connemara’s Omey island races, relatives of islanders have initiated a petition seeking the urgent return of bones removed during an archaeological excavation writes Lorna Siggins Minister for Culture Josepha Madigan has also been urged to intervene to…

As part of Project Ireland 2040, The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, announced the signing of a €14.7 million capital works contract to deliver a 120m long quay development and associated works at Smooth Point,…

The RV Celtic Voyager departed early this morning (Thursday 1 August) from the Port of Cork on a multidisciplinary marine wildlife survey investigating the biological and oceanographic features of the 100m contour line between Cork to Galway. The survey team…

Marine Institute chief executive Dr Peter Heffernan has been selected as a member of the European Commission’s Mission Board for Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters. He is one of two Irish appointees to the Mission Boards of Horizon…

Marine scientists from University College Cork have discovered plastic at the bottom of a deep submarine canyon while investigating cold-water coral habitats. UCC’s Marine Geology Research Group has been investigating cold-water coral habitats in the Porcupine Bank Canyon, some 320km…