#MarineWildlife - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) is marking 20 years of researching the dolphins of the Shannon Estuary. As the IWDG's Dr Simon Berrow relates, it was not an auspicious start on 2 May 1993 when the…

#CoastalNotes - More than 97% of Ireland's bathing areas meet the EU's minimum standards for water quality in new figures announced today 2 May - though 21 waters have been stripped of the top ranking. The latest figures for 2012…

#IrishSeaForum – The second Irish Sea Maritime Forum Conference will be held at the Tall Ship at Riverside, Glasgow on 21 May. The success of the forum follows last year's inaugural conference held in Belfast last June. The organisers invite…

#Lusitania - The owner of the Lusitania may get his wish for a return dive to the wreck of the ill-fated passenger liner after the Minister for Heritage endorsed plans for a fresh investigation into its sinking. The Irish Times…

The West Cork Islands of Bere, Dursey, Garnish, Heir, Long, Cape Clear, Sherkin and Whiddy are inviting visitors to 'explore the islands, experience island life' in a special island festival in June. The idea behind the celebration from June 15…

#Fungie - An Irish marine expert suspects that Dingle's most famous resident may be an escapee from a British dolphinarium. Dingle Oceanworld director Kevin Flannery told the Irish Independent that Fungie the dolphin could have slipped through the sluice gates…

The Marine Institute presented St Andrew's National Primary school students with Explorers Certificates of Participation today (Friday 26th April) at the Sea Life Centre in Bray. Over the last couple of months, up to 200 primary school students on the…

#MarineWildlife - Marine scientists have joined conservation groups in a chorus of opposition to the British government's apparent backtracking on plans to protect marine wildlife in the seas around the UK - including between Britain and Ireland. As The Guardian…

At the end of January 2013, over a one week period, 13 common dolphins were found dead along the Mayo coast. The situation was considered sufficiently unusual to warrant further investigation. The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht commissioned…

In association with the Marine Institute and sponsored by Culture Ireland and Tourism Ireland, the Longest River event will take place at Eglise du Saint-Sacrement, in Brussels on April 29th (from 8-9pm) as part of the celebration of Ireland's Presidency…

#MarineScience - Irish companies and researchers have distinguished themselves by developing innovative maritime services using satellite derived data in areas as diverse as marine renewables, fisheries protection, aquaculture and tourism.   That was the message from Dr Volker Liebig, director…

#MarineSCIENCE- Postgraduate students from the International SmartOcean Graduate Enterprise Initiative (ISGEI) recently had the experience of a two-day practical offshore course in advanced marine technologies onboard the national research vessel RV Celtic Voyager. The course focussed on Sensors, Moorings and…

#CoastalNotes - Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring today (23 April) unveiled the final route for the Wild Atlantic Way, a new coastal tourism route running from Donegal to Cork. The minister joined Fáilte Ireland to present…

#marine – MEPs voted to back Sean Kelly's proposals on the future growth of the EU's maritime sector, by an overwhelming 42-1 in favour, in a show of cross-party political support, in the European Parliament today (Tuesday). "There is huge…

#NewDesign - A new catamaran designed for servicing offshore drilling and energy platforms could help work crews get to where they're needed safety in some of the roughest seas. Wired's Autopia blog reports on the SHC Wavedancer, a proposed catamaran…

#MarineWildlife - The trio of bottlenose dolphins who took up residence close to Bunratty Castle recently have apparently moved back out to deeper water after growing concerns for their well-being. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the dolphins had made their…