Displaying items by tag: ECOUNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards

21st April 2012

NI's Young Eco Warriors Pitch Projects in 'Dragon's Den' Style Showcase

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Young people from across Northern Ireland showcased their "green-minded" projects to a panel of judges at the 'Dragon's Den' style ECO-Den event at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre last week.

All were hoping that their project would be the one chosen to attend the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards at the Mansion House in Dublin next month, as the Tyrone Times reports.

Among those pitching to the panel of experts were students from Holy Trinity College in Cookstown with their project, Fighting for the Environment, for which they teamed up with the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force Schools Project to help protect local marine life.

It's not the first time that the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force has joined forces with the North's young people, as last summer it supported hundreds of schoolchildren in their Stormon protest calling for new laws to protect Northern Ireland's coastal waters.

More recently, the task force brought together interests from across the spectrum to discuss the new Marine Bill and ensure it will "deliver for all sea users".

Published in Marine Wildlife

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.