#ConferenceKetch – The Irish Whale & Dolphin Group's ketch, Celtic Mist previously owned by former Taoiseach Charles Haughey is to call to Dublin quays tomorrow as part of the Dublin Bay Conference, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Three hundred years ago this week,Dublin City Assembly decided to build an embankment (Great South Wall) from Ringsend into Dublin Bay as previously reported on Afloat.ie, in an effort to solve the centuries-old problem of silting in the main channels into Dublin Port.

The one-day conference will have a host of lecturers lined up to celebrate the construction of the marine engineering feat which when completed was then the world's longest sea wall as it jutted out into central Dublin Bay.

The guest speakers will also be focusing on many current topical issues about Dublin Bay, notably the subject, "Dublin Bay: History and Environment" which has been chosen because of the recent Environmental Impact Statement for the Redevelopment of Alexandra Basin.

The proposed project is so to accommodate larger cargoships and a €30m cruise terminal for massive cruiseships of the next generation to dock closer to the Dublin 'Dockland's and city-centre. 

The EIS has involved the collection of a large amount of new information on Dublin Bay in which the Dublin Port Company want to share such information with a wider audience in which tickets for the conference have since been sold out.

An opportunity however presents the public to board the 56ft steel hulled ketch Celtic Mist, which was donated by the Haughey family to the group in 2011, when she is berthed alongside the North Wall Quay.

Those visiting will learn about work carried out by the IWDG which was gifted the ketch in recognition of their work over the past 23 years. The group will explain about cetaceans and the rich marine life in Ireland and in the promotion of marine conservation.

Celtic Mist is equipped with acoustic marine monitoring equipment to enable IWDG scientists, students and members to learn more about the distribution, abundance, movements and behaviour of whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks. For further details visit www.celticmist.info/