Lorna Siggins
Lorna Siggins is a print and radio reporter, and a former Irish Times western correspondent. She is the author of Search and Rescue: True stories of Irish Air-Sea Rescues and the Loss of R116 (2022); Everest Callling (1994) on the first Irish Everest expedition; Mayday! Mayday! (2004); and Once Upon a Time in the West: the Corrib gas controversy (2010). She is also co-producer with Sarah Blake of the Doc on One "Miracle in Galway Bay" which recently won a Celtic Media Award
Island-Specific Housing Task Force Called For In Report Published Today
22nd November 2023 Island News
Continuing sustainable communities on Irish islands are at risk due to a critical lack of housing, according to a report published today by Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, the Irish Islands Federation. The report calls on the Government to establish an…
"Road Map" Towards State's Next Offshore Wind Auction Published
21st November 2023 Power From the Sea
An indicative “road map” towards the State’s next offshore wind auction has been published by the Government. The timeline relates to “ORESS 2.1”, which will take place off Ireland’s south coast and provide for up to 900MW of offshore wind.…
Irish offshore islands are used to having to wait, whether it is for safe piers or electricity decades ago. However, they are being prioritised for pure fibre links under the national broadband plan. Three West Cork islands are due to…
Over 75 Per Cent of Seabird Species Breeding in Ireland Have Increased
16th November 2023 Marine Wildlife
Over three-quarters of seabird species breeding in Ireland have increased, with only two species declining, according to a census just published. The “Seabirds Count” census shows that Ireland is particularly important for species such as Roseate Tern and European Storm-petrel…
French and Irish Ministers Mark Start of Celtic Interconnector Submarine Cable Construction
14th November 2023 Power From the Sea
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, and French Energy Minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, have marked the initiation of construction work on the Celtic Interconnector project. The Celtic Interconnector will be the first direct energy link between Ireland and…
European Spiny Lobster Juveniles Reared in Laboratory Setting by Corsican and French Scientists
11th November 2023 Marine Wildlife
French and Corsican marine scientists have succeeded in rearing juveniles of the vulnerable European spiny lobster. A team from the University of Corsica and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) has achieved what it terms a “scientific and…
QUB-Led Study Calls for Urgent Management Efforts on Invasive Species
11th November 2023 Marine Wildlife
Lionfish may be one of the most infamous invasive species in the western North Atlantic, but their spread is only the tip of the iceberg, according to an international research team. The new study involving Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) scientists…
Outstanding courage in sea and river rescues has been recognised in the National Bravery Awards presented at Dublin’s Farmleigh House today (Friday, Nov 10). A total of 26 certificates, six bronze medals,13 silver medals and a posthumous gold medal were…
Seaweed Farming Can Feed The Globe and Capture Carbon - UN Oceans Advisor
12th November 2023 Wavelength Podcast
It is easier to pump oil from the bottom of the ocean than to farm seaweed, according to French oceans advisor Vincent Doumeizel. Doumeizel, from Burgundy in France, is a senior advisor on the oceans to the United Nations (UN)…
An Irish parliamentary committee may summon the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) before it to explain its weighing system, reports Lorna Siggins. This follows a recent parliamentary (Oireachtas) agriculture, food and marine committee debate when Independent TD for Cork South-West…
Windsurfers Finn Mellon and Katie McAnena have taken gold in the highly competitive national wave championships in Kerry’s Brandon Bay off Castlegregory, Co Kerry. For McAnena, it is her tenth such win, while Mellon competed against his father, Niall, to…
MARA Will Have Budget Of Just Over 7 Million Euro For Next Year - Oireachtas Committee Hearing
8th November 2023 Marine Planning
Ireland has “significant” data to make informed decisions on marine area consents under new marine planning legislation, the chair of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), retired Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, has said. Responding to questions at an Oireachtas housing committee…
TCD Marine Biologists Discover More Sharks May Have Warm-Blooded Traits
8th November 2023 Marine Science
When the fearsome megalodon became extinct, it may have been because it didn’t have enough food. Unlike most sharks, the star of the 2018 film, “The Meg”, had a large appetite due to its warm-blooded nature - like its descendant,…
Reported marine casualties and incidents involving ships flying an EU flag or within EU waters fell in 2022, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) says. Its annual overview says 2022 was “a positive year in terms of the reduction or…
32 Per Cent Increase in Jellyfish Sightings Recorded by Marine Conservation Society
5th November 2023 Marine Wildlife
There was a 32 per cent increase in sightings of jellyfish around Irish and British waters over the past year, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says. Barrel jellyfish were the most common, according to its annual wildlife sightings report, with…
Fish Industry Leader Condemns "Bullyboy" Tactics after Two Irish Vessels Detained by Norway
3rd November 2023 Fishing
The Irish South and West Fishermen’s Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&WFPO) has condemned the recent detention of two Irish fishing vessels by the Norwegian coastguard. IS&WFPO chief executive Patrick Murphy said that a breakdown in communications appeared to have led to…
The North Western Waters Advisory Council has expressed concern over plans for offshore windfarms on the south Irish coast. A submission by the group to the Department of Environment’s “DMAP” proposal for designating areas of the south-west for offshore renewable…
Dublin Port Is Here For a Reason - Chief Executive Barry O'Connell On Why It Has To Stay
27th October 2023 Wavelength Podcast
Dublin Port chief executive Barry O’Connell had previously worked in eight different countries for Coca-Cola before he took up his new post a year ago this November. The port has been investing in community projects, including the refurbished substation on…
EU "Doubling Down" On Efforts to Support Offshore Renewable Energy
25th October 2023 Power From the Sea
The European Commission says it is “doubling down” on efforts to support offshore renewable energy with additional actions. It says member states must collectively install almost 12 gigawatts (GW) a year on average to meet ambitious new goals set after…
Sailor and Poet Danny Sheehy Remembered in Re-Imagining of Medieval Galician Poem
24th October 2023 Historic Boats
A Medieval Galician poem is being re-imagined as a homage to the late Kerry sailor, poet and boatbuilder Dómhnall Mac an tSíthigh. Mac an tSíthigh, also known as Danny Sheehy, died after a naomhóg in which he was one of…
