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Coastal Development in Ireland
Image illustrating the proposed Codling Wind Park
Following the recent notice of geophysical surveys for the Codling Wind Park comes news of a series of geotechnical surveys in the Irish Sea off Wicklow for the project set to commence tomorrow, Monday 26 April. Works to characterise the…
File image of Garretstown Beach in West Cork
RTÉ News reports that a 22-year-old man has died after falling into a blowhole near Garretstown Beach in West Cork last night (Saturday 24 April). It’s understood that the man had been part of a group camping overnight at the…
The top right tile shows a Sentinel-2 satellite image of Clonakilty Bay from August 2020. The bottom left is the corresponding spatial extent (highlighted) of the algal bloom in the bay at low tide and the bottom right shows the corresponding biomass the amounts of algal material present in grams per metre squared.
European space satellite imagery could replace human monitoring as an effective “health check” of Ireland’s coastal environment, according to new research by NUI Galway scientists. As The Times Ireland edition reports, earth observation data sets recorded by European Space Agency…
The Agency asks that people avoid Millisle beach and do not attempt to clear any diesel spilt in or around the beach
Yesterday evening (17th April), Ards and North Down Council notified the public about a diesel spill and pollution risk on the beach at Millisle. Millisle is about three miles south of Donaghadee on the North Down Coast and is a…
Just 20g of ambergris is selling for more than €400
The shores of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic West coast feature prominently in a new documentary about the master perfumer of Dior — but it’s not because their beauty and drama matches that of the finest scents. It’s all to do with…
Locations of the wreck sites off Co Donegal that will be surveyed from the RV Celtic Explorer from next week
The Department of Transport advises that a survey will take place at several offshore reefs and sandbanks off the North West Coast from next Friday 23 April to Tuesday 4 May. Survey works with marine robots in support of the…
Keem Beach is one of two beauty spots on Achill Island alone to make the cut
The Wild Atlantic Way is a winner when it comes to Lonely Planet’s new list of the 10 best beaches in Ireland. All but two of travel writer Fionn Davenport’s selections can be found along the breathtaking coastline from Kerry…
Image illustrating the proposed Codling Wind Park
The Department of Transport has been advised that Codling Wind Park Limited intend to conduct a series of geophysical surveys in the Irish Sea off Dublin and Wicklow from Wednesday 14 April to Wednesday 26 May, weather permitting. This work…
File image of Al Mennie getting a tow out to a big swell
Northern Ireland surfing pro Al Mennie was among the volunteers who joined fire fighters battling a gorse blaze on Castlerock Beach in Co Derry last night (Tuesday 30 March). As the Belfast Telegraph reports, 40-year-old Mennie was out catching the…
Plans are in place for a €100m road and new bridge for Cobh, Great Island, where currently there is only one bridge link (above).
The coastal town of Cobh on Great Island, Cork Harbour, is after years of waiting, to see plans finally drawn up to build a €100m new road to the town and to replace the only road bridge into the area…
In south Wales the Milford Marina in Pembrokeshire, celebrates its 30th anniversary. The marina are seeking from local people and berth holders, past and present, to submit their stories to help capture the rich history of the development.
On the south west coast of Wales, Milford Marina is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and, to celebrate, the team are asking for local people to participate in marking the event. Berth holders, past and present are invited to…
File image of Dollymount Strand, where a local man says the rubber-like spheres have been appearing in increasing numbers
Small blue balls found on a North Dublin beach have prompted concerns around their origin and whether they pose a threat to a protected habitat, as the Irish Times reports. Brian Bolger — who lives near Bull Island — says…
Howth Dredging - It is proposed to reuse the dredged material to create an area for the public realm on the west side of Howth's West Pier.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the harbour authority for Howth Harbour Fishery Centre in North County Dublin, is proposing to dredge seabed material from within the harbour to provide better water access to the fishing, leisure,…
The Old Head of Kinsale Napoleonic Tower and Memorial Garden in the foreground
The community group at the renowned South Coast landmark, the Old Head of Kinsale, plans to build a major, new Lusitania Museum to replace the present small museum at the site, where they have also constructed a memorial garden. The…
Blue Entrepreneurship Programme Aims to Foster Innovative Marine-Related Business Ideas
A new Blue Entrepreneurship Programme aims to foster innovative business ideas in the Blue Economy sector across the European Union’s Atlantic member states, including Ireland, France and Spain. Thirty applicants with business ideas related to the marine environment will be…
A still from video of the sea foam deluge in Bunmahon shot by a local furniture maker
RTÉ News has shared incredible video of a village that was showered with sea foam after high winds churned up the sea off Co Waterford. Sea foam comprises mostly dissolved organic matter, often from the breakdown of algal blooms. The…

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.