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Coastal Development in Ireland
Minister Grants Foreshore License for Corrib Pipeline
New Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has signed off on a key foreshore licence to Shell Ireland, paving the way for the completion of the controversial Corrib gas project. The Irish Times reports that the licence, subject to conditions,…
Dirty Dunes a Danger Says Coastwatch
Coastwatch has claimed that a ministerial order for the protection of sand dunes in Co Wexford is being breached, The Irish Times reports. The order was made in January by former environment minister John Gormley to protect the Tinnaberna dunes…
A Southern Expedition Claims 'new found land' in Needles Channel
It may not quite live up to the adventurous exploits of Scott and Shackelton, but an intrepid group from the Hamble-based Royal Southern Yacht Club, led by Mike 'Pike' Jones, Peter Delbridge and Tim Robinson, sought out new Solent territories…
Clare County Council Approves Doolin Development
The controversial €6 million deveopment of Doolin Point has been backed unanimously by Clare councillors. Clare county manager Tom Coughlan had recommended giving approval for the revised plan, which was submitted after surfers expressed concerns over the impact of the…
MEP Highlights Possibilities for Marine Tourism
An Irish MEP has urged the new Government to exploit the "endless possibilities" of marine tourism in Ireland. Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg earlier this week, Sean Kelly MEP said: "“My own constituency of Ireland South alone boasts…
Renewable Energy 'Milestone' for Northern Ireland
The UK's Crown Estate has announced a consultation on making areas of Northern Ireland's sea bed available for renewable energy projects, Business & Leadership reports. The consultation process will inflence leasing rounds for offshore wind and tidal energy projects in…
Donegal Wind Farm Faces Criticism
A Donegal conservation group has hit out at An Bord Pleanála for approving plans for a 13-turbine wind farm in a scenic Gaeltacht area. The Irish Times reports that businessman PJ Molloy originally sought permission for 35 wind turbines with…
Irish Sea Marine Habitats to Get Greater Protection
Areas along Cumbria's coast could have greater protection under new plans for the conservation of marine habitats. The Irish Sea Conversation Zones project is currently recommending areas to the UK government that could be designated for marine conservation. BBC News…
Carey Courts Criticism Over Corrib Pipeline Approval
Controversy has arisen over the decision by outgoing Minister for Energy Pat Carey to grant key consents for the Corrib gas pipeline on the day of the general election. According to the Irish Times, the Department of Energy said consent…
NI Minister Welcomes Renewable Energy Forum
Northern Ireland Energy Minister Arlene Foster has welcomed the setting up of the Offshore Renewable Energy Forum, tasked with evaulating the potential of Ireland's offshore resources. "Members of the forum can help shape the sustainable development of offshore renewables in…
Corrib Pipeline Go-Ahead Rests With Energy Minister
Energy Minister Eamon Ryan will issue a decision "in the coming weeks" on Shell Ireland's plans to complete the Corrib gas pipeline, The Irish Times reports. The news follows yesterday's ruling by An Bord Pleanála which approved revised plans final…
Ho Ho Hold-up

Ho Ho Hold-up

21st December 2010 Coastal Notes
Yacht clubs in snowy weather are even odder than snow resorts in summer. But in America's sailing Mecca of Newport, Rhode Island, there was a further inversion at the East Providence Yacht Club on Sunday night after the annual pre-Christmas…
Heritage Council Face Severe Cuts
The Heritage Council of Ireland is to face a 47% cut in funding following the budget's announcement on Tuesday. The large-scale reduction in funding the statutory body will decimate the heritage sector and threatens the closure of many small enterprises…
Heritage Council's Online Marine Publications
The Heritage Council of Ireland has a diverse range of marine topics that can be downloaded from their website through the Marine publications section. There are publications, reports and presentations available from this area of interest and can be accessed…
No Passage Through Achill Sound
Mayo County Council has advised it will not be possible for boats to pass through Achill Sound until further notice.  The announcement came in a Marine Notice issued on December 10th. This is due to on-going works connected with the…
Liverpool's Merseyside Maritime Museum (MMM) is holding the exhibition: 'Endurance: Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure' which tells the epic story of the Irish born Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 polar expedition. The exhibition also pays homage to photographer Frank Hurley who dove into icy waters to…

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.