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
Four Areas Off South Coast Identified for Offshore Wind in State's Draft "DMAP"
4th May 2024 Marine Planning
Four areas off the south Irish coast have been earmarked for offshore wind development by the Government, subject to a six-week public consultation. The draft South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP), billed as Ireland’s first ever spatial plan for…
South Irish Coast "DMAP" A "Landmark in Spatial Planning" - Tánaiste Micheál Martin
2nd May 2024 Marine Planning
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said Friday’s publication of the designated maritime area plan (DMAP) for the south Irish coast represents “a landmark development in forward spatial planning”. “The South Coast DMAP will also initiate the State’s second offshore auction, which…
Tagged Cuckoo's Journey from Congo Basin to Kerry Includes Big Sea Journey
3rd May 2024 Marine Wildlife
The 9,000 km northward land and sea journey made by the Irish cuckoo from the Congo Basin to Kerry has been highlighted with the return of a tagged cuckoo to Irish shores. The bird’s migration in making “big sea crossings”…
The Raven Kaster, an educational “miniboat”, has been relaunched off Mayo’s Achill island from the Marine Institute’s Celtic Explorer. The mini boat has been upgraded with solar-powered GPS tracking and new technology since its last voyage and has been set…
Ryan Publishes "Future Framework" for ORE, and Draft DMAP for South Coast Due Friday
2nd May 2024 Power From the Sea
The Government has published its “Future Framework for Offshore Renewable Energy” (ORE), which includes 29 key actions to develop the State’s plan-led approach to offshore wind. A draft designated maritime area plan (DMAP) for the Irish south coast is due…
Oceans of Hope Challenge Hosts Second Introduction to Sailing Day with MS Ireland in Dun Laoghaire
28th April 2024 INSS
An introduction to sailing in Dun Laoghaire Harbour for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) earlier this month (April) was so successful that a second is planned for May 8th. As reported by Afloat, the initiative is run by MS Ireland…
European Fisheries Control Agency Says Introducing Its Own Offshore Patrol Ships and Airplane Marked "A Turning Point"
27th April 2024 Fishing
Deploying three offshore patrol vessels for the first time added “fundamental fisheries control capacity to the EU”, according to the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA). The EFCA says that the chartering of three seaborne inspection platforms—the Ocean Sentinel, the Ocean…
Bristow Ireland, the company taking over the new Irish Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) helicopter contract says, it has reached an agreement with trade union Unite to ensure the “smooth transition of special helicopter engineers” to the company. “It…
Government ministers have announced Ireland’s first marine national park involving some 70,000 acres of Kerry’s land and sea. The new park, Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, is centred around Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry and includes the Conor Pass, the…
MCIB Says Corrib Rowing Training Which Went Wrong Posed "Threat of Death Or Serious Injury"
18th April 2024 MCIB
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has said that a training session which went wrong on the river Corrib and resulted in the loss of two competitive rowing craft “posed a threat of death or serious injury” to those involved.…
Puffins May Benefit From Closure of Industrial Sand Eel Fishery in North Sea and Scottish Waters
17th April 2024 Marine Wildlife
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) anticipates that puffins will benefit from the closure last month of the industrial fishery for sand eels in the North Sea and Scottish waters. The closure of the fishery from March…
Philip Bartlett has been appointed Bristow Ireland’s director of Irish search and rescue (SAR) helicopter and fixed-wing aviation. “Bartlett will be responsible for leading the Bristow Ireland team responsible for delivering life-saving missions across the country,” the company says. Bristow…
Oceans of Hope Challenge Founder Robert Munns On Sailing with MS And Its First Irish Event
8th April 2024 Wavelength Podcast
When duty marina manager Robert Munns had a chance meeting with a Danish doctor on a pontoon at Brighton some years ago, it changed his life. Munns had been diagnosed by multiple sclerosis (MS) some time before, and the Dane…
A Journey Around the Sea Area Forecast with Meteorologist Joanna Donnelly
2nd April 2024 Wavelength Podcast
Met Éireann meteorologist Joanna Donnelly recently earned the title of “Optimist of the Year” from an Irish Times letter writer for her take on yet another wet spell. As correspondent Kate Power recalled, Donnelly had been describing a rainfront that…
Codling Wind Park Holds Open Days Before Submitting Planning Application
30th March 2024 Power From the Sea
The Codling Wind Park development team says it will give “exclusive updates” on its Irish Sea project at a three-day public event in Wicklow in mid-April. Those attending can “explore the final designs” of the wind park in the Irish…
Risk Awareness A Common Thread In Reducing Marine Accidents, Dutch Safety Board Says
30th March 2024 Ports & Shipping
Safety “on and around” ships will improve if the risks are prioritised correctly, the Dutch Safety Board’s chairman Chris van Dam has said. He was commenting on the safety board’s latest six-monthly shipping occurrences report. The report, covering incidents from…
The European Commission is seeking proposals to develop a fishing vessel equipped with alternative propulsion technologies and improved energy performance. The “demonstrator” vessel should foster energy transition in the fisheries sector, and has a budget of 2.2 million euro, drawn…
Irish Company Joins Seaweed and Offshore Wind Project in North Sea
19th March 2024 Power From the Sea
Irish renewable energy developer Simply Blue has joined a North Sea consortium working on a commercial scale seaweed farm located within an offshore wind farm. The “North Sea Farm 1 Project” involves ten hectares of water off the Netherlands coast,…
A Connemara shellfish business is using Brexit-related grant aid for a new packaging and labelling machine. Killary Fjord Shellfish in Leenane received grant aid of over €16,000 through Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) under the Brexit Sustainable Aquaculture Growth Scheme. The…
Northabout crew from the Irish yacht’s historic polar circumnavigation marked the 80th birthday of their expedition skipper Jarlath Cunnane in Mayo last weekend. The adventurer, boat builder and holder of the prestigious Blue Water Medal, was joined by fellow sailors…
