Marine Institute
World Oceans Day Programme 2015
Ireland’s first National Maritime Festival launches on World Oceans Day, June 8, 2015
Dublin, Galway & Cork, 8 June 2015: Marking World Oceans Day across the globe today (8 June), Minister for Agriculture, Food, the Marine and Defence Simon Coveney T.D., has announced the first national celebration of Ireland’s oceans, SeaFest.
The inaugural SeaFest, will take place this year in Cork Harbour on 10 and 11 July, and will see thousands of visitors enjoying the fruits and pleasures of the sea, from boating trips, yacht sailing, open water swimming, marine simulators, rescue demonstrations, sea life exhibits, educational screenings and talks, festival family fun and a food village with live seafood cookery demonstrations with some of Ireland’s best known chefs.
« As an island nation, it is so important to recognise and celebrate the incredible resources of Ireland’s abundant and surrounding seas, » said Minister Simon Coveney, T.D. at the launch of SeaFest. « This two day festival will travel Ireland, taking place in Cork in 2015 and with plans already underway to bring SeaFest to Galway in 2016. It is a national festival at which we can share our seafaring heritage and future, enjoy a myriad of water sports and activities, have fun while learning about the sea and the opportunities it presents, and feast on some of the world’s best seafood. I am hugely excited about this national festival, SeaFest, and look forward to it becoming one of Ireland’s leading festivals in the coming years. »
Cookery demonstrations, workshops on how to cook and eat prawns, lobsters, mussels and oysters among other seafood will be hosted by the seafood development agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board with renowned seafood chefs, Martin Shanahan and Rory O’Connell. As well as leading Irish chefs showing people just how easy, quick and healthy it is to enjoy fresh fish from our oceans, there will also be fishmonger demonstrations, seafood sampling, rope making, talks on seafood and a large fish market at the festival.
The Harnessing our Ocean Wealth conference which forms a key part of SeaFest, will attract international and national delegates and experts in marine research, ocean energy and the ‘blue economy’ to Cork.
« Ireland is one of the largest states in the EU if you take into account our seabed area, » said Dr. Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute. « With our exclusive rights to a sea area more than ten times our land size, Ireland’s ocean is a national asset providing incredible opportunities for tourism, energy, food and new applications for therapeutics and technology. SeaFest aims to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of the sea for the island »
The National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) will be sharing their facilities, normally used to train for a career as a maritime professional, with the public at SeaFest. Festival goers can experience various ship models in national and international waters in a variety of weather conditions via the simulators; these simulation exercises show the skills required when working at sea.
Visitors to the festival will also be able to visit UCC’s new Beaufort Building. This state of the art €15 million building will house the LIR National Ocean Test Facility and the SFI MaREI centre which is a cluster of key university and industrial partners dedicated to solving the main scientific, technical, social and economic challenges related to marine renewable energy.
The Irish Naval Service will be on hand to provide tours of the offshore patrol vessel, L.E. James Joyce, the sister ship to L.E. Samuel Beckett. Members of the Irish Defence Forces will tell visitors about the activities of the Irish Navy, situations encountered aboard while at sea and showcase the latest in modern seafaring technology on board this new ship. The Marine Institute research vessel, R.V. Celtic Voyager will be visiting SeaFest before departing on a survey to investigate algal blooms off Ireland’s coast.
As part of SeaFest, there will be a ‘parade of sail’ including super yachts, racing yachts, private leisure craft and boats, that will sail from the mouth of Cork Harbour to the Port of Cork marina in the city centre. The parade of sail will follow the open water swimmers of the Lee Swim, which is taking place on 11 July and will see hundreds taking to the sea to enjoy a refreshing and strenuous in the sea.
SeaFest 2015 promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable festival for all. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy the best of Ireland’s oceans this July in Cork Harbour. A full schedule of festival fun has been announced for SeaFest 2015 at www.seafest.ie to mark World Oceans Day on 8 June 2015.
Presentation
We are the State agency responsible for marine research, technology development and innovation in Ireland.
We carry out environmental, fisheries, and aquaculture surveys and monitoring programmes to meet Ireland’s national and international legal requirements. We provide scientific and technical advice to Government to help inform policy and to support the sustainable development of Ireland’s marine resource.
We aim to safeguard Ireland’s unique marine heritage through research and environmental monitoring. Our research, strategic funding programmes, and national marine research platforms support the development of Ireland’s maritime economy.
The Marine Institute was set up under the Marine Institute Act 1991:
“to undertake, to coordinate, to promote and to assist in marine research and development and to provide such services related to research and development, that in the opinion of the Institute, will promote economic development and create employment and protect the marine environment.”
Since then, we have grown from a staff of one to over 170 and our vision is for « a thriving maritime economy in harmony with the ecosystem and supported by the delivery of excellence in our services. »
THE PROJECT
Location
Marine Institute Headquarters
Oranmore,
Co. Galway.
Website
Area
Europe
