Publications & Reports

Seaweed is one of Ireland’s least-used resources. As an island with a 7,000 kilometre coastline, located in the warm and fertile waters of the Gulf Stream, we have an abundance of many
different kinds of seaweed. Although we currently use only a small fraction of Irish seaweed, this situation is changing. 

Attention is turning to the sea as a source of food, energy, and raw material for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Ireland’s interesting history of harvesting seaweed is about to
begin a new chapter.

These guidelines have been developed for Ecological Consultants to standardise both the methodology for survey of structures within the Heritage Council’s Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme and the reporting of same. In developing these guidelines, we have drawn on a wide range of expertise and believe that the advice given is the best that is currently available. Bat surveys submitted to the building owner and the Heritage Council must adhere to these guidelines in order to satisfy grant requirements under the Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme.

The speakers examined the uses made of towpaths in the UK and in Ireland. Topics included the example of the regeneration of the Thames Navigation, the economic value of towpath activities, walking for health, access for all, anti-social behaviour, and current and future activities on towpaths in Ireland. It is hoped that, by presenting a range of experiences from these islands, new ideas may be stimulated for existing and future navigations in Ireland.

Whilst the coast offers excellent opportunities to see all types of geology in cliff exposures, it also shows thegeomorphology – the development of different coastal landforms. The range of landforms produced is enormous, and they are all dynamic – the changes which occur within people’s lifetimes are extremely rapid compared to some geological changes.

Many of the 100,000 or so farmers that work the land in Ireland provide positive management of our natural heritage, and are vital for the maintenance of our diverse landscape. This booklet highlights the many positive relationships between agriculture and heritage, and will make a valuable contribution to how we view the role of farmers as custodians of the Irish countryside.

In 2007, the Heritage Council commissioned an evaluation of the five waterways corridor studies it has carried out to date. The studies cover the entire length of the Shannon Navigation and sections of the Grand and Royal Canals. The studies document in detail the special heritage and socio-economic aspects of the waterway corridor, and propose policies and actions through which sustainable development can be achieved.

The objective of the industrial heritage component of the study is to identify and assess the distinctive aspects of the industrial heritage and to provide an inventory of the extant sites within the Waterway Corridor.

The specific impacts examined were:

• Ecological impact - terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna, and terrestrial and aquatic habitats;
• Cultural heritage impact - underwater archaeology, and upstanding archaeological structures such as crannógs, landing places, harbours, piers and bridges from medieval times to the mid-20th century;
• Hydro-morphological impact - river and canal channels, river and canal banks, different soil types to assess their susceptibility to erosion, sediment mobilisation and depositional patterns, navigational and engineering structures.

This review provides an overview of the findings, methodologies and mitigation strategies used elsewhere. It will inform a second stage of research involving field study at a later stage.

Sharks and rays have been swimming the world’s oceans for over four hundred million years. That’s one hundred million years before the first dinosaurs appeared
on land!

A wide variety of sharks and rays inhabit Irish waters, including 39 species of sharks and 28 species of skates and rays. Members of this diverse group can be found in all our seas, ranging from shallow estuaries down to depths of 2000m or more in the Atlantic.

Ireland has five indigenous jellyfish species: Barrel, Blue, Common (Moon), Compass, and Lion’s Mane. A sixth species (Pelagia noctiluca) also occurs, but as it is an oceanic species it only occasionally makes an appearance in our coastal waters. Contrary to what you may think, jellyfish are not carried at the whim of ocean currents and tides on to our beaches. Many jellyfish maintain their positions by swimming down when the tide is going out, and swimming up when the tide is coming in. In this way they can stay in their preferred habitats.