The Sea Gardener

16/06/2026

Nice nature poem to start the day...

15/06/2026

Interesting webinar on wednesday evening

🎥 Invasive Species Week webinar:

Stop the Spread: How policymakers and gardeners can fight back against invasive plants

🗓️ Wednesday 24 June, 17:30-18:45

📍 Online (wherever you are!)

Join Oisín Ó Néill, Nature Advocacy Officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust, and Mary Reynolds, founder of We Are The Ark and nature activist, for a webinar discussing current invasive species policy, invasive species management, and the Nature Restoration Law, plus what to avoid planting in your garden and the importance of planting native species.

🌱 Oisín has been working hands-on in invasive species removal for many years and advocating for policy change at a national level. Mary has been actively helping people to rewild their gardens for years and is a passionate advocate for the importance of planting native species instead.

🔗 Registration essential: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hnTo5E0kSXebELEdcbRJdg?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio #/registration

Biodiversity Ireland

15/06/2026

Kelp was burned on the west coast of Ireland too....

14/06/2026

Carrageen Panacotta, ready for our beach picnic today! With blackcurrant purée and redcurrants fresh from the garden. Copper Coast Geopark

13/06/2026

It is exciting to see seaweed being used so creatively! Lovely product Judit. CocoabyJudit

08/06/2026

Happy World Ocean Day!

Mary Kate Hickey is Clean Coasts Communications Officer and she shares why we should think about the global Ocean as a singular entity and not multiple geographic 'oceans'. In honour of World Ocean Day, June 8th 2026, she dives in to discuss. Caring for and protecting it, such as how the phenomenal....

24/05/2026

This Painting titled, 'Collecting Kelp, Connemara' was painted in 1911 by William H. Bartlett, ROI, and gives an insight into the historic practice of harvesting seaweed.

Seaweed had multiple uses. These collectors will likely be “burning seaweed for kelp” which refers to an industrial process:

The large brown seaweeds like kelp and wrack were gathered from the shore. It was then dried in the sun, and after burned slowly in stone-lined pits.
The result was a hard, glassy residue called “kelp” (not to be confused with the living algae itself).

This provided potash and soda ash, both of which were eagerly sought after by the glass and soap making industries of the time.

Kelp ash was also important in the textile bleaching and dyeing process and also in the production of medicinal iodine.

This made the 'kelp industry' an integral part of many costal communities across Britain and Ireland.

22/05/2026

Today May 22nd is International Biodiversity Day 2026 🌎

But why is caring about so important you may ask? 🤔

Every species on land and at sea has a role to play in keeping its habitat and ecosystem healthy.🐳🌀

Our oceans make up over 90% of all habitable space on earth, meaning that the health of our marine ecosystems are vital for our survival. This is why we should always care for and protect our waterways, rivers, seas and oceans! 🌊💙

21/05/2026

Happy Europen Maritime Day!

🌊 Happy European Maritime Day! 💧

Water is important to Ireland because, well.... it's an Island! 🏝️

You'll find a great variety of life in our oceans and rivers. Seals, dolphins, whales, basking sharks, crabs, starfish, seaweed, all the way down to little tiny plankton. Each play an important role in supporting a healthy ecosystem.

Healthy water is not only essential for these creatures, but also for fishing, tourism, climate change, and coastal communities!

Here's what you can do to help protect our waters:
🐚 Respect the beaches: Leave shells and rocks where you find them, they might be someone's home!
♻️ Reduce plastic waste: Single use plastics end up in rivers and oceans
🚯 Dispose of rubbish in designated bins, or, if none are around, Pack it Out! Even small items such as cigarette butts and food wrappers can harm wildlife and pollute waterways.
🦢 Don't feed Swans or Ducks bread! Leftover bread in the water pollutes waterways, encouraging algae blooms that reduce oxygen levels and harm aquatic life.
🌱 Support local conservation efforts – Take part in beach clean-ups, biodiversity events or community projects that help protect and restore local habitats.

Take some time to appreciate the Irish waterways!

Thanks to Paula Fogarty of Waterford Harbour Sub Aqua Club for the photos.

03/01/2026

Wolf Moon rising this evening northeast of Waterford city.
Thanks for pics Susan!