​I'm going to be honest with you: I never had much interest in the marine world. I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, probably the most landlocked city in the United States. I never even saw the ocean until I was nearly 15 and was always way more engaged in the medical side of science. I suppose this was because I thought medicine was more relevant to me, and by learning about this area of science, I was learning about myself.
The same can be said about my interest in protecting the environment (please don't hate me!) I felt that climate change was so big of a problem that I'd never make much difference in contributing to a solution. The issue is so overwhelming that I put up a mental block against it like I was putting my fingers into my ears and saying, "I don't want to know!"
My interest in medical science led me to my current job at CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Medical Devices, based at the National University of Ireland Galway. Scientists at CÚRAM are developing medical solutions for people to live more comfortably. Many people live much longer than they used to, which means they must live with chronic health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The medical devices developed at CÚRAM are made from biomaterials. These biomaterials can be made from synthetic materials, such as plastics or metals, or natural materials from nature.

Natural biomaterials from the marine world are currently being studied for various medical applications. To showcase how we can learn from the amazing capabilities of ocean creatures to create medical solutions, CÚRAM partnered with Galway Atlantaquaria to develop a new exhibit, "Marine Meets MedTech". My lack of interest in the ocean and climate change was entirely transformed by making this exhibit with Galway Atlantaquaria.
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Galway Atlantaquaria are incredible at educating people (including myself!) about the ocean. They find creative ways to link with educational activities and community events. For example, they have designed special "Maths Week" tours for primary students. Maths and the ocean can be connected? Of course they can, and Galway Atlantaquaria can show you how! Another example is the monthly beach clean-ups, which allow people to meet others and learn more about the environment as they help their community by cleaning up the shore.

While developing the exhibit with Galway Atlantaquaria and marine scientists, I came to realise that marine organisms have superpowers that do not exist in land-dwelling creatures. Marine organisms live in extreme environmental conditions that do not exist on land. Depending upon what ocean zone they live, organisms can encounter unique conditions such as high pressures, cold temperatures, low light exposures, high salt concentrations, and low oxygen levels. In response to these living conditions, they must evolve special structural, physiological, and behavioural adaptations. These adaptations have led to the evolution of diverse natural compounds with beneficial chemical and physical properties. Sam Afoullouss, an SFI-funded PhD student at the National University of Galway Ireland studying deep-sea natural product chemistry, explains this superpower evolution perfectly with his prize-winning Threesis presentation, "Ireland's Deep Sea Pharmacy".
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Sam also strongly influenced my change of heart towards the ocean. I highly recommend that you listen to Sam speak about the sea. He is very inspiring and paints a vivid image of the underwater world we are just beginning to discover. He has a TedxGalway talk, "The Deep Sea's Medicinal Secrets", that has received over 146,000 views.
Sam is also a deep-sea photographer and has captured incredible images of his ocean dives. It's hard to believe that the videos were filmed off the coast of Ireland and not some exotic location in the Caribbean. One video, "Connemara's Coastline", features a steely-eyed Cat Shark staring down the camera through some kelp. There is also a cheeky Spiny Spider Crab who looks as if he is trying to snatch the camera away from Sam's hands. One creature, a Violet Sea Slug, looks more like a flower that should be growing in your garden and not some animal living off the Connemara coast. Sam also captures Jewel Anemones under ultra-violet light, allowing paisley patterns of yellow, blue and orange to appear. 

​After a year of development, we launched our interactive exhibit at Galway Atlantaquaria, highlighting the importance of protecting the diversity of marine organisms and how they can provide cures with their unique properties. The sponge display shows where different species live around Irish coasts and how scientists are testing if the chemicals found in sponge slime can fight cancer and harmful microbes. The barnacles' area explains how new medical adhesives can be created by copying how these marine organisms glue themselves to things. The exhibit also shows how alginate from seaweed and chitosan from crustacean shells can be transformed into easily injectable 'hydrogels' that heal wounds and deliver medicine. Eye-captivating diatoms are showcased for their beauty and how their porous architecture allows for the controlled release of drugs more slowly over a longer time inside the body. Images of coccolithophore blooms are displayed, and their importance as "carbon fixers" is discussed with their potential for use in drug delivery.
Isn't it incredible that slimy sponges and jewel-like algae are helping scientists develop new ways to heal our bodies? If we lose the biodiversity of our oceans, we also lose potential ways to help fight diseases. Keeping our oceans healthy helps us discover new ways of developing medical device technology, which, in turn, keeps us healthy. Thanks to the influence of Galway Atlantaquaria and inspiring marine scientists, I now want to make an effort to protect these tiny sea creatures who can potentially offer such big cures!
#marinemeetsmedtech #STEM

This is a great opportunity to meet scientists and learn about their work to
develop medical devices for human health & wellbeing
Galway Atlantaquaria and CÚRAM are inviting members of the public to join our Clean Coasts beach clean and Series of Snappy Science talks on Grattan Beach, Salthill.
During the beach clean, scientists and researchers for CÚRAM will host a series of talks about their work. The idea of these moving science talks is to enable people to listen & ask questions in an informal way. Each scientist will have a limited time to share some of the work they do, so they will keep the talks short, educational, and fun.
The event is free for the public to attend, and will take place on the 30th of April at 11.30 am.
Garry Kendellen, of Galway Atlantaquaria said “This is our first event where we can talk to scientists and researchers from CÚRAM to hear more about the work they are involved with. I am excited to learn more about the use of seaweed in medicine and how new surgical glues are inspired by barnacles.” 
 Sarah Gundy of CÚRAM said, “Our scientists are looking forward to sharing how they develop new medical devices and their experiences in the lab. It will be an excellent opportunity for them to meet the public while enjoying a day on the beach.”
On the day Galway Atlantaquaria will provide Clean Coasts litter pickers and bags, all you need to bring is some gloves. 
For booking or to learn more about this event see;
https://roller.app/nationalaquarium/products/cramevent30thapril?date=20220430#/sessions
If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please email garry@nationalaquarium.ie
Please be aware this event is happening outdoors and prepare for all weather types, to learn more about where we are meeting, see; https://www.nationalaquarium.ie/uploads/5/8/1/1/58117585/grattan_prep_17_02_2022.pdf

​The Brilliant Abyss
True Tales of Exploring the Deep Sea, Discovering Hidden Life and Selling the Seabed
Helen Scales
Review by Petra Kerhove
​Bone-eating zombie worms, headless chicken monsters and yeti crabs: This could be the start of a bad horror film, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even though they look like they might have escaped the world of H. P. Lovecraft or Jules Verne, all these creatures actually exist and they live deep in the ocean. These animals, amongst others, keep astounding scientists all over the world and make them constantly reassess life on this planet. We know so much about life on land, and even about life in the sky, but below the first few meters of the ocean’s surface, life is unknown territory.

​Helen Scales is a marine biologist, writer and broadcaster. She is also a cold water-surfer, scuba diver and trained freediver. In this book she expresses her passion for sea life and she gives us an insight into the largely undiscovered world of the deep sea.
The first part of the book is a description of the unbelievably resilient, inventive and downright unusual creatures of the deep. She mentions animals newly discovered by scientists, and she describes how they manage to live in inhospitable habitats like hydrothermal vents, where the oxygen levels are extremely low and temperature and toxin levels are extremely high. The animals in the deep need to adapt, which causes genetic mutations, changes in reproductive cycles and unusual diets. This is where we are introduced to creatures like Xenoturbella, a type of worm that looks like a discarded sock, Peinaleopolynoe elvisi, the Elvis worm, because it seems to wear a sequined suit, and Chaetopterus pugaporcinus, also known as the flying buttocks, because well … I think it speaks for itself.
The habitats these creatures live in are just as fascinating as the wildlife we find there: the deep-sea seamounts, the trenches in the hadal zone (the deepest region in the sea), and the hydrothermal vents. All these different habitats support different creatures with their own specialist survival skills.
 
After the first chapters, the tone of the book becomes more serious as Scales outlines the importance of the deep sea. Why do we need to preserve the deep? What can we learn from life in the deep sea? And: how will the destruction of life on the seabed affect us on earth?
Scientists are learning more and more each day about the genetic make-up and life-cycles of various animals that live in the abyss and deep-sea trenches, and the results of this research could potentially help in the development of new medicines and medical treatments.
The sea also plays a very important role in climate control. The deep sea holds on to billions of tonnes of CO2 through particles of biological debris, called marine snow, sinking to the bottom. Also, some deep sea animals migrate to the surface where they feed at night and then return for the day, potentially moving massive amounts of CO2 to the deep.
Of course, there are several threats to life on the seabed, like overfishing and deep-sea trawling, but imminent deep-sea mining could be one of the most destructive practices. Fossil fuels are being depleted and we need more sustainable energy, so companies will try to extract mineral deposits from the seabed for use as an energy source instead. However, in the process, many habitats will be destroyed and animals will suffer or become extinct, even with the most careful mining techniques. It is unknown if the CO2 deposits will be disturbed in the process of mining. There could be substantial climate effects if they are.
 
The last part of the book describes how to preserve this vast ecosystem. Scales tells us to do even the smallest things to help: recycle, fly less and demand better laws from our local officials. Because if we don’t, life in the deep could be affected even more by pollution, extinction and disappearing habitats.
 

For me, this book was an eye-opener. Even for someone with a life-long curiosity and passion for wildlife, I was unaware of these extremely fascinating, alien creatures. Their life cycles are so unusual, their shapes incomprehensible and the environments they live in so hostile, you cannot help but be in awe.
I was also unprepared to learn of the scale of utter destruction the deep sea is facing through trawling and deep-sea mining. It genuinely seems that because we cannot see the deep, we almost forget that it is there. We need to do all we can to preserve this fascinating world that is still teaching us so much every day.
The writing style of the book makes this complicated and scientific topic easier to understand. Scales doesn’t overuse scientific words and where she does, she explains what they mean.
After reading this book, my lifelong interest in the underwater world has turned into a passion for the deep. It is just amazing that in a world where we know so much, there is one habitat left where one can just simply marvel at the unknown. Or as Scales says herself in the epilogue:
 
The deep sea will never run out of things for us to dream about. Places will remain unseen and unvisited, fleeting moments will be missed and nimble creatures, whose existence nobody can guess, will keep slipping out of sight. We need to do all we can to keep it that way. (p. 294)
 
And isn’t that a wonder worth saving?

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Follow the Author on Twitter: @helenscales

​What is a lighthouse? A lighthouse is a tower, building, or another type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses. They serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
There are some amazing stories of lighthouses and more information can be found here; https://www.greatlighthouses.com/
In this Blog, we would like to talk and share some of the images and stories we learned about the lighthouse on mutton island. 

In this Blog we would like to make people aware of the cultural and historical significance of this building, but also link it to the Clean Coasts #ThinkBeforeYouFlush campaign. 

If you look very closely you can see many sheep grazing away, it is said that the fresh and salty air gave the mutton a fine taste, hence the name mutton island was born.

In the year 1132, the King of Munster besieged Dún Bun na Gaillimhe (the fortification at the mouth of Galway ) on Mutton Island and and destroyed the castle. There is a reference in the year 1190 to Lismacuan, ‘The Fort on the Mouth of the Harbour’. In 1641 an order was made that the lands of Mutton Island were to be made use of as commonage for the inhabitants of Galway.
The island was strategically important from a military point of view, as in 1651 when Galway was besieged by the English. “The enemie ... caused some Parliament vessels to anchor on Galway’s harbour, and to land some men on Sheepe Island to master the towns from them: with his ordinance very commodious, the number four score and ten choice mariners and other lustie men were then landed, to build half moones, redoubts and other inginier-worke, to mount their artillerie against the towne ... the worke was begun, which if finished, doubtless the towne could not subsiste”.
For the people of Galway, “Bryan Roe Oneylle publickly offered himself .... and a partie of 300 men was picked out and marchd with this new commander who thither arriuinge, commanded the whole partie upon pane of death to advance to give an assault upon the newe made works, which no sooner breathed than executed ... This Irish partie had the killing of all the whole crue in the said island then extant, except one onely man, that narrowly excaped by swimming; got all their baggage, tooells and instruments, demolished the works and turned home victorious without the losse of one man”. They won the battle but not the war as the city surrendered on April 12 the following year.
In 1691 after the siege of Galway, the castle on Mutton Island was repaired and fortified. A fort was built beside it and provided with 10 pieces of cannon and a company of soldiers, as the English were worried about French privateers coming into the bay. The castle was taken down in 1815 when the lighthouse was built. Our illustration, which first appeared in Hardiman’s History of Galway in 1820, is taken from an original drawing in Galway County Library. The entire cost of the building, which included the keeper’s house, was £4,020 3s 5d. The light on top was first established on October 25 1817, and the first keeper was Walter Walsh. He had to erect notices informing seaweed collectors that they would be prosecuted if they took stones away for ballast, a common practice at the time.
The lighthouse served the port of Galway until September 17 1958, when it was automated. Over the years, brighter background lighting along the coast tended to swamp Mutton Island’s light, so it was being suggested that the system should be changed. The final solution was to abolish the light and the Margaretta East buoy and place a new lighted buoy called “Mutton Island” positioned southeast of the island on the north side of the roadstead, and a new lighted buoy called “Tawin Island” on the south side of the roadstead, north west of the shoals. The Harbour Commissioners’ light at the Leveret also plays an important role in approaching Galway Harbour. A leveret is a baby hare, and this light near Hare Island (known locally as “The Candlestick” ) is about 900 yards straight out from the docks, and dates from the 1960s. After more than 160 years, Mutton Island’s light was extinguished on December 13 1977. The buildings are still there and are now part of the sewage treatment complex.
​Source: https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/87455/mutton-island-inis-caorach

Mutton IslandMutton Island is located about 800 metres offshore from Galway City. About half way between Nimmo Pier and Salthill, there is a causeway that links the island to the shore. It is a popular walk in Galway. At low tide, the shoreline is exposed on both sides of the causeway and this attracts a wide variety of birds.
There is no access to the island at the end of the causeway, but there is plenty to see from the causeway itself. If you have parked in the city centre to check out Nimmo Pier, you can easily get to the start of the causeway from the end of Nimmo Pier. Just follow the path along the shoreline. Otherwise you can find parking on the road leading to Salthill and walk back past the Famine Ship Memorial to the causeway.
This is a top location to go birdwatching in Galway. 
​https://www.birdwatchingireland.com/birdwatching-galway

To help maintain a clean and healthy water supply, we need to help Mutton Island. 
Clean Coasts has a really wonderful #ThinkBeforeYouFlush Campaign and you can learn more here  THINK BEFORE YOU FLUSH 

On the Cleggan Ferry, by Mary Lynch Swander
 
I stood in the little shelter at the Cleggan pier, waiting to get on the boat to Inishbofin Island, my wheelie bag in hand, a rainy mist falling down on my slicker, the hood pulled over my head. Lobster traps were stacked against the seawall and the ferry boat was docking, inching ever closer to landing. Tourists, students, parents pushing babies in strollers and family dogs all pressed together waiting to board. With x-ray vision I scanned through my bag, hoping that I had everything I needed—poetry books to toothpaste. I was off to Inishbofin to teach writing in a summer ecology seminar where I’d been on the faculty for many summers. There was no turning back to Cleggan, no turning back to the States and the landlocked area where I ‘d lived in Iowa.
            I loved my yearly trips to Ireland, temporarily leaving behind the heat and humidity and the rich soil of my Iowa garden, soil formed by the decomposition of prairie plants and animals. My land was once the bottom of the sea—now gently rolling farmland that represented the layers of life that had come before me. My neighbor’s plow routinely turned up Indian arrowheads in the  field trailing down into the valley.  When I weeded my plot, I often thought of all the prehistoric mammals and fish that once inhabited the space that I now call home.
            Fossils held the secrets of my Iowa landscape. An outcropping of limestone revealed trilobites and the thought of a once vast expanse of water, the marine anthropods thriving in the Cambrian age, then gradually going extinct. Invertebrate brachiopods, crinoids, cephalopods, corals and bryozoans told of past climates and animal populations deep within their beds. Larger vertebrates like sharks and joint-necked armored fish painted a Devonian seascape.
            Then I was one with the fish, shedding my armour.  I was on the ferry, heading out into the bay, looking back at the Pier Bar that my uncle had once owned and lost in a poker game, saying good-bye to cousin Oliver’s Pub and B&B where I’d spent the night, dining on a delicious meal of fresh salmon. I hunkered down on a bench on the ferry-- outside where I could feel the fresh sea air hit my face, my eyes gazing into the water. This seascape was alive and I could sense the energy of flippers and fins just beneath the surface of the waves.
            “Dolphins! Dolphins!” someone called from the other side of the boat, and I caught a glimpse of a beak dipping into the water.
            In the past, I’d relished setting off on this journey to Inishbofin, drinking in the fun and knowledge of the seminar, connecting with the staff and students, hiking the island, visiting more relatives, listening for the corncrake, wading into the tide pools along the shore. But I always tried to savor the ferry trip, the transition from land to sea. On that ride, I lost myself in thoughts of geological time, that realization that one day we will all be extinct. And how do we respond to the idea of non-existence? By embracing movement. Movement in a boat between two continents, between two cultures, two branches of a family, two land and seascapes
            I leaned back into the bench and felt the force of the ferry pushing through the pull of the waves.
              

​The Inishbofin Summer School, an annual pilgrimage for some, a new adventure for others, is Ireland’s longest running environmental summer course, established in 1984. With a focus on Island life, biodiversity, heritage, history, stories and music, the week-long course provides an opportunity to clear the head and be inspired by the natural world around us after another busy school year.
 
This year’s course will run from the 4th to 8th of July and is a week long exploration of the magical island of Inishbofin, off the coast of Connemara. A multidisciplinary team of storytellers, archaeologists, artists and scientists including botanists, zoologists and marine biologists explore the human and natural history of the island which includes field trips, lectures, workshops and evening events.
 
The school is approved by the Dept Education and Science as in service for teachers but is open to the public also.

Who doesn’t like a day at the seaside! The smell of the sea and the seaweed, the sound of the waves, the barking dogs, the sand in your sandwiches and in between your toes when you go to put your socks back on! These may all sound a bit cliché, but for many of us, even those who grew up far from the sea, these things make very strong childhood memories.
Salthill provides the opportunity for all these things, plus so much more. Over the last 15 years my family, first myself and my husband, then my children and finally our dog have had some great days out in Salthill, in all seasons and weather, from an hour to a whole day.
In this post my children (12 and 10 years of age) provide a list of some of their favorite things to do, places to eat and added extras, as we couldn’t fit everything into one list! 

One of the reasons we love Salthill is that the area provides a mixture of free and fee-paying attractions, indoor and outdoor, suitable for a mixture of ages, all in a setting with parking, footpaths and bus access, and a whole range of services such as shops, pharmacies, and banks in case of emergencies. You will also find a range of restaurants to cater for all taste buds and price ranges (see www.salthill.com for more details).

​So why not head our way, feel the sea air, make some family memories, or maybe go for a walk on the prom by yourself, it may sound cliché, but Salthill is a great place to make happy memories no matter what age you are.