As well as the IWDG’s team of expert staff, what’s made these groundbreaking findings possible is Celtic Mist, a research vessel gifted to the IWDG in 2011 by the family of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

Deliver talks on marine conservation and Marine Protected Area AOIs identified in the Fair Seas report Revitalising Our Seas to local communities.

On 9th of August, and still coping with the pandemic, the world would wake up to the IPCC report that unequivocally declared global warming and climate change a reality of our times. Nature was angry. A group of eight – Pat – the skipper, Patricia – the first mate, Emily – the biologist, Robbie, Lucia, Angela, Eoin and I set sail to face her head on with our zindadili (feeling of being alive). A rolling ocean and roaring winds awaited us outside the secure Fenit harbour. The massive 35 ton Celtic Mist was tossed as though it was a nuisance to be dealt with. Pat the skipper, Robbie and others at the helm were in a battle of wills with the waves. Emily, our spotter and biologist, brushed aside all the whispers of the white horses even in this weather. She kept her eyes open for signs of Wally the Arctic walrus rumoured to be in the vicinity. She spotted bottlednosed dolphins. Our scientific programme on Celtic Mist is still in full force, with leg 11 (already!) sailing from Fenit to Dingle. Our fantastic crew enjoyed sightings of marine mammals, such as common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, many grey seals around the Blasket Islands, and even a minke whale in Dingle bay. We also had sightings of breaching tunas, a sunfish and diving gannets feeding with common dolphins. We really appreciated watching wildlife in action! One of the other highlights of the week was our funny nights teasing each other while playing board games. This week, we had onboard our own famous writer, Adelaide, a funny ironical young woman who offered to write out weekly blog. Here is her narrative of this great week on Celtic Mist (and at the end, a bonus we really wanted to share with you!) – Hélène, Celtic Mist Biologist Skipper Pat Hartigan began his experience nearly 30 years ago learning about the sea out on fishing boats, completed the yacht master exams in the nineties and owned his own boat. An experienced yacht master instructor and twelve years frontline service with the Coast Guard Pat first skippered the Celtic Mist in 2016. Built in 1974 this 57-foot Ketch, formerly owned by Charles Haughey, was gifted to the IWDG in 2011. He was pleased with the performance of the boat and delighted to get a little bit of sailing during the week despite very little wind. Describing us as an eclectic mix Pat was happy with the crew which worked as a great team. Return from a day at the beach with a healthy glow and enjoy family time together playing in the garden or in the den before dinner. Fiacc O'Brolchain, IWDG Director, says a lot more need to be done for marine protection in Ireland.

Place of Work: IWDG is based in Kilrush, Co. Clare. However, after initial training the role will take place onboard IWDG’s research vessel Celtic Mist which will sail from various locations along the coast of Ireland. This will involve staying onboard with other members of the IWDG crew as well as IWDG members for seven days at a time. Travel to and from each departure and arrival ports will be required although expenses will be provided. Keen hurler Daragh McLaughlin the youngest member of the crew has always been interested in marine life and when he came across this voyage immediately joined as a member of the IWDG. He was surprised to see so much marine life and particularly enjoyed observing the large numbers of Common Dolphins and Minke Whales. Set on the seaward side of the bay and boasting stunning sea views that span the pristine coastline that reaches to Godrevy and beyond, Celtic Mist is a luxury three-bedroom bungalow with all the indoor and outside space you could wish for; creating a wonderful holiday retreat for families and couples to enjoy. Light-filled and welcoming, the home features a spacious entrance hall with a wooden staircase that ascends to the upstairs rooms where guests will discover a large lounge with stunning sea views; a lovely space for whiling away the hours in complete relaxation. Downstairs, the property’s three ground floor bedrooms are airy and inviting, with comfortable beds and garden views adding to their appeal. Celtic Mist was donated to the IWDG in 2011, by the family of Ireland’s former Taoiseach, Charles J. Haughey. At 17m, Celtic Mist has become IWDG’s flagship vessel, equipped to accommodate eight people. Celtic Mist has surveyed Irish inshore and offshore waters since 2012, successfully circum-navigating Ireland on several occasions, including in 2022.And as a bonus, here are two poems of our beloved bilingual Poet Laureate of Celtic Mist, Pearse (and OpenAI): Contract: This is a part time role running from May – September with an average of 14 days a month. You will be required to work weekends and bank holidays. Full details on the working hours and schedule will be provided before starting the role. This day we ventured out to the Magharee Islands after gaining permission from the owner to land on one them. By the time we arrived and took the inflatable to land on the shore of Illauntannig (the largest of the islands) the combination of intense sunshine and virgin sand would have convinced anyone we had landed in the Caribbean. Palma, Majorca 1989. Celtic Mist must have been quite a sight with her steel hull rising and falling gently in the azure swell and sun glinting off her brightwork and rigging.

According to Ron Holland, speaking to Weekend Review this week, he enjoyed working on the project. He still retains an abiding affection for Mr Desmond and Mr Haughey. Degree in a scientific or environmental discipline or over two years of experience in marine mammal surveying. Andrew Shine, Celtic Mist officer, has seen first-hand how the research vessel is inspiring young scientists and students. When Dermot Desmond asked him in 1990 if he would like to oversee the refit of the Haughey family's latest aquisition he readily agreed even though the request was something akin to asking Ron Dennis of McLaren if he would get his boys on the Formula 1 pit crew to change the points and plugs on a family saloon.

From 30,000 acorns to mighty oaks — with luck and a little help

Situated on the ground floor this room is furnished with twin beds (that can be zipped and linked to form a super king size bed), bedside tables, lamps, a chest of drawers, mirror, built-in wardrobe and dressing table Growing up to 33 metres in length and weighing up to 178,000 Kg, the blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on earth. The north Atlantic population of this iconic great whale suffered massive persecution at the height of the whaling boom. Estimates suggest that the north Atlantic population may have dropped to as low as 400 animals. Numbers are thought to be recovering slowly, but they are still a rare sight. with the IWDG estimating that perhaps 30-50 individuals pass through Irish waters each year based on acoustic data.

In fact, as the group’s CEO Dr Simon Berrow points out, when the IWDG first started out it was quite radical for the Irish general public to conceive of even one dolphin in our waters — nevermind the hundreds that we know of today. “In 1990 we formed the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, and it was around this time that word about a Dingle Dolphin was spreading,” he remembers. “Indeed I think to most people Fungie was the ONLY dolphin in Ireland!” Mr Desmond, by now truly a multi-millionaire, paid up with, what was to him at least, loose change. It was, he insisted at the Moriarty Tribunal, ``an insignificant financial matter.'' Then we come to the three marine biologists – Seán, Bogna and Mags. They hit it off with each other in their student days and were excited to finally work on a project together. Located upstairs on the first floor of the house this room has stunning sea views and is furnished with four armchairs, a sofa and footstool as well as a TV cabinet with flat screen TV (Freeview), a Bluetooth speaker and a coffee table The other great bonus of a venture like Floating Classroom, which opens Celtic Mist up to the general public, is that it has introduced plenty of new faces to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

The crew was excited to finally set sail on Monday morning, and after some rather exhilarating rope throwing attempts while trying to moor to refuel, we were ready to get to open waters. Throughout the day we were joined by many groups of bottlenose dolphins who swam alongside us as we made our way by the Maherees to Brandon where we would stay for the night. Sightings were difficult with the weather still being far from ideal and white caps were spread as far as the eye could see. This made it even harder to differentiate what was a splash of the waves and what was an actual marine mammal.