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Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Why are Ireland's whales disappearing?
Aren't huge whales always being spotted off Ireland's coast? Skipper Colin Barnes, who gave up commercial fishing in 2001 to set up one of Ireland's first whale -watching businesses, has said the whales have left his search area of ocean off Cork because the sprat they feed on have been fished to near extinction. He could no longer offer 'world-class whale-watching'. This decline contrasts with evidence of a rich mix of cetaceans increasingly found off Ireland including whales, dolphins and porpoises. There is no doubt some are here more frequently due to changes in water temperature caused by global warming or having to go further afield due to overfishing elsewhere. But declaring the territorial waters of Ireland a designated whale and dolphin sanctuary in 1991 helped. This coincided with an increase in numbers following an international ban on killing whales introduced in the 1980s. READ MORE [ 'It's an empty, lifeless sea': Whales leave Cork waters, putting watchers out of business Opens in new window ] It fostered a new form of ecotourism, centring on Ireland's rich marine biodiversity, though some occasionally encroached too close to these magnificent creatures. To see a fin whale, the second largest mammal in the world, almost on our doorstep was awe-inspiring. A humpback whale swims off the coast of west Cork accompanied by a common dolphin in 2021. Photograph: Nick Pfeiffer/Provision Why are sprats so important? Sprats are small fish indigenous to Ireland and a rich protein source for whales but also other cetaceans and seabirds. They dominate the inshore coastline in the Celtic Sea at shallow depths, making them especially vulnerable when trawlers fish for them at spawning stage from October on with no limits on catch. Deep-sea cameraman Ken O'Sullivan has described this as 'ecological suicide' when there is little data on the species, adding that the precautionary principle should apply. Moreover, it is not a commercial catch with most sprat sold to fish farms as fishmeal. [ Shining new light on sperm whales and the importance of Irish waters to them Opens in new window ] Barnes claimed Government apathy and inaction towards fish conservation, however, has led to the demise of the fish by just a handful of large trawlers in Irish waters. What can be done about it? At a recent public meeting in west Cork there were calls for a ban on sprat fishing in inshore coastal waters. In 2019, government efforts to introduce a ban were successfully challenged in the courts. In 2024, a public consultation invited views on introducing the ban again. It attracted more than 5,500 submissions, but campaigners say more than a year on nothing has happened. Minister of State with responsibility for nature and biodiversity, Cork South West TD Christopher O'Sullivan, has accepted the need to 'introduce measures to protect this forage species – not just for whales, but for all the other fish stocks and wildlife that depend on it – to prevent the collapse of an entire food web". Marine ecologists and those in the whale watching business believe a strictly enforced ban cannot come soon enough.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘The soul of Irish traditional music': a musical journey through County Clare
A hilly lane curves round Bunratty Castle. Through an open window, I hear a harpist plucking notes at a banquet drifting as the sun sets low over the battlements. On the other side of the lane, smoke drifts from Durty Nelly's pub, where a singer is halfway through The Parting Glass. A short walk away, the limestone facade of the Creamery hints at its past lives – as a stagecoach stop, a dairy, a roadside inn. Tonight, it's a pub. Inside, Bríd O'Gorman plays the fluttering melody of The Cliffs of Moher on her flute, accompanied by Michael Landers on guitar – a quiet moment before the small crowd erupt into applause as Cian Lally pulls our pints. Just 10 minutes from Shannon airport, Bunratty village sits in the south-eastern corner of Ireland's most musical county. Along the bar, visitors from the US and France lean in, quietly captivated – likely having their first experience of an Irish music session. It's no coincidence that County Clare is the centre of Ireland's famous music scene. Clare is as close as any county comes to being an island. Hemmed in by the Atlantic on one side and the Shannon – the country's longest and widest river – on the other, it was, for centuries, a place almost adrift from the mainland. Until the 18th century, when bridges finally tethered it fully to the rest of the country, Clare was reached mostly by boat or by traversing the Burren's stony, unyielding landscape. That isolation also shaped Clare's culture. Beyond the reach of the capital, this corner of the west became a stronghold for language, music and tradition that flourished in the twilight on its own terms. You can feel that independence in villages along the coast, where the land abruptly falls into the sea at the Cliffs of Moher – or farther south, where Loop Head Peninsula stretches defiantly into the Atlantic, a windswept outpost that feels like the end of the world. Yet even within Clare, there are really two stories, as distinct as the landscapes from which they emerge. Draw a line from Bunratty, through the county town of Ennis, all the way to the northern tip of the county, and you'll see the divide. Locals speak not just of Clare, but of east Clare and west Clare – each with its own rhythm, character and musical soul. I catch Bríd as she packs away her flute, and the audience turn back to their conversations and pints. She knows this music intimately. A native of east Clare, she is a firm believer that the soul of Irish traditional music doesn't just echo through the well-trodden pubs of Gus O'Connor's or McGann's in west Clare's Doolin; it pulses quietly and powerfully through the hills, lakes, and tucked-away venues of the east. 'East Clare music has a character all of its own,' she tells me. 'It's known for being slow, expressive, understated – soulful, even. You hear it, and you can almost feel the landscape it comes from. The gentleness of the hills, the stillness of the lakes of east Clare – it's a stark contrast to the jagged landscapes of north and west Clare.' The east Clare landscape may have a soft lilt, but its voice carries enormous weight. The monastic ruins on Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) – a round tower and churches – lie just off Mountshannon on Lough Derg, often shrouded in mist. It's the final resting place of the great writer Edna O'Brien, a place where the sound of the breeze is carried through limestone walls with the same quiet dignity echoed in her prose. There's something about this part of Clare that holds on to the lyrical, whether it's in words or music. The land is lush and rolling, threaded with narrow roads and bright streams offering their own soft melody. At Quin Abbey, swallows call as they dart through the roofless cloisters, while in the pretty marina town of Killaloe, the cathedral bells mingle with the cry of gulls above the great lake. Like the land, the music isn't loud or dramatic, but quiet, confident, waiting for you to tune in. 'People often look north-west when they think of music in Clare – Doolin, Ennistymon, Miltown Malbay,' says Bríd. 'But east Clare is just as alive. You just need to know where to look.' One such place is Feakle, a single-street hillside village lost in east Clare's brilliant green landscape. It was once home to the famous herbalist and wise woman Biddy Early. However, it's a 19th-century singer, Johnny Patterson, who is commemorated with a plaque in the village square. At a fork in the road on the village approach stands Pepper's Bar, a distinctive yellow-and-green vernacular building that has served the community since 1810. Its compact main room features a homely fireplace, dance-worn flagstone floors and low-hanging beams. On a Wednesday evening, the space fills with the pulse of jigs and reels performed on fiddle, bodhrán, tin whistle or accordion. The music is sometimes frenzied, hypnotic, even mesmerising: complex arrangements often delivered by some of the country's finest players, including Martin Hayes, Liam O'Flynn, Matt Molloy, Sharon Shannon and Kevin Crawford. It's in these east Clare villages, such as Feakle, Tulla or Scarriff, that you might realise you're the only one in the room who doesn't play, sing or dance. On Thursday nights, Ger Shortt of Shortt's Bar in the heart of Feakle picks up the guitar, joined by a full musical accompaniment. Meanwhile, it seems as if anyone not playing is likely taking part in the Siege of Ennis, a céilí dance performed with spirited energy. Farther afield, Irish-language sessions are held at Gallagher's in Kilkishen, while occasional music nights at Gleeson's in Sixmilebridge also contribute to the rich musical tapestry of east Clare. Even the Honk Bar – hidden away on a bramble-filled lane near Shannon airport, not far from where Johnny Fean, one of the founding members of Celtic rock band Horslips, grew up – is known to host the occasional session. But eventually, all musical roads lead to Ennis. 'It's the heartbeat of Clare's music scene,' Bríd says. 'There's a session most nights at Ciarán's, Knox's, Cruises, the Diamond, the Poet's Corner in the Old Ground, Nora Culligans. And don't forget PJ Kelly's – it's a great spot too.' Not every tune is played in a pub. 'One of my favourite places to play is Glór in Ennis,' Bríd adds. 'We run an open session there once a month – myself and Eoin O'Neill on bouzouki. It's in the foyer, free to all, and open to musicians of every age and level. It's spacious, welcoming and it's been running for years. People love it.' Ennis's music scene is among the richest in Ireland, thanks to its deep pool of local talent, lively pub culture and a spirit that blurs the line between performer and audience. Mike Dennehy, owner of the red-and-black-fronted Knox's Pub on winding Abbey Street, says: 'Knox's has a wealth of musicians of various styles from all over Clare playing daily. We're known not just for the quality, but for our open sessions, with up to 20 musicians at once.' The roll call of regulars reads like a Who's Who of traditional music. Ennis is home to globally in-demand players such as uilleann piper Blackie O'Connell, accordionist Murty Ryan and banjoist Kieran Hehir. One of the scene's crown jewels is Piping Heaven, Piping Hell, a weekly uilleann piping session hosted by Blackie O'Connell. 'It started as an afternoon session,' says Mike, 'and has become a weekly gathering of pipers from all over the world.' Held in Ciarán's and Lucas's pubs, it features a guest piper joining the regulars for an afternoon of music, laughter and storytelling. Ennis also plays a key role on the festival circuit, hosting Fleadh Nua in May and the Ennis Trad Fest in November – events that have drawn legends such as Moving Hearts, Sharon Shannon, Andy Irvine and Lankum, and cemented the town's status as a musical capital. The west Clare scene is more relaxed, more immediate, the music blending with the conversation, and one tune flows easily into the next. Events such as the Russell festival in Doolin kick off the year in February, and by July, the Willie Clancy summer school transforms peaceful Miltown Malbay into a bustling, welcoming village of sound. It's where my own daughter, Síofradh, honed her harp skills in a chaotic makeshift class. That's the thing about Clare. Whether it's a gentle melody in Bunratty, a fireside session in east Clare or the lively pull of Doolin, the music – and the welcome – are always there. Bunratty Manor has doubles from €119 and singles from €109, room-only. Clare Eco Lodge in Feakle has doubles from €90 and singles from €50, room-only
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Midday Sports News for 30 May 2025
There's more posturing between syndicates ahead of the next America's Cup. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
E&E News
2 days ago
- Business
- E&E News
Lutnick rejects NOAA rule to revise Atlantic cod management plan
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick rejected a scientifically vetted regulation to help protect Atlantic cod Wednesday, citing concerns about the proposed rule's interference with a national policy to achieve 'optimum yield' of highly sought-after commercial fish species. The regulation — known as Amendment 25 — was crafted by the New England Fishery Management Council and supported by conservation organizations that said it was essential to accurately monitor cod populations that continue to be overfished. It was opposed by two fishing industry groups that said the amendment needed to be reworked in a more 'deliberative and informed way,' including language about annual catch limits and other restrictions. Advertisement While the Commerce secretary has final authority over NOAA fisheries regulation, Lutnick's action signals a shift in NOAA's traditional deference to the regional fishery management councils, which are tasked with monitoring ocean fish species; collecting data on their status; and recommending to NOAA updates to federal fishery management plans, including catch limits.
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Hot air balloon forced down on P.E.I. on attempt to be first to cross the Atlantic Ocean
A hot air balloon that was trying to travel over the Atlantic Ocean had to land near Cardigan, P.E.I., on Thursday. The first hydrogen, open basket gas balloon journey across the Atlantic has ended, for the time being, on the far side of the Northumberland Strait. Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer Flight Control said all three crew members are safe after the balloon was forced to touch down 'with a suspected gas leak,' near Cardross, P.E.I., at 11:22 a.m. on Thursday in a Facebook post. The crew's last post before being forced to land had them 1,123 metres south of Boiestown, N.B., travelling at a speed of 18 knots (approximately 33 km/h). The team's final post in the Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer Diary 2025 before putting down in P.E.I. documented their take-off from Presque Isle, ME, on Saturday. Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer Diary has been documenting the vessel and its crew since they began preparing for their journey in 2023. The trip, if completed, would take them to altitudes between 6,000 and 8,000 feet as they cross the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, the journey will be the 'longest distance ever covered in this type of balloon,' said the explorer's website. From Maine, the intended route would take the balloon over Newfoundland, across the Atlantic, into Europe, covering thousands of kilometres in an estimated four to five days. Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer The Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer is pictured in Presque Isle, ME, United States. (Source: Facebook) The team intends to collect air samples as part of a study searching for microbes that they said could be used in the development of new medicines, biofuels, bioplastics or agri-tech. Some of their air samples will come from locations that have never been sampled. Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer A part of the Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer hydrogen air balloon is pictured where it landed near Cardross, P.E.I. (Submitted) For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
