Active Research Projects

Energy Narratives and Change in Coastal Communities in Ireland (ENACT) - 2024-2028

Energy Narratives and Change in Coastal Communities in Ireland (ENACT) is a four-year, Marine Institute-funded engaged research project working with residents of Kilrush, Co. Clare and Whitegate, Co. Cork. to understand grassroots narratives about the energy transition from fossil fuels to offshore renewables. Kilrush is the location of Moneypoint, Ireland’s largest power plant fueled by coal, while Whitegate has the State’s only oil refinery. Both communities are expected to be at the forefront of the renewable energy transition, with the nearby marine environments designated as Broad Areas of Interest for floating wind energy projects. The ENACT team will seek to understand how this change registers at the grassroots level, and what these narratives can tell us about the impact of the renewable energy transition on communities.

Blue4All - 2023-2026

(opens in a new window)Blue4All is a Horizon Europe-funded project investigating marine conservation and restoration challenges, with an emphasis on stakeholder engagement for successful Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation. The project uses 25 Information Sites and Living Labs around Europe to ultimately inform a Blueprint Platform to help create MPAs and MPA Networks. Several members of the MESSAGE group contribute to Work Package 2.2: Social and Governance Tools, working with stakeholders in Co. Louth, Ireland to understand the needs for successful MPA governance.

MARBEFES - 2022-2026

The Horizon Europe-funded (opens in a new window)MARBEFES project investigates the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the resulting ecosystem services and societal goods and benefits; and seeks to achieve ecological and socio-economic valuation through a validated set of innovative tools in a distributed toolbox to enhance policy and governance for the marine environment to secure its benefits for current and future generations.

IE-Narr - 2023-2025

The Irish Energy Narratives in the Transition (IE-Narr) project at the Earth Institute investigates the cultural registration of the energy transition at several key sites around Ireland, including Kilrush (Co. Clare), Clarna (Co. Galway), and West Dublin. The team organises workshops with varying formats at each of these sites to probe how extractive energy pasts, contemporary local action, and desired energy futures are being registered by communities and creative works at key moments of energy. transformation.

Concluded Research Projects

Cultural Value of Coastlines - 2016-2019

(opens in a new window)Cultural Value of Coastlines was a two-year IRC-funded project investigating the cultural dimensions of coastal and marine environments around the Irish Sea, with a specific focus on Dublin Bay, Cumbria, and Strangford Lough. The project brought together an interdisciplinary team of researchers working in marine biology, social science, and English literature.

Ecostructure - 2017-2022

The WEFO-funded (opens in a new window)Ecostructure project brought together researchers from five universities in Ireland and Wales to develop eco-engineering and biosecurity solutions for coastal adaptation to climate change in the Irish Sea. Part of the Ecostructure project involved public engagement to understand the cultural value of coastal and marine landscapes and the potential impact of (infrastructure) change.

Land2Sea - 2019-2022

The (opens in a new window)Land2Sea project investigated the combined impacts of human activity and climate change on freshwater and marine systems. The project involved a multidisciplinary team and multiple study sites around the Atlantic Ocean, and resulted in a number of Decision Support Tools for marine ecosystem management. Land2Sea was funded by the Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services II programme, which was jointly supported and run by Belmont Forum, Biodiversa and the European Commission.

Taking Stock - 2022-2023

(opens in a new window)Taking Stock was an SFI-funded pilot project investigating the perception of the offshore environment generally, and marine sediments storing carbon specifically in coastal communities around Dundalk Bay, Co. Louth. It contributed to the Marine Institute and EPA-funded QUEST project, on the characterization and quantification of marine sediments
storing carbon around Ireland. The aim of Taking Stock was to engage with coastal residents from an early point in the scientific research, to understand community concerns and ideas about the natural capacity of the seabed to store carbon, and how this might impact on other uses of the offshore environment (e.g., fishing, offshore renewables development, recreation).