Free arts and ecology events at Carlingford Lough this Summer

This summer, residents and visitors in the Carlingford Lough area are in for a treat as a fascinating series of free arts and ecology events takes place along the twin shores of the lough, straddling the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

These events are part of the innovative Shifting Tides project, which aims to unite coastal communities in a shared celebration and exploration of their local marine environments through practical ecology and collaborative creative arts. The Shifting Tides initiative offers a unique blend of activities that range from beach sculpture and photography workshops to hands-on citizen science events and a talk on nature restoration by renowned author and ecologist, Richard Nairn.

This programme seeks to deepen the community's connection to their natural surroundings, highlighting the rich biodiversity of Carlingford Lough and encouraging stewardship of this vital coastal habitat. 

The series will kick off on Friday, 26 July, with a Seagrass Survey between Carlingford and Greenore conducted in collaboration with Coastwatch, an organisation renowned for its work in coastal monitoring and marine conservation. There will be a short training session and afterwards, participants are invited to meet for tea and coffee, with presentations on marine ecology from Karin Dubsky (Coast Watch) and Alex McMaster (Shifting Tides). Alex is also speaking at the Fideller Green Festival in Rostrevor at 3 pm.

This will be followed by a meetup on Saturday the 27th in Rostrevor for anyone interested in the emerging field of Citizen Science. The following Friday, 2 August, the renowned writer and ecologist Richard Nairn will be hosting a talk at Carlingford Marina about nature restoration along the coast.

Those with a creative bent can look forward to beach sculpture workshops in Omeath and Warrenpoint on 24 August, and exploration of the sounds of Carlingford Lough with composer Karen Power at the Carlingford Marina Café on 4 August. This will be followed by creative workshops on microphotography, on 18 August in Omeath, and cyanotype cameraless photography on 10 August in Rostrevor.   

Project Director Suzie Cahn expressed her enthusiasm for the upcoming events, saying, "Shifting Tides is about more than just enjoying the beauty of Carlingford Lough; it's about building a community that is actively engaged in the preservation and celebration of our natural heritage. We encourage everyone, from residents and users of the Lough, to artists and nature lovers, to join us in these activities and discover the hidden wonders of Carlingford Lough."

All events are free and open to the public, with more information and schedules available on the project's website www.theshiftingtides.org/events

Shifting Tides is a recipient of the Creative Climate Action fund, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme. It is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in collaboration with the Department of the Taoiseach. The fund supports creative, cultural and artistic projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural transformations.