Louth group makes shortlist at 2024 Ocean Hero Awards
Clean Coasts celebrated groups and individuals from around Ireland who made a difference for our marine environment this year
An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme hosted the Ocean Hero Awards Ceremony at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday, to celebrate and give thanks to the dedicated groups, individuals, communities, and businesses, including from Louth, who have gone above and beyond to protect their local coastline and its surrounding environment, in 2024.
Every year, the Ocean Hero Awards commemorate the invaluable contribution and dedication that Clean Coasts volunteers, groups and communities give towards conserving Ireland’s unique coastal heritage.
In 2024, Clean Coasts determined six distinct categories, and after hundreds of nominations were received, a total of 30 groups, organisations and individuals made the shortlist for the title of Ocean Hero in each category. At the awards ceremony, the hard work and achievements this year of each group was showcased and celebrated.
In county Louth, Cooley Community Alert was nominated and shortlisted in the Event of the Year Category 2024. The group organise multiple clean up events throughout the year annually, but in 2024 they organised two a large events worth recognising, one during National Spring Clean in April at Rockmarshall coastal area, and one during the Big Beach Clean in September at Templetown beach.
A lot of coordination of different groups to team up in both cases resulted in huge volumes of rubbish being collected. In the September clean-up as part of the Big Beach Clean, approximately half a ton of waste was collected, which included a lot of discarded fishing waste.
Teaming up with Cooley Community Alert on both clean ups, there were lots of members from the Louth Volunteer Centre and also included many refugees new to the area who embraced the events wholeheartedly.
In the end the Event of the Year Category was won by Circus 250, Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo, Scoil Naisunta Cheathru Thaidhg for their joint Big Beach Clean event.
Bronagh Moore, An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme Manager said at the awards: “The Ocean Hero Awards is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and showcase the incredible work that is being done day in and day out by volunteers in the Clean Coast Community.
"We hope that it will inspire others to get involved and be ambitious about the positive impact we can have in protecting and caring for our marine environment. Now more than ever our Ocean needs to be protected. We are stronger together and when we work with a common purpose, great things can be achieved.”