The MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments has secured four days of ship-time aboard the R/V Celtic Voyager from 10-13 October 2019. The research cruise, led by Geography's Drs Liam Carr and Audrey Morley with research support from the Ryan Institute's Dr Rachel Cave and Clynton Gregory, is the fifth consecutive year where the MSc cohort will design and conduct at-sea research in the waters off the west coast of County Galway. The 2019 cruise will provide important updates for Galway Bay's benthic community dataset while also collecting baseline data on the amount and distribution of microplastics in the water column. The 2019 research cruise will again be based out of Cill Rónáin, Inis Mór, and is made possible through funding from the Marine Institute.