2021

The Fenit Town Hall Dunes Action Group (DAG) was delighted to co-host a World Biodiversity Day Event May 22nd 2021 at the Fenit Island Tombolo. The event was in conjunction with Coastwatch Ireland. [Read]

John Morrissey has published his fifth book, Haven (Edward Elgar 2020). It presents a transformative understanding of security in responding to the Mediterranean refugee crisis by drawing critically on the UN concept of ‘human security’. From a range of Arts, Humanities and Social Science disciplines, and through case studies incorporating key governmental, NGO and refugee perspectives, the book critiques the major geopolitical, economic and social issues of the crisis. It documents the prioritisation of population management techniques that are underpinned by conventional territorial logics of security, before considering the alternative priorities of human security that can facilitate an active human rights framework and a more holistic and humanitarian interventionism. In advancing a human security approach to the crisis, the book interrogates the human consequences of conflict and displacement, challenges the impoverished thinking of statist security agendas that divide the world into zones of sanctuary and abandonment, and reflects critically upon our interconnected global sense of precarity, particularly so in our COVID-19 world.

A short peice by Dr. John Morrissey as part of the Haven Project, ‘We are all waiting now: the new global sense of precarity’    [Read] 

Dr Eugene Farrell received funding from the Office of Public Works to conduct a 12-month coastal research project within the Derrynane Seashore Nature Trail, Co. Kerry in partnership with the local community. The multi-disciplinary study will measure shoreline change in response to storms and biodiversity conservation response to local management interventions within the dune ecosystem. The project will support student dissertations in the 'Coastal and Marine Environments' MSc programme

New blog by Dr Kevin Lynch with videos and links to material to print to help you protect your beach and dunes. [further info]        

Prof Cathal O’Donoghue of the Discipline of Geography and ILAS  has been appointed to World Health Organisation panel of experts for its Well-being Economy Initiative - Fostering a culture of health for all in government recovery plans – building a healthier and fairer future for all. The expert panel will develop a strategy for the WHO in association with its European member states for a post-COVID world.  [Further info}

Congratulations to Prof. Chaosheng Zhang for the “Distinguished Service Award” from International Medical Geology Association (IMGA) in 2021, for exemplary service to IMGA and to Medical Geology. IMGA aims to provide a network and a forum to bring together the combined expertise of geologists and earth scientists, environmental scientists, toxicologists, epidemiologists and medical specialists, in order to characterise the properties of geological processes and agents, the dispersal of geological material and their effects on human populations.

Dr. Una Murray is currently working with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (UN FAO) Near East and North Africa (NENA) Office on their first edition of a NENA FAO flagship publication on Land and Water Resources, which covers how climate change coupled with the complexities of an increasing urban population is a particular challenge to agri-food systems.

View the Discipline of Geography timetable and year handbooks for 2021/22 here.

Congratulations to our first graduates of the social science programme on their graduation today 24th August, 2021.

We have a new part time vacancy (0.8 FTE, 4 days p/w), an exciting opportunity to work with and international team of leading energy researchers on the H2020 EnergyPROSPECTS European project. If you are a researcher with experience in energy social sciences, energy citizenship, and/ or energy governance, this could be the job for you! This position is funded by the European Commission through the EU’s Horizon 2020 Programme and is available from November 1st 2021 to contract end date of April 30th 2024. Download the full application here. Closing date for receipt of applications is 5.00 pm September 8th, 2021. [Further Info]‌

Dr. Eugene Farrell featured in a Sunday Times article (by Ms. Sadbh Cox and Ms. Valerie Flynn, 15 August) asking experts how climate change will impact Ireland.

Dr. Eugene Farrell has multiple contributions in the 'The Coastal Atlas of Ireland' released this week by Cork University Press, 912 pp (€59). Dr. Farrell wrote on themes such as the impact of tides on Irelands coasts, maërl, catchment science and a case study on coastal management via community-led climate actions (Maharees, Co. Kerry).

Dr Terry Morley, Care-Peat Project, NUIG, will lead a site visit to the Care-peat restoration works at Cloncrow, Cloneyheigue and explore the processes involved in Peatland Restoration on a degraded section of raised bog. Saturday 21st August @ 3pm [Further Info}

Explore the wonders of Cloncrow Bog and Village, a rail led by Nuala Maddigan, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Wednesdaty 18th August 7.00pm at Tyrrellspass Castle [Further Info]‌

Dr Shane Conway, Researcher in the Discipline of Geography’s Rural Studies at NUIG joined Pippa Hackett, Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, James Claffey, National Rural Network Manager and Eileen Delaney from the EIP-AGRI Division of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) at the FarmPEAT #EIPAgri Project launch that took place on the 29th of July 2021 at Clara Bog Visitor Centre. This project is developing a locally-led, innovative, results-based farm scheme for farmers who manage farmland surrounding some of Ireland’s finest remaining raised bogs. More info here. 

Dr Maura Farrell was recently invited to join the Royal Dublin Society Rural Affairs and Community Inclusion Working Group.  The goal of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee is to promote best practice and efficiency in farming to ensure farm household profitability and sustainability in Ireland.

Undergraduate Kineshia Nic Eiteagáin has published a portion of her dissertation research in RTÉ Brainstorm. The work examined levels of optimism within the Wild Atlantic Way business community at key points throughout the pandemic. Her work was supervised by Dr Liam Carr. [Read]

Dr Eugene Farrell contributed to a radio documentary 'Our Place - A Short Documentary On The Conservation of Maharees" by Ms Linda Fitzgerald that aired on Radio Kerry on July 17th. [Listen]

The Western Development Commission (WDC) have today published summary data from the recent survey of Creative Economy SMEs in the Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon counties. This sector survey was commissioned by the WDC and undertaken by Dr Patrick Collins NUIG (School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies and the Whitaker Institute), under the auspices of the West Regional Enterprise Plan[1]. The survey gathered responses from over 140 Creative Economy businesses and sought to identify and examine the challenges and opportunities they faced during the Pandemic. {Further info}

Prof. John Morrissey has published a new paper in the Journal of Human Security that draws upon the work of Judith Butler in conceptualizing the key challenges of global securitization in the aftermath of COVID-19. The paper theorizes a conjoined sense of human-environmental well-being, and sets out the import of tackling the overarching precarities of our ecologies and societies in strategies of securitization.  

Lalrremorii Alloway,Coastal and Marine Environments MSc student, currently in the field conducting a rapid habitat assessment of lowland hay meadows along the Shannon Callows SAC using scorecards with fellow student Chris Stewart as field assistant.

Geography is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Gary Goggins, Public Awareness Manager, LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature; Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as an Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies for a period of three years, commencing on September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2024.

Dr Una Murray (Geography) recently presented at a UNICEF Global Webinar, the results of a formative evaluation she led for a UNICEF programme on migrating children in the Horn of Africa. More details are available here. The webinar was recorded and is available here.

Fixed-term lectureship post in NUIG (Social Geography) Closing date: 5pm on Monday 12th July 2020 {Further Info}]

Dr Shane Conway, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Discipline of Geography’s Rural Studies Unit was recently elected to the International Farm Transition Network’s (IFTN) Board of Directors. Dr Conway is the only member of this board based outside the U.S.A., that includes representatives from the University of Missouri, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Founded in 1990, the IFTN is a network of service providers from different professional backgrounds working to assist farm businesses with their successful transition to an identified successor(s). More information can be found here.

A PhD Scholarship is available for four years to further our understanding of how beach-dune systems may be utilised as a nature-based solution for coastal protection.  Closing date for applications: 5pm, Wednesday, 30 June 2021. See full detail here https://mooreinstitute.ie/read/news/.

The European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) held a workshop entitled ‘LEADER – 30 years and preparing for the future: Delivering LEADER’s unique added value’ on the 3rd of June 2021. Dr Shane Conway was invited to speak at the plenary session of this meeting, where he highlighted the LEADER Programme's leading role in supporting community-led local development & innovative bottom-up actions at local level over the past 30 years, and how lessons learned from this successful Programme can help enhance the viability, sustainability and importantly vibrancy of rural Europe moving forward. More information about this workshop can be found here. 

The Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway have produced a new policy brief on a recent paper from the Rural Studies Unit published in the Journal of the European Society for Rural Sociology, Sociologia Ruralis, entitled ‘Going Against the Grain: Unravelling the Habitus of Older Farmers to Help Facilitate Generational Renewal in Agriculture'. This policy brief can be viewed/downloaded here.

The International Farm Transition Network (IFTN) based in the U.S.A. was held their annual conference from the 8th to 10th of June 2021. Dr Shane Conway was invited as a keynote speaker at this event, and presented his research to attendees on the social and emotional issues affecting farmers in later life. The IFTN is a network of service providers from different professional backgrounds across America (e.g., accountants, lawyers, farm managers, ag lenders, extension educators, etc.) working to assist farm businesses with their successful transition to an identified successor(s). More information about this conference can be found here.

Prof Frances Fahy has just been awarded a 5-year H2020 project under the New Green Deal for Europe Call. The Social sciences & Humanities for Achieving a Responsible, Equitable and Desirable GREEN DEAL (SHARED GREEN DEAL) project brings together 22 leading organisations from across the EU including 9 universities, 2 research institutions, 8 network organisations and 2 SMEs. The network partners cover core elements on the European Green Deal cross cutting priorities such as civil society, democracy, gender, energy, environment, circular economy and innovation. NUIG is leading the work programme on 'clean energy' specifically, working with local authorities across Europe to explore and develop community visions of successful and just energy transitions. The project aims to share actions, understandings, evidence, insights, responsibilities and benefits across stakeholders including policymakers and civil society. Issues of inclusivity and diversity are at the heart of the project to particularly account for disadvantaged and vulnerable social groups. This 5 million Euro project is the 4th European project that Frances has been awarded this academic year. 

Dr. Una Murray has completed an evaluation for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on their institutional response to address the migration, environment and climate change nexus. The IOM is the leading UN organization in the field of migration. Dr. Murray’s review was on how the IOM has impacted on and contributed to global and regional policy development including the UNFCCC, as well as examining organisational and cultural changes within IOM with regard to addressing climate change and migration. 

Congratulations to Dr Chaosheng Zhang, School of Geography, Archaeology & Celtic Studies, who received Mayor’s Award under the category of “Arts, Culture, Heritage & Cúrsaí Gaeilge”. The award was announced by The Mayor of Galway City, Cllr. Mike Cubbard in a virtual ceremony held in the evening of May 26.  The annual awards formally recognise the outstanding contributions that local volunteers, community groups and voluntary organisations have made in supporting the residents of Galway City during the past year.  This significant recognition is made to Dr. Zhang for his beautiful photography over the past 12 months capturing Galway at its best & for his kind and generous approach to sharing his creative talent for free with the people of Galway.

New York Times article, A Temporary U.S.-China Trade Truce Starts to Look Durable. Last year’s deal could set the rules for global commerce for years to come, leaving the door open to lavish Chinese subsidies and unilateral American tariffs. [Read]

Congratulations to Frances Fahy and the ENERGISE team on their new publication ‘Challenging practices: experiences from community and individual living lab approaches’ based on the final outputs of their H2020 project. Their open access article published in the May 2021 issue of the international journal Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy and is available to read here: https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2021.1902062

John Morrissey has been appointed International Consultant and Policy Advisor on Human Security in the Human Development Report Office (HDRO) of the United Nations. John will help lead an extension of the UN’s human security strategy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by linking overlapping environmental and social justice concerns in a new vision for human development and global security.

Frances Fahy of NUI Galway's School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies is leading and coordinating the three-year project, EnergyPROSPECTS, exploring the various and challenging aspects of energy citizenship across Europe. Frances welcomed the 9 European partners to the kick off meeting on Wednesday 12th of May and more information on the project is available here.

Prof Frances Fahy and Dr Mary Jo Lavelle have published a Whitaker policy brief arguing that the concept of ‘consumption corridors’ provides a timely lens to initiate discussion and critically consider the potential of ascertaining maximum levels of consumption across Ireland. See full brief here.

John Morrissey writes in RTÉ Brainstorm on how the pandemic has highlighted the strengths of our students: “Students have the ability to passionately critique the world. In the throes of COVID-19, that they can do so from virtual portals in their family homes and student accommodations, denied the intellectual and social currents of everyday university life, is inspiring”.

Congratulations to our colleague Dr Kathy Reilly on her award for the 2020 Teaching Hero Awards. Award winners were announced at the Student Achievement Awards Ireland event on 29 April 2021 [Watch]

The idea that the public should have a say in large scale projects that involve the environment has been around a while. Since the 70s issues like nuclear energy, large dams, pesticide use (to name but a few) have pushed the demand for more public involvement in decision-making. Yet here we are in 2021 and a disgruntled public are still ‘up in arms’. Blog by Dr Kevin Lynch and Axel Leahy, Geography, NUI Galway.  [Read]

RTE Brainstorm article by Dr Kevin Lynch, Geography, NUI Galway. As the Government recently announced the return of inter-county travel from May 10th and is continuing to advise against international travel, it is inevitable that this summer will see an internal migration en masse to our coasts. It is a good time to think about how we might staycation in a more responsible manner this summer [Read]

Dr Gordon Bromley is leading new collaborative research with Dr. Maggie Jackson (Trinity College Dublin) and Dr. Pierre-Henri Blard (Université de Lorraine) that seeks to quantify the effects of geomagnetic variability on cosmogenic nuclide production. The overarching objective of the project is to refine the cosmogenic surface-exposure dating technique that is employed increasingly in cutting-edge palaeoclimate and geomorphic research. This project has been awarded funding by the European Commission's Europlanet programme.

Dr Eugene Farrell presented his research in the Hazard, Risk and Disaster (HRD) Research Lecture Series 2020-21 at Bath Spa University on April 14, 2021. The lecture on "Enablers and barriers to building resilience: a coastal community perspective" is based on Dr Farrell’s experiences working with coastal communities in Ireland and his work within the European Marine Board expert working group tasked with writing a position paper on ’Coastal Resilience’. [Read]

New article by Dr Michael O'Connell 'Advances in the study of post-glacial environmental change with particular reference to western Ireland' [Read]

Congratulations to all our students who were recognised with a Lá na nGradam Scholarship for their academic performance. Within our first year BASS programme (46 students) we had 13 awardees (i.e. just over 28%). Congrats to all involved. https://www.nuigalway.ie/conferring/la-na-ngradam/.

A new research exploring how sustainable practices change the way we relate to the world is being launched by Dr Aurianne Stroude, a postdoctoral researcher at NUI Galway. Participants are asked to do a 4 week journaling (15min each week) & 1 hour interview.  Further info : https://research-relatetotheworld.com/

The NUIG MOSES research team - Liam Carr, Frances Fahy, Desiree Farrell (Geography) Rebecca Corless, Stephen Hynes and Daniel Norton (Economics) - is pleased to announce their latest publication, a Case Study Booklet and Policy Brief - ‘Blue Growth Pathways for Marine and Coastal Tourism Trail Development in the Atlantic Area’, which is available to download from the MOSES website: http://mosesproject.eu/project_outputs/#Reports  

"Maintaining a culture of collaboration will help rural tourism businesses recover after Covid 19" Dr Therese Conway recently featured in Agriland, Irelands Largest farming news Portal. [Read]  

Dr Maura Farrell, took part in the Final Plenary Session of the European Network for Rural Development’s (ENRD) 'Rural Vision Week: Imagining the future of Europe's rural areas'. This online event, supported by the European Commission (DG AGRI), took place from the 22nd to 26th of March 2021. More information about this event, as well as links its various sessions can be found here.    

Dr. Terry Morley (Geography) was recently awarded additional funding for the EU INTERREG Care Peat project as part of a Call For Capitalisation initiative (total ERDF €444,964; Geography: €156,205). The capitalisation project will work toward the development of a unified methodology to assess greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands and engages directly with farmers to develop economically viable rewetting techniques.

Desiree Farrell (PhD researcher under advisement of Dr. Liam M. Carr and Prof. Frances Fahy) presented her work at the 2021 Donegal Marine Tourism Conference. For her doctoral research, Desiree has been exploring how the community and cultural identity of Ireland’s west coast is shaped through the lens of tourism. Her work within the community of Rathmullan, Co. Donegal, is part of the Interreg Atlantic Area Project MOSES examining Blue Growth strategies along Europe’s Atlantic Arc. Her presentation can be seen here

Frances Fahy is presenting the results of the MOSES European project at the 5th International Symposium on the Oceans in National Income Accounts taking place in NUI Galway this week. As the three-year MOSES INTERRG project is drawing to a close in July 2021, Frances’ presentation will explore ‘Blue Growth Pathways for Marine and Coastal Tourism Trail Development in the Atlantic Area’. Presenting on behalf of the NUIG research team – Frances Fahy, Desiree Farrell, Liam Carr (Geography) Rebecca Corless Stephen Hynes and Danny Norton (Economics), the research draws on the case study of the Wild Atlantic Way and presents a community-generated collaborative framework which can assist overcoming barriers and maximise opportunities in sustainable coastal tourism trail development.

Dr Shane Conway’s recent Geographical Society of Ireland (GSI) Doctoral Research Award 2020 for his PhD research completed in 2017 that explored the human dynamics affecting intergenerational farm transfer in later life was recently featured in the Irish Farmers Journal and That's Farming.  An NUI Galway press release on this award can also be found [here].

Congratulations to Dr Mary Jo Lavelle and Prof Frances Fahy on their recent publication in the international journal, Sustainability, Science and Policy. The paper aims to address the dearth of discussion around the concept of maximum levels of consumption. The article proffers that the concept of ‘consumption corridors’ provides a timely lens to initiate discussion and critically consider the potential of ascertaining maximum levels of consumption across Ireland. Consumption corridors demarcate the space for sustainable consumption by defining minimum and maximum consumption standards that permit individuals to satisfy their needs and to live a life they value without impairing the possibility of a good life for other people. The article is open access: Lavelle, M.J. and Fahy, F. (2021) Creating Context for Corridors of Consumption: A case study from Ireland Sustainability, Science and Policy Vol. 17 (1) 62-76 

A new European project exploring sustainable lifestyles across Europe is starting in Geography at NUIG in May 2021. Prof Frances Fahy (Geography, NUI Galway) is the lead Social Scientist on the CAMPAIGNers (Citizens Acting on Mitigation Pathways through Active Implementation of a Goal-setting Network) project which is a new three-year European study which aims to develop a ground breaking new approach that enables citizens to gain real-life experiences with low-carbon behaviours in various domains (e.g. transportation, energy, IT, banking, insurance, food, clothing, etc.). The CAMPAIGNers’ innovative approach will implement a ‘goal-setting network’, where over 100,000 citizens receive and create challenges to try out tailored adaptations to their daily routines. Their responses to these challenges, associated treatments, and short questionnaires will deliver unprecedented data of behavioural processes, (local) barriers to change, and motivators, allowing for empirically-based scientific support of cities in crafting policies to encourage low-carbon lifestyles. Together with local, national and EU policy makers insights are analysed regarding the ‘right-level-to-act’ and policy-ready recommendations are jointly derived. 

Geography at NUI Galway is pleased to announce that two new research posts are currently being advertised on two new exciting H2020 European Research projects: EnergyPROSPECTS and CAMPAIGNers, led by Prof Frances Fahy. More information on the posts can be found at:  https://www.nuigalway.ie/about-us/jobs/researchjobs/

NUI Galway, Geography climate action project to feature as part of Mayo PPN's going Green for St Patrick's Day. Murrisk local Niall Kelly talks about concerns for Bertra Beach and Dunes. He discusses its erosion due to climate change & storm damage. Niall is part of the local action group Bertra Connected (@bertraconnected) who are working with NUI Galway (@ilikedunes), Mayo Co Co, and the NPWS to find ways we can keep Bertra from disintegrating completely. [Further info]‌

A series of webinars providing an introduction to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for coastal community groups involved in climate adaptation. [Further Info]

Congratulations to Dr. Chaosheng Zhang’s research group for the publication of a paper in a high-impact factor journal Environment International (Impact factor 7.577 in 2019). Title: Discovering hidden spatial patterns and their associations with controlling factors for potentially toxic elements in topsoil using hot spot analysis and K-means clustering analysis. Authors: Haofan Xu, Peter Croot, Chaosheng Zhang.

The Geopolitics and Justice Cluster in Geography and the Irish Centre for Human Rights are hosting an open access webinar from Dr Craig Jones from the University of Newcastle on Thursday, March 25th. Craig will be presenting a talk based upon his new book, The War Lawyers: The United States, Israel and Juridical Warfare(Oxford University Press).  Join Zoom Meeting: https://nuigalway-ie.zoom.us/j/94467296106?pwd=SU82VDhqUzRsZzRyT0VKSVZUM3dhQT09Meeting ID: 944 6729 6106Passcode: 853601

Dr Maura Farrell was an invited speaker at the Leitrim Community Development, Online Community Platform on Wednesday 24th February.  Dr Farrell delivered a presentation related to depopulation issues impacting rural areas.   

Dr. Audrey Morley will be participating as a panel speaker for the IIEA and Department of Foreign Affairs’ public webinar on “Ireland and the Arctic Council” on Monday, 1st March from 2:00 – 3:30 pm.  Web link to register [here].

New publication by Dr Pat Collins, Geography NUI Galway and Dr Dominic Power, Stockholm University titled 'Peripheral visions: the film and television industry in Galway, Ireland' [Read]  

Prof. John Morrissey has published a new paper in Irish Studies in International Affairs that draws upon the work of Michel Foucault on governmentality to critically examine the language of emergency in progressively framing climate security discourse.

Congratulations to Prof Frances Fahy and her colleagues in the University of Helsinki on their new international publication 'The role of practice-based interventions in energy transitions'. The paper outlines a framework for work to scale up practice-based interventions. Published this month in the international journal Energy Research and Social Sciences, the article is available to read here.

Geography at NUIG is the home to a new European H2020 project. Commencing on May 1st, Prof Frances Fahy will lead 9 partners across Europe on the 3 million Euro project EnergyPROSPECTS (PROactive Strategies and Policies for Energy Citizenship Transformation). This new 3-year project will work with a critical understanding of energy citizenship that is grounded in state-of-the-art SSH insights.

Dr Kevin Lynch has started a new Blog. In his own words “I am just going to throw out some ideas from my experiences looking at coastal issues and climate action. There’ll be some updates on projects too, including: Bertra Strand, Mayo; Grattan Beach, Galway; Achill Island's beaches”. [Blog]

Congratulations to the ENERGISE research team led by Prof Frances Fahy on another international publication from the H2020 project results. The paper ‘ Alternative energy imaginaries: implications for energy research, policy integration and the transformation of energy systems’ examines the shortcomings in the contribution of qualitative social sciences and humanities research to tackling challenges connected with energy and climate change. It is published in the March 2021 issue of Energy Research and Social Sciences and is available here.

The Discipline of Geography is delighted to welcome Bronagh Dillon to our team. Bronagh is a researcher with the international CCC -Catapult research team investigating educational, worldview and intercultural influences in young people’s climate and environmental literacy. She is undertaking a PhD in Geographies of Education under the supervision of Dr Kathy Reilly and Prof Frances Fahy. Prior to commencing this PhD, Bronagh completed a MSc in Education, Training and Management (Leadership) in 2020 from DCU. The title of her dissertation was Teachers’ Perceptions of Climate Change Education in Irish Primary Schools. Email address: B.Dillon10@nuigalway.ie

The second lecture of the Spring Lunchtime Lecture Series 2021 will take place Thursday 11th February, 2021.   The lecture will be delivered by Dr Shane Conway, Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway and titled 'Blinkered Vision: Generational Renewal in Agriculture at the Expense of the Older Farmer?'  To join the lecture on Thursday please click this link:  https://nuigalway-ie.zoom.us/j/95579895418

Dr Maura Farrell, recently presented and Chaired, The Embassy of Ireland in Mexico’s ‘St Brigid’s Day: A Celebration of Women in Agriculture in Ireland and Mexico’ webinar. The event took place online to a large audience in both Ireland and Mexico  [further info]

The first lecture of the Spring Lunchtime Lecture Series 2021 will take place Thursday 4th February, 2021.   The lecture will be delivered by Dr Mark Rainey and Dr Pat Collins, Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway and titled 'Imaging Galway: A Look through its Urban Past' [further info]

Dr Maura Farrell featured on RTE’s Eco Eye programme on the 5th of January speaking about the key opportunities and challenges facing rural Ireland.  The programme raised many issues regarding future planning issues relevant to rural Ireland, matters which are key to the MA in Rural Future Planning and Innovation:   [further information on this MA]

The research forms part of the ENNET Project which explores the role of networking and social capital in rural communities.  Following the publication of the article Dr Therese Conway was invited on the Joe Finnigan Show to discuss the impact of Covid 19 on Rural Areas further.  Podcast available here.

Dr Eugene Farrell and colleagues in NUIG (Ms Sheena Fennell, EOS; Dr Stephen Nash, Civil Engineering) have partnered with the Marine Institute and SEAI to deploy a long term wave monitoring buoy in Brandon Bay, Co. Kerry. Dr Farrell states "We want to improve existing coastal change models by developing better insights into why does change occur and how much change will occur if we dial up climate projections for rising sea levels and storminess. To answer these questions we require process-response coastal models and these are only possible if nearshore observations from wave buoys such as the one in Brandon Bay are deployed over long time periods to capture all the seasons." [further info]  

Dr Eugene Farrell presented his research in the Hazard, Risk and Disaster (HRD) Research Lecture Series 2020-21 at Bath Spa University on April 14, 2021. The lecture on "Enablers and barriers to building resilience: a coastal community perspective" is based on Dr Farrell’s experiences working with coastal communities in Ireland and his work within the European Marine Board expert working group tasked with writing a position paper on ’Coastal Resilience’. [Read]

A peatland research report commissioned by An Fóram Uisce, was launched last week to provide guidance on how peatland management can be reimagined to optimise water quality improvements while delivering co-benefits for climate, biodiversity, and society. Kate Flood, PhD researcher in the Discipline of Geography's Rural Studies cluster (with supervisors Dr. Marie Mahon and Dr. John McDonagh) contributed to the report highlighting the importance of social and cultural values of peatlands, stakeholder collaboration, and developing mechanisms to support inclusive and collaborative governance of peatlands. [Read]