Aquarium Annual Review 2025

Culture, Arts, Heritage, and Explore Your Shore!

At Galway Atlantaquaria, storytelling is at the heart of who we are—shaped by both our heritage and our mission. With the support of local councils and national initiatives, we proudly serve as cultural ambassadors, bringing the wonders of Ireland’s marine and coastal life to the public.

Through programmes such as Explore Your Shore!, in partnership with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, we embrace our civic responsibility to document, celebrate, and share the rich biodiversity along Ireland’s coastlines.

Our Culture Night event, fossil walks, Beach Days, including events with the Atlantic Technological University and Baboro and Curam, and Heritage Week activities are designed to reveal the remarkable stories hidden beneath the waves—and tucked within the rockpools of Grattan Beach.

We understand that our history is written in stone, and we take pride in uncovering the secret tales preserved in the fossils along our shores.

We are sincerely grateful to the Arts Council and all the organisations that collaborate with us for their support and their message of inclusivity: ocean literacy—and the stories it holds—should be accessible to everyone.

While walking along Faulmore Beach in County Mayo on Friday, 28 February, Jonathan Padden and his family discovered what first appeared to be an unusual rock. To their surprise, it turned out to be a small Loggerhead Sea Turtle.

A quick internet search revealed that cold-stunned turtles can appear lifeless but may be saved with immediate action. The family contacted Gemma O’Connor of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s live stranding hotline, who then alerted the team at Galway Atlantaquaria. Matt and Megan from the Aquarium arranged to meet the Paddens in Castlebar.

Jonathan took exceptional care of the young turtle—whom he named Columbus—during those vital first hours. He placed Columbus in a box with a soft towel and travelled with the car heating off to ensure the turtle warmed up slowly and safely. Thanks to his fast and careful response, Columbus is now thriving under the dedicated care of Aquarium staff and a team of veterinarians.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Gemma and the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, as well as local vets Rita Gately and Lindsey Cox, for their invaluable support.

Our colleagues at Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium later contacted us to say they were relocating several rescued turtles who were in their care and generously offered a space for Columbus on the journey. This was an extraordinary gesture, as finding carriers willing to transport stranded turtles is extremely challenging.

On Wednesday, 3 September, Galway Atlantaquaria hosted a special Farewell to Columbus event for our members—a chance to celebrate Columbus’s recovery, to thank our community, and to bid goodbye to this endangered species as he moved on to the next stage of his rehabilitation journey and headed back to sea.

At Galway Atlantaquaria, our commitment to ocean literacy extends far beyond Galway Bay. When we say “Think Global, Act Local,” we truly mean it. Our team actively participates in international initiatives while creating meaningful, community-focused programmes here at home.

Dr. Noirin Burke is honoured to be part of the UNESCO Ocean Literacy Expert Group, representing Ireland, where she supports the implementation of the new IOC Ocean Literacy Plan of Action (2026–2030). She is also delighted to be part of the UN Decade Ocean Committee, Ireland and be on the board of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network. Closer to home, she is on the board of the Galway Childcare Committee and the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. 

Dr. Maria Vittoria Marra launched a new evening series, Let’s Talk Water, a space dedicated to sharing personal, artistic, scientific, and community stories that explore our connections with water across Ireland—whether ocean, river, lake, canal, or transitional waters. 

Four events took place throughout the year (March, May, August, and October), with the final session held during Space Week under the special title Let’s Talk Space. She also co-chairs the working group on Understanding Activism for the Irish Ocean Literacy Network, and was a co-author on Marra, M.V., McGrath, S. (2025). The Power of Music to Foster Ocean Stewardship: An Experience from the West Coast of Ireland. In: Certomà, C. (eds) Blue Kinships. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78619-8_9, which was published this year.

Petra Kerkhove represented the Aquarium in the development of a new conservation strategy for undulate rays in Irish and British waters. This important project was initiated by SeaLIFE and facilitated by the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group. While Sibeal Regan was part of a Marine Mammal Stranding Working Group held in Dublin Zoo. Tara Noonan headed to Cula4 to share the wonders of Irish Sharks with children as gaeilge. 

Garry Kendellen held the first Clean Coasts Observer workshop on Grattan Beach and collaborated with Galway City Council on the very popular Love Your Beach Campaign. Garry also represents the Aquarium and the Village Salthill on the newly formed Galway City Tourism Forum initiative. 

While looking outward, acting locally remains central to all we do. We continue to champion ocean literacy, support EU-wide campaigns such as #SeeWaterDifferently, and take part in our favourite European public engagement initiative, #EMDInMyCountry.

Small Conservation Grants

Now in its third year, the Galway Atlantaquaria small conservation grants was delighted to support four local and national initiatives in 2025. Bogna Griffin and Doby the Conservation Dog are testing a novel approach for detecting the native Irish White-clawed Crayfish. Working with K9 Detect in Wexford, Doby is visiting freshwater sites around Ireland to test this method for locating this endangered species, which is threatened by crayfish plague. Also based in Galway, Peter Butler and the Galway Conservation Volunteers received funding to help upgrade one of the Common Tern nesting rafts, which are based in Lough Atalia. By raising the raft, the birds can be provided with more space, which will in turn make them less vulnerable to avian flu. 

Heading wider afield, Siún Ní Cheallaigh from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group received funding to compile a photo identification catalogue for Risso’s Dolphins. Using historical photos, plus a number of visits to species hotspots on the south coast, the data will help identify potential subpopulations and inform marine protected area planning. 

Our final small conservation grant was allocated to Bríd O’Connor of Marine Dimensions, who will use the grant to increase data processing and create new educational resources in English and Irish (posters, guides, maps) to raise public awareness about Sharks, Skates and Rays in Irish Waters. 

The International Galway Art Festival

This July, the aquarium was delighted to host the world premiere of Mikel Murfi’s (also known as Micheal Murphy) underwater show entitled ‘Oh’. 

This ‘one man show’ involved over 20 people, all working collaboratively to make an art piece that is unique and intriguing, plus the aquarium team, who monitored the animals’ welfare every night.

While the show was only 45 minutes long, it was a long time for Mikel to be in the water, and the uniqueness of the show created a memory that will stay with the audience for a lot longer.