INFOMAR and CHERISH will host a vessel open day in Dunmore East Harbour on May 18th and 19th to celebrate Dunmore East Harbour Festival and European Maritime Day.

Ireland’s marine territory is 10 times greater than the land area. To celebrate European Maritime Day and the Dunmore East Harbour Festival, visit a marine survey research vessel that has been helping to map the physical, chemical and biological features of the Irish seafloor as part of Ireland’s INFOMAR seabed mapping programme since 2006. Come on board, see the equipment and speak to the people mapping the seabed. Learn more about Irish marine research through the INFOMAR Programme and CHERISH Project, and how climate change and storminess can impact coastal heritage.

INFOMAR is Ireland’s national seabed mapping programme and is funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE). It is jointly managed by Geological Survey Ireland and Marine Institute, and is tasked with fully mapping Ireland’s territorial waters for the sustainable development of Ireland’s marine resource.

CHERISH (Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands) is an exciting, 5 year European-funded Ireland-Wales project between the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, the Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland, Aberystwyth University: Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and Geological Survey, Ireland.