June Galway goes Atlantic Blue to celebrate our Atlantic Ocean

More than 50 famous landmarks and buildings across the island of Ireland lit up blue this weekend (7-10 June) as part of the ‘Go Atlantic Blue’ initiative to celebrate our connection to the Atlantic Ocean and to mark World Oceans Day (8 June). The global day connects people worldwide in celebrating the ocean, its importance in our lives and how each of us can protect it, no matter where we live.

In its inaugural year, the ‘Go Atlantic Blue’ campaign has had an incredible response with more than 50 landmarks and buildings across the country coming on board including Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports, a host of universities and colleges, State buildings (Iveagh House and Government Buildings) and lighthouses (Baily Lighthouse, Roche’s Point and The Great Light).

Galway was a sea of blue with NUI Galway, Dunguaire Castle (Kinvara), Port of Galway, GMIT Letterfrack, Galway Atlantaquaria, Galway Bay Boat Tours, Seavite, Murphys Ice Cream and the Marine Institute all joining in the national initiative to ‘Go Atlantic Blue' to celebrate our sea.

“NUI Galway is delighted to ‘Go Atlantic Blue’ for World Oceans Day,” said Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of NUI Galway. “Our location on the Atlantic seaboard is a defining and distinctive part of our University’s identity. We celebrate our presence along the Wild Atlantic Way – from Donegal through Mayo, Sligo, Galway and Clare. Our scholars and researchers work with the great resources of the Atlantic Ocean, across areas of academic endeavour as disparate as economics, health and wellbeing, energy engineering, marine biodiversity, earth science and climate change. Increasingly the awareness of the importance of our oceans will inform social policy.  We recognise the truly unique connection which Ireland and the people of the western seaboard, in particular, have with the Atlantic Ocean. NUI Galway is proud to ‘Go Atlantic Blue’ from the 7^th to the 10^th June 2019 as a signal of our commitment to sustainability."

‘Go Atlantic Blue’ is being spearheaded in Ireland by the Marine Institute-led AORA-CSA (Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance Co-ordination & Support Action) against the backdrop of SeaFest 2019 (7-9 June) and Our Ocean Wealth Summit (9-10 June), both held in Cork this year. SeaFest is Ireland’s national maritime festival and Our Ocean Wealth Summit is Ireland’s flagship event for the marine sector, bringing together Irish and international organisations to create innovative and sustainable solutions to drive our Blue Economy.

It’s the first year to ‘Go Atlantic Blue’ with the aim of raising awareness of the vital role that the Atlantic Ocean plays in the lives of Irish people, no matter how near or far they live from the Atlantic coastline.

Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute, said, “Our ocean is our greatest natural resource and we see that most directly in Ireland with the vital importance that the Atlantic Ocean plays in our daily lives – from influencing the weather to facilitating our trade industry and from seafood to surfing off the coast.”

Director of Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance Co-ordination & Support Action, Dr Margaret Rae, said that the initiative gives people all around the country a chance to show their appreciation for the Atlantic Ocean. “Going Atlantic Blue is a way to draw attention to how each and every one of us experiences the Atlantic, what we love about our Ocean and how we can be that generation that makes a difference,” she said.

Some of the Landmarks around Ireland Going Atlantic Blue

·         Dublin Airport

·         Shannon Airport

·         Cork Airport

·         King John’s Castle, Limerick

·         University of Limerick

·         CIT Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork

·         St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh

·         National University of Ireland Galway

·         University College Cork

·         University College Dublin

·         Dublin City University

·         Trinity College Dublin

·          Iveagh House, Dublin (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)

·          Government Buildings (Merrion Square, Dublin)    

·         GMIT, Letterfrack
·         Galway Bay Boat Tours
·         Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, Galway
·         Galway Atlantaquaria, National Aquarium of Ireland
·         Tyndall National Institute, Cork
·         Port of Galway
·         Cork City Hall
·         Berwick fountain (Grand Parade), Cork
·         Bishop Lucey Park, Cork
·         St Peter’s, North Main Street, Cork
·         St. Luke’s, Cork
·         Roche’s Point Lighthouse, Cork
·         Baily Lighthouse, Dublin

·         The Great Light (Titanic Quarter, Belfast)
·         Port of Cork
·         National Maritime College of Ireland (NCMI)
·         Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) Centre, Cork
·         Marine Institute
·         One Albert Quay, Cork
·         The Capitol, Cork
·         Western Development Commission
·         XOCEAN, Co Louth
·         VOYA and VOYA Seaweed Baths, Co Sligo

·         Murphys Ice Cream, Nationwide

·         Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, Co Kerry

·         Blennerville Windmill, Tralee, Co Kerry

·         Seavite

·         Science Foundation Ireland

·          Údarás na Gaeltachta

·          Carbery Group

·          Seal Rescue Ireland

·         Milish Bakery, Bundoran

·         Martina Hamilton Jewellery

How you can ‘Go Atlantic Blue’
• Decorate your business/home/school with an Atlantic blue colour – add dark blue filters, fairy lights or blue light bulbs in outdoor lights
• Dress in Atlantic blue clothing e.g. T-shirts, wear a blue wig or paint your face dark blue
• Organise your own ‘Atlantic Blue’ themed event

Share how you ‘Go Atlantic Blue’
• Take a photo or video of how you’ve gone Atlantic Blue and share it on social media platforms. Feel free to share what makes the Atlantic Ocean special to you
• Tag your social media posts with #WorldOceansDay and #GoAtlanticBlue to link with a community of fellow ocean appreciators!
• Tag AORA in your tweets (@AtlanticAll) and also tag @Seafest_ie and @OurOceanWealth if you’ve room!

Ends.