And we’re back – what a special week in South Donegal. This year, IWDG Education took on a bold and ambitious challenge: What if instead of bringing whales and dolphins into the classroom, we brought the class to the whales and dolphins? A habitat swap if you will, that doesn’t just highlight the concept of conservation but allows students, the future custodians of our local coastlines, to experience the subject first-hand?
That was our grand idea for Floating Classroom 2026, after new circumstances regarding Celtic Mist’s availability obliged a change to how the programme was delivered.
For those yet unaware, the Floating Classroom Initiative has been a key event on IWDG’s RV Celtic Mist calendar since 2019. Local schools in coastal communities are invited to explore the vessel and get a feel for a conservationist’s life at sea. Students then settle in the saloon for an in-depth workshop on the magnificent marine megafauna we share Irish waters with, what we know about them, the threats that face them and how our research goes on to support their conservation.
The more we know about our marine environment, and indeed the more people that know about it, the better equipped we are to support the ecosystem that whales and dolphins play such a pivotal role in. It’s important to remember that these animals are not just top predators keeping the food chain in balance – through their whale-sized excrements, they recycle important nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and iron back into the food web, supporting the whole system from the bottom up (pun intended).
For a community well-known for its maritime heritage in fishing, tourism, surfing and more, key knowledge such as this empowers locals on the Donegal coast to take ownership of their area and become better stewards for the biodiversity living there. Understanding the needs of their local ecosystem and mitigating pressures placed on it is the ultimate application of ocean literacy.
While Celtic Mist’s earlier-than-expected retirement did throw many of our 2026 plans out the porthole, whales and dolphins are rarely met without great enthusiasm, and Transition Year groups from an Charraig to Bundoran were eager to get out and experience wildlife in Donegal Bay. Equally excited to be involved were Johnny and Patrice Gallagher of Atlantic Coastal Cruises. Their 97-seater Sliabh Liag Allure was the ideal vessel for giving large groups of young people the opportunity to smell the salty air and feel the wind and sea spray.
Be careful what you wish for – that very same wind became the bane of my existence for the rest of the week, however on the two wildlife trips we did manage to deliver I have never seen such an abundance of life before in Irish waters. Several groups of >30 common dolphins breached, splashed, and bow-rided around us, as well as many minke whales lunging for food among storms of gulls and auks. One such whale actually took my breath away by its sheer enormity. I didn’t get to cross humpbacks and fin whales off my blubber bucket list this time but the “big fat minke” was brought up again and again throughout the week during workshops, highlighting the incredible wildlife seen off our coast when we take the time to look for it. I attach some images here taken by Darren O’Sullivan who travelled all the way up from Thurles with his friends to join us on Tuesday.
Common dolphin breaking the surface
Busy bait ball
A minke whale
Restful gannet
The big fat minke whale
One group of many
Later that Tuesday evening we held an outreach event at the Seamanship Centre, bringing our message to a more mature audience and opening the floor for locals of this vibrant fishing community to share their opinions. A small enough affair, those who did attend were inspired to report their sightings of cetaceans in Donegal Bay and a local fisherman also shared his experience seeing whales and dolphins out at sea.
Joining us at the event we had Caroline Lynam of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network to talk about the ‘My Ocean’ project. This project records people’s stories and experiences with the sea, building an archive that aims to inspire people to explore their relationship with the marine environment. This is what Floating Classroom also aims to inspire; young people from these schools have an amazing maritime heritage that they stand to inherit. Some already have considerable experience on the water from fishing, sailing and so on. Our event highlights the importance of ocean literacy and a real connection to the sea in ensuring coastal residents are fully equipped to safeguard biodiversity for the future.
Caroline Lynam presenting for the Irish Ocean Literacy Network
Whale versed
And so, our Floating Classroom was a reasonable success! Our new approach, despite the unreliable weather, paid off rather well. I hope we have inspired a better understanding of whales and dolphins in an area that has become so important for them in recent years. Where should we visit next year?
Gabhaimid buíochas ó chroí le Atlantic Coastal Cruises agus an Seamanship Centre sna Cealla Beaga; na scoileanna, St. Catherine’s Killybegs, Donegal AVS, Magh Ene Bundoran, Coláiste na Carraige agus Coláiste Cholmchille Ballyshannon. Go raibh míol mór maith agaibh to our volunteers from the IWDG membership Dermot McAtamney, Laura Kelleher, Emma McLoughlin, Niamh Martin, Lucia McNichols, Eimear Haughey and Kathleen Hinton. Thanks to Caroline from the Irish Ocean Literacy for her support and to both Fair Seas and our group sponsors Inis for funding this event.
Beir bua ⁊ beannacht,
Cian Ó Nialáin
Oifigeach Oideachais ⁊ For-rochtana
Education & Outreach Officer