In simple terms the coast is where land, water and air meet. As a coastal community, Youghal has a rich heritage and is one of a few Irish tourist board-designated ‘Irish heritage ports’.

The Blackwater estuary at the mouth of the river is situated adjacent to the town of Youghal: it is highly valued for the natural habitats of aerial, terrestrial and aquatic species and is a designated Ramsar site  https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/836; a Special Protected Area (SPA) https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/spa/004028 and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/002170

It incorporates well-developed marsh grounds with intertidal flats and is of great importance as a wetland site for over wintering waterfowl providing quality roosting and feeding areas for a wide range of species such as the Black-tailed Godwit.

With 3 Blue Flag beaches our community and its visitors have significant health, and perhaps spiritual, benefits all year round.

Coastal erosion has always been a fact of life for any coastal community but extreme weather events and rising sea levels due to global warming are increasing the risks of flooding and loss of habitats. Other strains on our coastal health are caused by plastic pollution and local Clean Coasts groups work tirelessly to address this issue. This is why it is more important than ever to reduce our personal consumption.

https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/plastic-pollution-ocean/

https://www.facebook.com/youghalcleancoastsgroup

Building community resilience in the face of climate crisis is something we must work together to achieve and being aware of our ecosystem services and how best to improve our ecosystems to deliver maximum health and economic benefits for all. See: https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/business/eu-co-funded-projects/delta-lady-project

https://www.marei.ie/coastal-marine-systems/coastal-dynamics-marine-systems-modelling/

Youghal Blue And Green Community Network have taken part in the All Ireland Autumn coastal survey in 2021 and 2022. See http://coastwatch.org/europe/

We have partnered with local primary school Gaelscoil Chorain http://gaelscoilchorain.ie/wordpress/ and Cork Environmental Forum https://www.cef.ie/on the shore, actively engaging in citizen science to log what we found and upload to the survey, helping create a clearer picture of what is on our shores.

We hold regular seaweed identification and forages with The Sea Gardener https://theseagardener.com/

Please see our events page for info on how to get involved.