Ireland’s first living seawall has been installed at Kennedy Pier in Cobh Harbour, County Cork. The project aims to create habitats for marine life while improving water quality along the waterfront.
The initiative was developed by the University College Cork (UCC) Sustainability Unit, Research Ireland, the Port of Cork and Inland and Coastal Marina Systems. It represents a joint effort between researchers and engineers to make harbour environments more sustainable.
A section of the existing quay wall has been fitted with five precast concrete panels, manufactured at Inland and Coastal’s facility in Banagher. Each panel features ridges, cups, holes and shallow grooves designed to retain seawater and provide shelter for marine organisms such as crabs, barnacles, limpets and algae.
Dr. Louise Firth, Senior Lecturer in Marine Ecology at UCC, said the project has already shown signs of early ecological activity. “One month on from installing the panels, we are already seeing a little bit of green film forming. Come next spring, we will see increased colonisation and we expect big differences in the summer,” she said.
The living seawall in Cobh is part of an international research initiative that began in Sydney, Australia. The programme is now being adapted to different coastal locations around the world. The Cobh installation is one of the first ten globally and the only one currently in Ireland.
Dr. Firth said Cobh was chosen for its saline waters and public visibility. She noted that the site also helps raise awareness of marine life and its importance in maintaining healthy coastal environments.
Jon Challis, Head of Business Development at Inland and Coastal Marina Systems stated: “This initiative invites us to see seawalls not just as infrastructure, but as spaces where marine life, creativity and community awareness can flourish together.”
Images from University College Cork.
