Galway City Council, in partnership with Clean Coasts Ireland and Galway Atlantaquaria, recently celebrated Love Your Beach 2025, a vibrant three-day campaign held from 14–16 May across three Galway City beaches. This year’s event brought together schools, community groups, environmental experts, performers, and nearly 70 yoga participants on Silverstrand, to honour and protect our coastal environment - all under glorious blue skies.
The event was launched on Grattan Beach, where students from Claddagh NS took part in a hands-on beach clean and engaged with educational workshops on marine life and coastal biodiversity. Dr. Kevin Lynch from the University of Galway held a fun educational workshop on Sand Dune systems and coastal erosion. The day concluded with a performance by Circus 250, where students learned about ocean conservation through interactive theatre, juggling, and storytelling.
The Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr. Peter Keane commented, “Our beaches are important natural assets and Galway City is privileged to have such great amenities on our doorstep. It is wonderful to see 'Love your Beach' promote this through educational events and environmental workshops, which especially nurtures an appreciation of our coastal habitats in our younger generation”.
Thursday’s sunshine welcomed more school groups, with students from Gaelscoil Dara and Radharc na Mara beachcombing for biofacts and bivalves on Ballyloughane with the City Council’s Biodiversity Officer Paula Kearney, Clean Coasts officer Ollie O’Flaherty and Garry Kendellen from Galway Atlantaquaria.
Fergal Cushen, Environmental Awareness Officer, Galway City Council commented, “The Love your Beach event is about showing our appreciation for our city beaches. If we want to enjoy them, we all have a responsibility to keep them clean and understand what important natural resources they are for the city. This is why we decided to have a mix of recreational activities such as the yoga session and environmental workshops.”
The final day featured a community yoga session at Silverstrand Beach, attended by over 60 participants. Led by Eva Du from Yoga Darsana, the free class welcomed people of all ages and experience levels. Fergal Cushen, Environmental Awareness Officer, and Diarmaid Ó Nualláin from Galway City Council, opened the session with warm welcomes, thanking attendees for their support and participation throughout the week.
Galway City Council would like to thank all the schools, students, teachers, volunteers, and partner organisations who took part in this year’s Love Your Beach event. These three days showcased the very best of community spirit, environmental stewardship, and appreciation for Galway’s coastal beauty.
