To celebrate the opening of the new Marine Institute headquarters and laboratories in Rinville, Oranmore a Monster Pirate Party and World Ocean Day celebration was held on Sunday 11th June. The programme for the day included:
Monster Pirate Party Events
- Pirate presentation and Cartoon Classes
- Treasure Hunt
- Popular talks on 'Whales and Dolphins' and 'Sharks'
- School video projects
- Face painting and balloons
- Exhibitions by the marine community including Aquaria, touch tanks, science demonstrations and much more
- The Marine Institute building was open for public viewing
Lectures
Talks by leading expets were held in the Marine Institute Auditorium:
12pm Invasion of the Red Death - Poisonous plankton around Ireland
Joe Silke & Dave Clarke
2.30pm The History and Archaeology of the Galway Bay Area
Michael Gibbons
3.30pm The Art of Seabed Surveys - from lead lines to real-time
Noel Wilkins
4.30pm The Winds of Change - Man, Fish and the Oceans
Paul Connolly
The event was attended by an estimated 3,000 people from the Oranmore, greater Galway and other areas and a great time was had by all.