The Loop Head Peninsula is a slender finger of land pointing out to sea from the most westerly point of County Clare, on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. Cinched between the ocean on one side and the Shannon Estuary on the other, this peninsula would be an island but for a meagre mile of land connecting it to the rest of Clare. The Loop Head peninsula is one of the places in Ireland which has been and will most likely be affected by the effects of climate change, as sea levels rise and more frequent and violent storm activity takes place. NUI Galway have 2 years to undertake an analysis on the effects of climate change and exploring and developing opportunities for a better and more sustainable future. Their approach is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 of which involves gathering historic data and local individual perception of the weather. To compliment NUI Galway gathering such information, RCB conducted interviews among Loop Head residents and discussed their experiences, memories, folklore, anecdotal evidence, biodiversity changes, structural damage, lived experiences, and likely future impacts. NUI Galway will use any broadcasts to inform their wider study and with a view to informing national policy in particular in promoting resilience.

In this 5 part series, presented by RCB’s Teresa Jackson & Chris Behan, we cover the findings, experiences and perception of those who took part, as well as a summary with Dr Thomas McDermott & Dr Tom Gillespie of NUI Galway in the final episode.