West Clare Wildlife Club

27/03/2026

Thats the last indoor talk of this winter season.

Hope to have some outings organised during summer. Anybody with ideas or willing to lead an outing please get in touch with the WCWC organisers.

26/03/2026

Listen to Chris Cullen talk on Clare FM on the successful breeding of Common cranes in Ireland for 300 years

West Clare Wildlife Club Talk On Eurasian Cranes - Morning Focus % Clare FM

25/03/2026

A sound not heard in Ireland for 300 years until 2019 when the first European Cranes bred on re-wetted bog in the Midlands.

Great talk by Chris Cullen tonight in Kilkee on a unintended conservation succes by Bord na Mona

https://xeno-canto.org/species/Grus-grus

11/03/2026

The Return of the Common Crane to Ireland

Join West Clare Wildlife Club for an evening talk with Chris Cullen, Ecology Team Lead at Bord na Móna, exploring the remarkable return of the Eurasian Crane (Grus grus) as a breeding species in Ireland.

The recent story of breeding Eurasian Cranes (Corr) in Ireland is very much that of a returning species. Formerly lost as a breeding bird, the initial breeding attempts by a single pair and then further successful breeding mark the first time in several hundred years that this iconic species is once again part of Irelands breeding avifauna. Chris will explore the breeding story so far and provide insights into the ecology of this fascinating species:

📅 Tuesday, 25 March
🕗 8:00 PM
📍 Cultúrlann Sweeney, Kilkee (V15 P960)

About the speaker:

Chris Cullen is an ecologist and Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. He is currently Ecology Team Lead with Bord na Móna, working on Ireland’s largest peatland rehabilitation project, the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme.

16/01/2026

🦅 Irish Birds of Prey – how to identify them, where to find them and tips to help you see more of them.

Join us for an evening with Jamie Durrant, NPWS Conservation Ranger for SE Clare.

Jamie has been a National Parks and Wildlife Service Conservation Ranger for 5 years. Previous to that he worked for BirdWatch Ireland for over 10 years, firstly as a fieldworker then as Development Officer, delivering walks, talks and workshops to a wide variety of audiences. He has a lifelong passion for birds and he loves to share his enthusiasm for them.

📍 Doonbeg Community Hall
🗓 29 January 2026
⏰ 8pm

All are welcome.

10/11/2025

First indoor meeting of the 2025-26 season will be a fabulous talk by Fran Giaquinto on invasive species. Kilrush on 20 November at 8pm

Dr Fran Giaquinto is an independent plant ecologist, applied mycologist and educator who has spent 25 years in academic and commercial settings studying the interactions and relationships between organisms, particularly plants and fungi.

She is author with Phoebe O’Brien of Field Identification Guide to the Non-native Invasive Plants of Britain and Ireland (2025).

All welcome

This talk is sponsored by Clare County Council under the Local Biodiversity Action Fund 2025

27/09/2025

Have your say about the future of Liscannor Bay - Clare Echo

LISCANNOR Bay Association are launching their Community Biodiversity Action Plan in Ennistymon in conjunction with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. This Monday, September 29, BannerGleo, in conjunction with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), are running a free event in Byrnes Restaurant (Ma...

13/09/2025

The IWDG and BannerGleo have organised a series of events this summer to build our knowledge of the marine and coastal biodiversity in Liscannor Bay and adjacent waters. IWDG also carried out seal surveys and trialled a method of using acoustic devices fixed on fishing gear to record dolphins and porpoises.

As part of our wrap of this years events we invite you to a evening at Byrnes Cafe in Ennistymon to share our findings, review the summer and look ahead to plan together more action and activities next year to build more on our Strategic Marine Alliance.

See you in Ennistymon on 29 September from 7-9pm.

Please book your place on https://shorturl.at/q5OSg

23/08/2025

This Sunday 24th at Loop Head

If you’re around West Clare on 24 August, come join us at Loop Head Lighthouse for a Whale Watching Session during Heritage Week , from 12pm to 2pm.

We’ll be hosting a hands-on training session with practical guidance on identifying marine species using the IWDG Guide to Ireland’s Ocean Giants.

Participants will receive a free All-Ireland Whale Trail Map, featuring 100 easy-to-access whale-watching spots and ID tips for 8 main species commonly seen in Irish waters.

Location: Loop Head Lighthouse and Headland (meet at the carpark)
Date & Time: 12pm–2pm, 24 August 2025

The Heritage Council

07/08/2025

Final outing of our Strategic Marine Alliance on 16 August. Whale and dolphin watch from Hags Head starting at 2pm. Supported by the through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Clare County Council Council in collaboration with BannerGleo

Please book on https://shorturl.at/3u6P9

22/07/2025