Sherkin Island Marine Station was founded in 1975 by Matt Murphy and his late wife, Eileen and was run by Matt and his family until 2015, when project work ceased. Now Matt is retired and, with the help of his family, is working towards an archive of data collected.

Sherkin Island is situated one-and-a-quarter miles off the south-west coast of Ireland, off-shore from the fishing village of Baltimore. The Marine Station is located on the north-west end of the island on 16 acres. The Station originated in 1975 from a small laboratory of 140 sq. ft. to a large complex of 5 laboratories and a library of some 100,000 books, journals, reports, reprints, together with an herbarium of plants and seaweeds.

The aims of the Station were:

1. to establish baseline data on the marine life of the coastline from Cork Harbour and Bantry Bay and to record the natural changes in the plant and animal communities.

2. to raise the level of awareness of the marine environment in Ireland and the potential of the sea to create jobs.

3. to help introduce young people to nature via Sherkin Comment and through educational programmes.

The marine station was staffed by volunteer scientists who came to the Station and normally stay from April to November. They received full board and a small allowance.

We undertook long-term monitoring surveys and projects which include the rocky shore, plankton, otters, birds, underwater, macrofauna, rockpools, insects and plants. The Station is recognised as having established the longest monitoring programme and most extensive database on phytoplankton in Ireland. Sherkin Island Marine Station received no State aid for its research. In many ways this was our strength. We could decide on any research which we believed was necessary. There was been no outside influence on the Station since it was founded in 1975. We looked for advise on scientific matters from scientists worldwide, many of whom had been to Sherkin.

Sherkin Island Marine Station organised the major environmental conference in Ireland every April/May. Since 1975 the Station organised 40 conferences and workshops on the mainland and the island.

Top of page

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME

For seven years, Audrey Murphy, the youngest of Matt Murphy's children, visited primary schools where she gave talks on the environment and the sea. Her visits to primary schools consisted of a slide show of sea creatures found around Ireland. The programme was set up to give children a small glimpse of the sea which might spark further interest.

Along with creating an archive of data, the Station is now concentrating on producing an online quarterly newsletter on nature and the environment, entitled "Nature's Web". We have produced a collection of colouring book publications, designed specifically for children, as well as other publications (see Publications Page).

The Station has runs an annual Environmental Competition for Primary School Children in Munster, giving primary schools a further opportunity to focus on the environment.

Some schools in Munster have, for a number of years, received"Sherkin Comment", our environmental newpaper.

Top of page

EXHIBITIONS

For many years, from the early 1980s to the late 1990s, Sherkin Island Marine Station held an exhibition at Connolly Hall, Cork, with attendance figures at each one-week exhibition in the region of 8,000. The exhibition included over 20 tanks containing marine animals such as lobsters, crabs, butterfish, cod, starfish, anemones, etc….

AWARDS

1978 An Taisce award for practical conservation

1982 Honorary Life Member of the Institute for Biology of Ireland

1987 Hall of Fame Award - West Cork Festival

1987 Metropole Award - Cork Speakers Club

1987 Carroll's West Cork Awards - Enterprise

1990 Environment Merit Award - The Institution of Water & Environment Management of Ireland

1990 Cork and Limerick Savings BAnk Award

1991 Dept. of the Environment Awareness Award

1991 Environmental Endeavour Award

1993 October Cork Person of the Month Award

1996 Dept. of the Environment Awareness Awards

1996 Environmenal Endeavour Awards (Matt Murphy)

1998 Environmental Endeavour Awards (Audrey Murphy's School Visits)

1998 Echo Person of the Month (October)

1999 Award Winner in the AIB Better Ireland Awards - A Local & Provincial Winner

1999 ESB Community Awards

2003 Lord Mayor's Award, Cork City Council

2008 The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management

2013 Cork County Council Mayor's Community Awards, Western Divison

2013 Cork County Council Mayor's Community Awards, Overall Award

2015 Cork Environmental Forum, Roll of Honour Award

Top of page

© Sherkin Island Marine Station 2021