Loughrea came alive with nature on the 21st and 22nd of May 2026, as the town marked Biodiversity Week with a Biodiversity Festival and Bioblitz. Four local schools, members of the public, and a dedicated team of volunteers came together for a celebration of nature in Loughrea.
The festival programme had something for everyone. Educational talks covering topics from barn owls and invasive species to drone technology and water quality monitoring. Surveys ran throughout the day and night, giving participants the chance to record birds in the early morning, bats after dark, and a wide range of plants and invertebrates in between. Additional highlights included a display from conservation detection dogs, a guided walk on forest ecology led by Coillte, and a talk on the ecological value of hedgerows. The National Parks and Wildlife Service and ecological charity Celt also attended, providing information stands at the festival grounds.
Alongside the public events, recording took place across a number of locations in and around Loughrea, including Loughrea Lake and its islands and shoreline, Kylebrack Woods, Mad Yolk Farm, and the grounds of the participating schools. Records were logged using the iNaturalist platform. Verification is ongoing, but preliminary results indicate approximately 500 species recorded by 33 contributors, providing a comprehensive 2026 biodiversity baseline for the town and its surrounding area. The event also formed part of the CIEEM Great Big Wildlife Exploration, alongside similar bioblitz events held across the Ireland and the UK.
The festival provided a valuable opportunity for primary and secondary school students to engage directly with the natural environment and consider potential careers in ecology, while also allowing university students, lecturers and both professional and amateur ecologists to share knowledge and expertise. The event helped raise awareness of biodiversity in and around Loughrea and contributed a valuable ecological record for the town.
