Sáile Discussion Panels
There will be two discussion panels during the Sáile Festival 2026, one on Friday the 11th of September, and one on Saturday the 12th of September.
Discussion Panel 1: The Changing Atlantic – Climate, Pollution, and Pressures
During this discussion panel, our four speakers (Dr. Joao Frias, Liane Costello, Dr. Evin McGovern, and Dr. Liam Morrison) will be outlining some of their work in the fields of environmental pollution and the climate, as well as answering questions regarding the pressures faced by our coastal environments. You can read more on their individual backgrounds below.
Discussion Panel 2: Restoration & Resilience – Healing Our Coastlines
During this discussion panel, our four speakers (Dr. Jose Maria Fariñas-Franco, Dr. Kevin Lynch, Dr. Liam Carr, and Liane Costello) will be outlining some of their work in the fields of coastal restoration and planning, as well as answering questions regarding the current efforts being made to conserve and restore degraded coastal habitats. You can read more on their individual backgrounds below.
Dr João Frias is a marine researcher working in the fields of marine litter, microplastics and ocean literacy since 2008. He has over 40 publications that focus on sources, pathways, impacts, fate, and methodologies to assess microplastics in the marine environment. He lives in Ireland since 2017, with most of his work focusing in Galway Bay and in Booterstown saltmarsh in Dublin. He collaborates with scientists and artists all across Europe. He is one of the co-founders of the Portuguese Marine Litter Association, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that raises awareness on plastic pollution in Portugal since 2013. On an Academic level, he is invited lecturer in Aalborg University in Denmark and in Toulon University in France. On a research level, he has on-going collaborations with the National Institute of Chemistry in Slovenia. He is also part of the scientific committee for the MICRO conference in Spain, and of the Scientists Coalition for and Effective Plastics Treaty, that is currently being discussed at the United Nations level.
Liane Costello is the Biodiversity Officer with An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme. With over 2,000 registered groups, the programme supports and promotes local nature guardianship around Ireland. From restoring coastal habitats to encouraging ocean literacy, Liane’s responsibilities include integrating biodiversity throughout the Clean Coasts programme, supporting her colleagues’ nature actions, and assisting volunteers in their conservation efforts. On any given day, she can be found working on dune restoration, guiding clean-ups and coastal nature walks, and engaging communities in citizen science projects. Liane draws on her background in marine biology and communications to get people buzzed about nature, especially in our ocean and along our coast.
Dr. Evin McGovern is Head of Marine Chemistry at the Marine Institute and has spent over three decades’ investigating changing ocean chemistry. He oversees policy-focussed marine monitoring and provides advice to the government concerning seafood safety, marine pollution and ocean climate. He has served on numerous scientific committees and has chaired international expert groups on Marine Chemistry and Ocean Acidification for the International Council of the Exploration of the Sea and the OSPAR Convention. He led Ireland’s input to OSPAR’s Quality Status Report 2010, a comprehensive decadal benchmark assessment of the North-East Atlantic. Research interests include contaminants of emerging concern and their impacts, and ocean carbon.
Liam Morrison is Course Director and Academic Coordinator for the MSc in Marine and Freshwater Resources Management at the University of Galway, and Director of Research in the School of Natural Sciences. His research explores how contaminants, nutrients and emerging pollutants affect marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, translating scientific evidence into better environmental policy. He develops methods to detect and remove microplastics and engineered nanomaterials, investigates the causes and spread of invasive macroalgal blooms using fieldwork, laboratory analysis and remote sensing, and advances nature-based restoration. His work also spans marine radioactivity and the sustainable management of marine resources in a changing world.