€6.9 million for new environmental and climate research awarded by the EPA
EPA funding of €6.9 million has been awarded for 11 new research projects to address climate and environmental challenges.
The funded research will address key knowledge gaps and support the development of vital research capacity in Ireland.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new research awards of €6.9 million for environmental and climate research in Ireland. This brings to €21.4 million the total research funding announced by the EPA to date in 2025.
The funding will support 11 new and innovative projects, which will involve 98 staff and students across 27 organisations. It will also build research capacity and skills in areas relevant to tackling important environmental challenges. Successful projects will address policy-relevant topics such as:
Understanding the impacts of noise pollution on health and the environment; Exploring young people’s attitudes, knowledge and actions around climate change; Mechanisms to support scaling-up of the circular economy; Understanding how exposure to future sea level rise could impact population dynamics and Studying remote Irish islands to enhance our understanding of the response and resilience of offshore environments to climate change.
Announcing the funding, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said: “The increased scale of research funding being announced by the EPA in 2025 reflects the critical role that research and innovation play in addressing climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity decline. This new EPA funding will help develop innovative solutions to support Ireland’s response to these challenges. Congratulations to the successful researchers and I look forward to hearing more about these exciting projects in the years ahead.”
The list of funded awards made to date in 2025 is available on the EPA website with full project details in the EPA’s online Research Database.
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. Further details are available on the EPA website.
In 2022 local press and radio raised the issue regarding over growth, algae, and the wholesale neglect of the River Suir in Thurles, by Tipperary Co. Council.
In a press release, back then, the local authority confirmed that plans were currently being developed in conjunction with Inland Fisheries, LAWPRO and the OPW River Drainage, to carry out maintenance works on the local River channel in an effort to mitigate potential flooding. In tandem with this work the above named organisations claimed, according to the local authority, that same would look to enhance the area down-stream of the Barry’s Bridge crossing in Thurles, including the installation of deflectors, which supposedly would eradicate algae bloom.
Thurles.Info had highlighted this problem as early as November 2013; almost 12 years preciously, yet to-date nothing has happened, other than reed cutting just days before the last two local elections; which saw trimmed Reeds, Rushes, Switch grass and Sedges left to float and rot in the water, while blocking areas further downstream.
In January 2024, a Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) representative informed Nenagh Municipal District councillors, of a major decline in the water quality of Tipperary’s rivers and streams. Ms Catherine Seale-Duggan, the newly appointed Community Water Officer with LAWPRO warned that the quality of watercourses in Co. Tipperary had dropped “substantially” and “worryingly” over the past 10 years.
Ms Seale-Duggan further confirmed then, that only 1/3 of rivers in Tipperary were in the category of “Good and High Status”, whereas ten years previously almost 2/3 of the counties rivers fell into that same stated category.
A small number of pictures taken on Sunday last, must surely highlight the present need for immediate action in relation to the cesspool that is the river passing through Thurles. The stench/odour which presents itself to the nostrils of those walking in the area between the Swinging Gates and Thurles Shopping Centre for the past number of years, must now be immediately be eradicated.
In January 29th of 2024, a Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO latter first setup in 2016), representative informed Nenagh Municipal District councillors, of a major decline in the water quality of Tipperary’s rivers and streams. Biologist and spokesperson Mr Fran Igoe, agreed that what is happening in Thurles and the river Suir is ‘shocking‘. On that same date, now 17 months later, Mr Igoe stated that test results showed that while one should expect to find a broad range of aquatic insects and bugs, he could only find two species in our river Suir.
Local councillors back 17 months ago were talking of a plan which was to be drawn up by July 2024. Since then with the situation has become totally unacceptable, with the local electorate not aware of any future possible solution.
So what is this white substance trapped in reeds on the surface of the river water?
In early September 2024, we wrote that in recent weeks we had watched 10 mature trees being ripped out from their allocated space, in the now closed ‘The Source’ car park. Same were re-sown close by, behind Thurles Swimming pool.
10 trees removed from ‘The Source’ car park.
Sadly the outer bark and the roots of these 10 mature trees were extensively damaged by heavy machinery, used to rip apart the tree heel mesh grills at their base. We forecast then that at least two of these 10 mature trees were unlikely to survive the coming winter. It would now appear that all ten of these trees, so savagely uprooted, have vanished without trace, leaving behind small hillocks of bare earth. (I hasten to add not the work of Beavers or giant Moles).
Thurles Park – “Going, Going, Gone”.
But then another shock! The costly mural, lauded by local councillors, (who had suffered a bad announcement week), has also vanished from the same area.
We were aware that in their annual report in 2019, ‘Tidy Towns’ judges had been rather critical of this art work; unjustifiably so to my mind, again positioned to the rear end of Thurles Swimming pool. Their report had stated, quote – “with all due respect there are parts of the mural that look as if they were done by a graffiti artist”.(Obviously a prominent, leading, art critic was in their midst.)
It has taken until 2025, (six years later), to have this mural painted over, using a colour identified by locals as being “Rectum Defecatious”, same an inspirational neutral brown colour, but as yet not unveiled on this years ‘Colourtrend‘ colour card. Same colour I understand was chosen to reflect the hue projected by the River Suir from Barry’s Bridge, latter situated in the centre of Thurles town.
WARNING: Residents, with things vanishing without electors knowledge, do be very careful travelling through this area of Thurles Park, especially at night.
It has taken 7 years for the state agency known as Transport Infrastructure Ireland(TII) to locate funding for a 1200 metres stretch of the busiest section of roadway in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
1200 metre stretch Of Kickham Street (N75) shown in red.
Despite two Teachtaí Dála (Dáil Deputies), namely MrMichael Lowry and Mr Jackie Cahill, latter both with constituency offices in Thurles town; combined with the mission statement by TII claiming, quote: “Our mission is to provide high quality transport infrastructure and services, delivering a better quality of life and supporting economic growth”, a 1200 metre stretch of the N75, gained limited attention for the past seven years.
Issues on the busy roadway, best known locally as Charles J. Kickham Street, were first raised in January 2021, by Thurles.info, and sadly resulted in the wasteful practice of large water-filled potholes being topped up, every couple of days, using cold tarmac. (View Here).
The issue was again raised on no fewer than 14 seperate occasions beginning between February 2021 and March 2024. We even highlighted where most of the cold tarmac gravel could be located, after it was dislodged hours later from newly filled potholes (View Here).
The 7 year abject failure to have issues improved, forced local residents to refrain from painting the exterior of their homes, due to attacks from flying stones and dirty, filthy water; same water which today still flows down the street’s centre like a shallow river, due to the lack of basic drainage and blocked shores. Despite consistent serious flooding, and complaints highlighted, still no response came from our idle councillors, local officials and lazy resident politicians. In last year’s local elections, the Thurles electorate who bothered to vote, returned all of these double jobbing individuals back into office.
See links hereunder which raised the issues of neglect with regard to route N75.
In the last fortnight one local councillor, Mr Jim Ryan, announced on local radio that TII, after 7 years, had no funding for this N75 project, yet Thurles.Info and Tipperary County Council had already been notified that funding had been sanctioned.
Today, it was officially confirmed to the general public that funding has been secured for this Thurles Kickham Street Improvement Scheme, but now 7 years later, we are none the wiser as to when or what year this same project will eventually commence.
Work proposed for this future upgrade will supposedly include:
Road re-surfacing for a distance of approximately 1200m.
Footpath improvement works at defined locations.
Improvements to existing surface water drainage to alleviate existing surface water drainage issues.
Traffic calming works.
Improved pedestrian facilities including installation of additional uncontrolled pedestrian crossings.
Provision of revised road signage and markings.
Narrowing of carriageway running lanes to 3.25m wide (10.66273ft) on the mainline N75 approaches to the Mill Road roundabout.
Minor design change to existing layout of Mill Road roundabout.
Minor realignment of a section of N75 mainline carriageway to facilitate roundabout improvements.
As well as “Justice” and “The mills of the gods”; we can now confirm that the wheels of “Tipperary Co. Council” and “TII” also grind exceedingly slowly.
Major new EPA report assesses Ireland’s vulnerability to climate change impacts.
The EPA has today published the National Climate Change Risk Assessment which provides the first comprehensive assessment of where, when and how climate risks are likely to impact Ireland over the coming decades.
The National Climate Change Risk Assessment provides government, business, communities and other stakeholders the best available evidence and analysis to inform climate adaptation and resilience in Ireland at a national level. The National Climate Change Risk Assessment identifies 115 risks from projected changes in climate conditions, including in energy, transport, communications, water security, public health, food production and supply and ecosystems.
The significant risks identified by the report as requiring urgent action within the next five years are:
The risk of disruption and damage to communications and energy distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind.
The risk of disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure, due to extreme wind, coastal erosion and coastal flooding.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published the findings of Ireland’s first National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA). This major study was undertaken by the EPA in collaboration with government departments, state agencies, and other stakeholders to assess where, when and how climate risks are likely to impact Ireland over the coming decades.
The National Climate Change Risk Assessment provides government, business, communities and other stakeholders with the best available evidence and analysis to inform climate adaptation and resilience in Ireland at a national level. The risk assessment will support the development of Sectoral Adaptation Plans by key government departments, will guide the development of local authority adaptation plans and inform other national level adaptation responses.
The Risk Assessment identifies 115 risks from projected changes in climate conditions. Of these, 43 are deemed significant risks. The risks span all sectors of our economy, society, and environment from energy, transport and communications to water security, public health, food production and supply and ecosystems.
Speaking about the report, Ms Laura Burke, EPA Director General said: “We know that Ireland is being impacted by climate change already. This comprehensive assessment highlights the need for additional urgent action to ensure Ireland is sustainably resilient to the risks that we currently face, and will increasingly experience, in the coming decades.”
She added: “This report, the first National Climate Change Risk Assessment, clearly shows how risks cascade across sectors. Recent events, such as Storms Darragh and Éowyn, demonstrated how damage to critical infrastructure such as energy, water supply, transport and communications networks in turn give rise to impacts on human health, biodiversity and the financial system. Addressing these risks in an integrated and consistent way is key to achieving our national climate resilience objective.”
The significant risks identified by the report as requiring urgent action within the next five years are: (A) The risk of disruption and damage to communications and energy distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind. (B) The risk of disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure due to extreme wind, coastal erosion and coastal flooding.
Additional significant risks that should be prioritised for further investigation in the next five years include risks to the built environment and human health from flooding and heat.
Commenting on the report, Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment, said: “Assessing climate risk is a key component of risk management and strategic planning. The National Climate Risk Assessment underscores the need for immediate action in the next five years to enhance the resilience of Ireland’s critical infrastructure to climate change. The risks with the most consequential and highest urgency ratings relate to extreme wind, coastal erosion and coastal flooding. These must be prioritised in adaptation and resilience actions to address climate risks and provide a basis for ensuring adaptation planning in Ireland is appropriately integrated across sectors.”
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