Thank for everyone who attended and made the conference and Gala so memorable! And special shoutout to Simon Berrow for the hats!

Find out more here: www.tipperaryarts.ie/basking

Photos (c) Caleb Barrett

The show runs until the 19th December, Tuesdays to Saturdays, at the 6s & 7s gallery, Davis Street, Tipperary Town.

This Project takes place as part of Tipperary County Council’s Arts Programme with the support of the Arts Council and in cooperation with Creative Places Tipperary Town.

It was great to see so many brave the elements on Friday to attend the opening, and to see Tom's work inspiring wonder and curiosity about basking sharks, beyond Ireland's coastal communities.

Ruth Leeney, IBSG researcher, spoke at the exhibition's opening on Friday and the artist's talk on Saturday, providing information on the conservation status of basking sharks and highlighting them as a unique part of Ireland's marine wildlife.

Read more here: www.tipperaryarts.ie/basking

Our own Dr. Ruth Leeney, will give a short talk at the opening of the exhibit (Friday 14th November) and again on the 15th November. The IBSG also provided support in developing an educational worksheet for the school workshops Tom will be running this week.

...an underwater environment populated by illuminated basking shark pups, moon jellies, and planktonic lights, inviting audiences into a serene, immersive world of light, sound, and collective creativity. "

"This new installation, The Nursery, draws inspiration from the early life of the basking shark — a rarely witnessed stage of one of the ocean’s most graceful giants. The work transforms the exhibition space into...

and our sponsors:
@atu-ie.bsky.social, Customized Animal Tracking Solutions (CATS), Wildlife Computers, @lotektelemetry.bsky.social, @innovasea.com,
@fairseas.ie, @heritagecouncil.ie and Mayo County Council.

We’d like to thank our co-hosts:
@npwsireland.bsky.social and The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group...

There was no better or more authentic way to close out the whole weekend than by toe tapping along to The Achill Sound and listening to accounts of life on Achill.

To close off the day we had a very special performance by The Achill Sound that brought the experiences of the people of Achill together with music and stunning visuals to form a unique storytelling experience.

Of course it wasn't all for the adults, Gerry Daly hosted a read and draw along for all the young budding marine biologists. We had a great turn out to Gerrys event, with some incredible art work.

Throughout the day Tom Meskal had his art installation up in Gieltys cafe, alongside this we had screenings of “Secrets of the basking shark” by Swimming heads productions and Toms “Basking”.

This was an incredible opportunity to take in the stunning views of the island while giving our guests the chance to see these key locations of the basking shark fishery for themselves.

Island bus tours hosted jointly by Achill island seascapes and outdoor achill brought us to the heart of the action, Keem bay and then onto Purteen harbour.