Inishowen Rivers Trust recently hosted Lisa McDaniel, the Donegal Community Water Officer of the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) for a number of site visits around the Clonmany area. Lisa was interested in checking out our natural flood management infrastructure around the Ballyhallan River and how this could be extended to the surrounding river catchments. […]

A huge congratulation and thank you to Michael Mc Kevitt on winning a volunteer recognition award from Donegal Volunteer Centre. Michael has been volunteering with Inishowen Rivers Trust for over 10 years. His contribution to the conservation of Inishowen Rivers has been huge. We are very lucky to have him on our team.

KINNEGAR 24-HOUR CHALLENGE We are delighted to announce that Inishowen Rivers Trust has been chosen by Kinnegar Brewing as this year’s chosen charity. Check out the details below. If you’d like to donate, big or small, you can do so by clicking on the GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/035c08c5 . A huge thank you to Kinnegar Brewing […]

Why not come along tonight to St Mary’s hall for a chance to talk to Inishowen Rivers Trust and other community groups and organisations on the work we do and how you can get involved.

Culdaff Development Association and Tidy Towns hosted a River Restoration Event on the river on Saturday 15th June  It was a sunny day as the board, staff, and volunteers of the Inishowen Rivers Trust worked to restore the riverbank of the Culdaff River. This effort is part of the Culdaff River Restoration project, supported by […]

Sat 15th June 2024 @10:30am The Wee Hall Culdaff

This is a call-out to our good, keen, outdoorsy volunteers! Inishowen Rivers Trust is running a brash collection event on Wednesday 5th June from 6pm – 8pm.Meeting point: Glentogher NS (F93HC04). Please wear suitable clothing. All are welcome. Tea, Tunnock’s and chat afterwards!RSVP to [email protected]: 083 1505680 This brash collection event will help support IRTs […]

Inishowen Rivers Trust had a great day at the PPN Environmental event on Saturday at St Eunans GAA club. A massive thank you to Mary and all the team at St Euna’s GAA for looking after us so well.There was a great turnout, hosted by Aengus Kennedy with speakers from DCC Climate Coordinator Lorraine Arbuckle, […]

Are you a student interested in a part time work placement for the summer learning more about the water environment and gaining useful practical skills? Come along to the PPN Environmental Event in Letterkenny and meet the IRT team this coming Saturday for a chat.

Rosemarie Moulden Rosemarie MouldenRosemarie is an archaeologist and also has qualifications in countryside management and fisheries. She has been actively involved in various heritage and community projects, particularly in the Inishowen area. She has directed and supervised archaeological excavations throughout Ireland and was involved in the efforts to conserve St Columba’s Church in Straid, Clonmany […]

Recently the IRT were invited to join Green Sod Ireland as they begin their journey to restore a plot of ground at Meenletterbale near Kinnagoe Bay. The Long Glen River runs into the bay and in times past a wooded corridor of hazel bordered the river, some of which still remains near the bay. Pupils […]

Aidan Assal and Ailise Fitzpatrick-Evans getting instructions on tree planting from Carlene Lyttle. Recently the IRT were invited to join Green Sod Ireland as they begin their journey to restore a plot of ground at Meenletterbale near Kinnagoe Bay. The Long Glen River runs into the bay and in times past a wooded corridor of […]

Mervyn Norris On top of alll the work he does in his day to day life, he also finds time to serve on Inishowen Rivers Trust board and to voluneer for events. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to IRT over the years. Mervyn is one of the founding members of Inishowen […]

Margaret Farren She was on the committee for the preservation of St Columba’s Old Church in Straid and contributed articles to and edited their publication on the history and cultural significance of the church. She is an enthusiastic participant in the Inishowen Traditional Singers’ Circle, and a member of the organising committee of its annual […]

The Inishowen Rivers Trust celebrated National Tree Week by bringing together volunteers, local school children, at the invitation of Green Sod Ireland to preserve and protect our biodiversity and rivers in Inishowen.  Green Sod Ireland site at Meenletterbale. The Inishowen Rivers Trust marked National Tree Week with a collaborative effort involving volunteers, local school children […]

We are doing a series of posts to introduce you to our team members. First up is our chairperson Claire. If you are interested in getting involved, becoming a volunteer or joining our board, please email [email protected] or call 083 8081761 for more information. We would love to hear from you.

Inishowen Rivers Trust are very excited to announce that they will be on TV soon! Trish Murphy, Project Officer with the Trust, and previous trustee Tomas Lawrence (The Mill River Conservation Group) recently took part in filming a documentary in Buncrana and Clonmany. Tuilte (Flood) highlights recent flooding events in places like Inishowen, Belfast, Monaghan […]

On Saturday we were treated to a fantastic visit to Sharagore Wetlands in Desertegney hosted by Wild Inishowen Club who have been working to restore this wetland and create a recreational trail. It was a thrill to see how much work has been done over the past few years and meet old and new friends. […]

As the year draws to a close, we wanted to take the opportunity to express our gratitude for your incredible dedication and unwavering support throughout this year. We are thrilled to share with you the latest edition of the Riverview Magazine, which encapsulates some of the events and milestones we’ve achieved together this year. Have […]

Deciphering Water Quality Data Date and time:  Wed 29th Nov 2023 18:30 GMT Location:  Online Zoom Instructions:  Please click on the link below to reserve your place on this event. https://WinterWaterWorkshops3.eventbrite.ie The Inishowen River Trust invites you to the third of our Winter Water Workshops where we will hear from Water Chemist Lisa Cronin from […]

Applications are now CLOSED for this position. Please check back later. We will update this page as further posts become available. Peatland Restoration Project Officer (Inishowen area) For further information please go to Peatland Restoration Project Officer (Inishowen… | The Rivers Trust Closing date: Thursday 23 November

Book your tickets on Eventbrite https://winter-water-workshops-part-2.eventbrite.ie DETAILS OF EVENT Date and Time: Thurs November 23rd, 6:30 PM Location: Online – a Zoom invite will be sent on the day of the event Agenda: Presentation Highlights: This event will include a 30 – min presentation by the Project Officer of the Maigue Rivers Trust who will present […]

Join us at the Inishowen Maritime Museum and Planetarium on Thursday at 6:30 pm as the we take to the skies during Science Week. Explore insights from space data and its impact on our efforts to enhance water quality on the ground. The presentation on environmental data from space will be followed by a full […]

A heartfelt thank you extends to the incredible volunteers who joined us this past Saturday for the Bredagh River Conservation Day. Blessed with favorable weather and radiant sunshine, our dedicated team embarked on various conservation activities. Focused Efforts on Salmonberry Eradication: Our primary mission centered on combatting the invasive salmonberry plants. Salmonberry is an invasive […]

The Inishowen Rivers Trust (IRT) recently hosted the New Zealand ambassador to Ireland, Trevor Mallard, on a field trip to sites in Carndonagh and Clonmany to better understand how IRTs natural flood management projects in the area can potentially help New Zealand with its flooding issues.  The August 2017 flood in Inishowen was a major […]

The Inishowen Rivers Trust would like to invite you to join us for a Conservation Day on the Bredagh River, Moville. Since 2013 colleagues in Celebrate Water have been investing time and energy into the improvement and maintenance of this key river resource for Inishowen. Your involvement in this event, the last outdoor event of […]

Inishowen Rivers Trust, Loughs Agency and Heritage Council bring together a workshop to share local Culdaff river stories and history. On Thursday 17th August, the Inishowen Rivers Trust, in association with Heritage Council and Loughs Agency, invited the public to The Wee Hall in Culdaff for a workshop on the stories of the Culdaff River. […]

Culdaff, Co.Donegal – The Inishowen Rivers Trust (IRT), in collaboration with The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), recently engaged 23 students from St. Boden’s National School on an educational journey into the world of river heritage and citizen science. On a crisp autumn morning, Wednesday, October 11th, the Inishowen Rivers Trust, with the support of […]

The weather is a common concern for the Inishowen Rivers Trust when planning an event. As the day for our Downstream Change, Source to Sea workshop approached, the forecasts had been less than favourable, predicting relentless rain throughout the day. But fear not, for the allure of Glenveagh and the promise of a captivating course […]

Heritage Council Funding allows the Inishowen Rivers Trust to host a trip around the landforms of Glenveagh National Park. Glenveagh National Park, 2nd July 2023 – Participants of the Inishowen River Trust National River Guardians field trip to Glenveagh National Park have hailed the event as a “brilliant and informative day” that offered a fresh […]

Due to the expansion of our operations, the Inishowen Rivers Trust now wish to engage another employee to provide administrative support for our current projects, in particular the River Guardians National Training Programme. We are looking for an enthusiastic, ambitious and self-motivated individual to help drive our aims forward in what is an exciting and […]

What’s Happening on Inishowen Rivers is a public event that brings together stakeholders from across Inishowen and beyond to discuss rivers, river management and take a look at what is happening locally to protect our rivers.

Back in 2017 the Inishowen Rivers Trust hosted an event called Who’s Who in Inishowen Rivers. This brought together community and agencies with a responsibility for water protection in this novel event to discuss who’s involved and what can be done.

Now 6 years later we are revisiting our Who’s Who but also looking at what has happened in the intervening years, how the science has changed and how the community has risen to the challenge of conserving and protecting our local rivers.

Join us for this novel event and meet the people involved. There will be a series of short talks followed by a look at different community groups around Inishowen and what they are doing to protect and conserve our rivers and the biodiversity that relies on them. There will be plenty of time for discussion and some light refreshments served.

Meet local groups
Meet the agencies
Hear about the latest research in river management
Networking opportunity
Have your say
If you would like to get involved or set up a stall, please contact John on 083 150 5680. Stall places are free and available to agencies and community groups.

Venue: An Grianan Hotel, Burt

Time: 6pm – 9pm

On the following day there will be a half day field trip to visit project sites in Inishowen. Spaces are limited. Details and booking for the field trip will be released closer to the event.

The IRT currently have a position open for a part time project officer. This is an exciting and challenging role and would suit someone with good communication skills, who has a keen interest in the environment. The job description can be DOWNLOADED HERE. Please submit your CV and a cover letter to [email protected]. Closing date […]

On Monday 18th October 2021, the ECO Carn group officially launched the Biodiversity Action Plan for Carndonagh. Nestled in the centre of the Inishowen peninsula just south of Trawbreaga Bay the town has excellent opportunities to create a thriving area for wildlife and improving the health of the environment and the community. The ECO Carn […]

June 2021 – The Inishowen Rivers Trust are delighted to be working in the Cloontagh Catchment in Clonmany over the next few months. This is the second project the Trust have secured funding for in this area and we are delighted to have a base in the area thanks to the generosity of the Clonmany […]

23rd June 2021 – Sign up for a one day course with the River Restoration Centre on how to develop a plan to restore your local river

Don’t miss this excellent webinar on fish migration into and within streams. Featuring fish experts Ken Whelan and Gareth Pedley

1st May 2021 – The Natural Flood Management project co-ordinated by the Inishowen Rivers Trust launched it’s first community meeting online on Thursday 29th April 2021. Although we would very much like to meet face-to-face in the community centre, this has not been possible due to Covid restrictions. The online meeting ‘Meet the Flood Team‘ […]

18 Feb 2021 – We’re delighted to announce that Bren Whelan, popular mountain leader based in Muff, Co. Donegal, has taken up the role of training co-ordinator for the Inishowen Rivers Guardians Programme…..

23 Jan 2021 – The Inishowen Rivers Trust are delighted to announce the publication of your new electronic newsletter RIVERVIEW. This will features short news items from the Trust as well as information on how to get involved, upcoming events, training and any other items that we feel might be of interest to our supporters.

January 2021 – NEW POSITIONS AVAILABLE! The Inishowen Rivers Trust are currently seeking contractors to fulfill two roles for our Inishowen River Guardians Training Programme for 2021. These are part-time positions and would suit candidates who require flexible working hours.  The last River Guardians Programme ran in 2019 (see details here) and this new and expanded […]

Dec 11 2020 – WOW! We’ve just been awarded funding from Rethink Ireland’s INNOVATE TOGETHER FUND to expand our Inishowen River Guardians Programme. It’s been a very busy time preparing for this funding and we’re very excited about 2021. Hope you can join us!

23 November 2020 An excellent evening with Ken Whelan and Rosemary McCloskey at our recent webinar (19th Nov 2020) discussing drainage in relation to river management. Lots of interesting questions posed by the audience ranging from engineering, biodiversity and natural solutions.

November 2020 – Join us online as we invite Prof. Ken Whelan and Dr. Rosemary McCloskey to discuss drainage and water management issues and how this impacts on rivers.

7th, 10th & 11th October 2020 – On a wet and windy Saturday morning, a group of hardy volunteers met outside of Carndonagh for the start of a weekend of mountain skills training with expert trainer Bren Whelan. Our group had already met on the previous Wednesday night when we listened to Inga Bock, Donegal […]

Coming October 2020 – The Inishowen Rivers Trust are delighted to announce our next River Guardians training module Leave No Trace with Mountaineering and Mapping Skills. This will be a very interesting and practical look at working outdoors, searching for rivers using a map and compass and dealing with the elements during the day and in dark conditions.

19 Sept 2020 – The Inishowen Rivers Trust were delighted to welcome two highly knowledgeable speakers to our Riparian Rights & Responsibilities discussion held recently in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, Buncrana. Solicitor Paul McMahon from McMahon Legal, has written extensively on the subject of riparian rights and Rural Recreation Officer, Inga Bock, has many years […]

On Sunday 9th August 2020, a group from the Strabane/Lifford area travelled to Inishowen to chat about all things riverine. The group have come together to discover, explore and protect their diverse region for the benefit of environmental protection and the IRT were delighted to welcome them to Inishowen.

August 2020 – Local heritage expert, Dessie McCallion, will lead a heritage hike of the Meendoran and Lough Fad area above Clonmany village on Sunday 23rd August to celebrate Water Heritage Day.

July 23rd 2020 – Members of the Clonmany community came together in the Community Centre on Thursday night July 23rd to discuss nature based solutions (NBS) for flood management with flood experts Prof Mary Bourke, Trinity College and Dr. Paul Quinn, University of Newcastle. Prof. Bourke linked in via Zoom to deliver a presentation that […]

July 2020 – We are delighted to announce that Trish Murphy has become the first Project Officer for the Inishowen Rivers Trust, a newly created role that represents a significant step forward for rivers trusts in Ireland. Trish was a founding director of the Trust and has been involved in a voluntary capacity since it […]

July 2020 – Like many parts of Inishowen and the North West, Clonmany village was badly effected by the flood of August 2017. Many residential homes, business premises and lands were inundated with significant damage to the economy and well being of the local population. But flooding is Clonmany is not a new issue. Flooding […]

June 2020 – Despite the lockdown and cancellation of many activities, there is still one Inishowen Rivers Trust volunteering activity that you can engage with – recording Invasive Alien Species (IAS). Currently we are restricted to a 5km radius from our home but on June 8th this will extend to 20km. This gives us plenty […]

April 2020 – Back in November 2019, the Eco Eye Production team visited Inishowen as part of their episode on water quality, On the Waterfront, in Series 18, Episode 5. The program looked at the pressures on waterbodies and how communities are getting involved in monitoring, restoring and protecting their local rivers and lakes. The […]

ECO Carn – the community initiative in Carndonagh which aims to develop a biodiversity action plan for the town – has launched a new Wildflowers recording form to help capture records of wildflowers growing in the local area. During the Covid-19 restrictions, it has not been possible for the ecologist to do an audit of […]

March 2020 – Our tree planting season has ended 🙁 . We’re tired – and mucky – but very happy to have facilitated the planting of approximately 2000 native Irish trees in various locations across Inishowen this year.  It has been a privilege to help landowners to plant trees for the future and we are […]

Interested in volunteering with Inishowen Rivers Trust? Why Get Involved? Our rivers need our help! If you are a landowner, an angler, an environmentalist, an artist, a walker, a wildlife watcher, you can get involved in protecting our most valuable resource. It might only be a few hours of volunteering in a year but you […]

Community discuss natural flood management measures February 2020 – On Friday 14th February, the Inishowen Rivers Trust invited the community to hear more about their research into Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) and discuss the opportunities for delivering these in Inishowen. The meeting held in Colgan Hall was attended by a diverse range of interested […]

Saturday 22nd February 2020 – 10am – 3pm At the Inishowen Rivers Trust we love to encourage the planting of trees and this year again we are giving away native trees to anyone with the space to plant them! With the kind support of the Community Environment Action Fund (Donegal CoCo and Dept of Communications, […]

Eco Eye Visit to Inishowen November 2019 – The Inishowen Rivers Trust were delighted to welcome the Earth Horizons, an independent film production team, to Inishowen to meet with the Trust directors and volunteers.  Earth Horizons produce the popular environmental programme Eco Eye which airs on RTE and launches into Season 18 in January 2020.

Gods, Gold & Graft: Lough Foyle’s Nature and Culture August 2019 – The Inishowen Rivers Trust are delighted to welcome Dr. Liam Campbell to Inishowen to deliver a fascinating insight into the culture and heritage of Lough Foyle for this year’s Heritage Week event. The Local Authority Waters Programme have once again supported the Trust […]

Busy times at the Carn Show! July 20th 2019 – The Trust had a great time at the Carn Show on Saturday 20th July. Lots of activity in the Food Enterprise Tent with lovely neighbours and the smell of delicious food coming from all sides!  Directors Mervyn, Claire and Trish had plenty of time to […]

the positive impact of trusts July 2019 – The Rivers Trust UK is the umbrella body of the rivers trusts movement across Ireland and the UK. Each year the Trust produces an annual review and this year the review features a section on rivers trusts in Ireland. This is a review of what the Trust […]

May 2019 – Prof. Mary Bourke and her #Megafloods team are currently conducting a study on natural water retention measures (also known as natural flood management) on behalf of the Inishowen Rivers Trust to investigate the suitability of the Inishowen landscape for such measures.

Inishowen Rivers Trust receive funding from the Office of Public Works (OPW) to carry out study into the feasibility of using natural water retention measures in Inishowen.

Culdaff River Clean Up 2018 April 2018 – A great community event was held in Culdaff on Saturday 14th April 2018 in Culdaff were a number of different groups came together to clean up the village and Culdaff River. Individuals from Culdaff Community Angling Group, Culdaff Sea Anglers, Culdaff Tidy Towns, Loughs Agency and

October 2018 – The use of trees in natural flood management is well documented and in order to find out more about trees and the tree planting schemes available to landowners, the IRT invited Ken Bucke from the Forest Service to speak at this event. This was the second event

September 2018 – Consultant engineer Dr. Barry Walls gave an excellent talk in Colgan Hall on 29th September 2018 as part of the Inishowen Rivers Trust’s explorations on the theme of natural flood management. Dr. Walls talk began with

Nov 2017 – In November Gareth Pedley from the Wild Trout Trust, UK visited Inishowen for an advisory visit of the Culdaff River. This was an excellent opportunity to walk along the entire river and hear insights from an expert. Gareth has now prepared a documented report on the current status of the river and […]

On Wednesday Feb 22nd the Inishowen Rivers Trust invited communities and agencies to gather and share their hopes and vision for the future of Inishowen’s precious rivers, loughs and coastal waters.

Please note this event is only open to volunteers who have been previously trained on riverfly monitoring. If you would like to learn more and are interested in being trained please Contact Us

The Inishowen Rivers Trust recently took part in the One Million Trees in One Day initiative, a project of the Forestry Foundation, supported by the Woodland Trust. This ambitious project aims to plant one million trees in 24 hours across the whole of Ireland. The Inishowen Rivers Trust purchased some trees for the event and offered […]

The Inishowen Rivers Trust invites communities and agencies to gather and share their hopes and vision for the future of Inishowen’s waters.

Last Saturday people came together from all parts of Inishowen, representing all walks of life and unanimously agreed to form an Inishowen Rivers Trust. This is a significant decision for the people of Inishowen, for our water and for our environment.