IOLN Shared Island & Ocean Ballycastle Regional Meeting 1/10/26 - Welcome Speech (Cat McCann)

This is a recording of the welcome presentation by Cat McCann, EO of the Irish Ocean Literacy Network (IOLN), at the Irish Ocean Literacy Network's Regional Meeting in Ballycastle (1 October 2026). In this presentation, Cat introduces the Irish Ocean Literacy Network and explores how ocean literacy extends beyond education to include our emotional, cultural, and heritage connections with the sea. She outlines the network's mission to create an ‘ocean-literate society’ by supporting collaboration, capacity building, community engagement, and campaigns that strengthen people's relationship with the ocean. The presentation also highlights the IOLN's role as Europe's only established ocean literacy network and its recognition as part of the United Nations Ocean Decade. The IOLN's Ballycastle event brought together voices from across the marine and maritime sectors, including arts, heritage, grassroots groups, research, NGOs, community organisations, and tourism, to explore the connections between people and the sea. Under the theme “Marine Identity: The Sea Between Us”, the event explored the Sea of Moyle as a space of connection — linking Ballycastle, Rathlin Island, the north coast of the island of Ireland and Scotland — and considered how stories, memories, heritage and contemporary experiences shape our relationship with the marine environment. Through conversations, storytelling and reflection, the meeting explored the question of what the sea means to the communities who live alongside it, and how a stronger sense of marine identity can help inform future action for healthy and sustainable seas. The Shared Island & Ocean series of Regional Meetings is funded by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund.