A new view of Cork’s coastline

A remarkably detailed series of maps will allow people to view the iconic Cork coastline like never before.

The programme unveiled by INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource), which has been twenty years in the making, mapped the physical, chemical and biological features of Ireland’s seabed and highlights the unique and intricate landscapes under the waves.

Created by a team of hydrographers, data processors, and cartographers, the maps provide an exceptional representation of the local coastal topography.

Funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, INFOMAR is a collaborative effort by the Geological Survey Ireland and the Marine Institute and aims to map Ireland’s seabed and to underpin the future stewardship of Ireland's marine resources.

Each week, INFOMAR will be releasing a new map of a different section of the Irish coastline, and now it’s the turn of the Rebel county. Cork boasts a coastline of approximately 1,200km, and the latest published in the new map series are of Bantry Bay, Mizen Head, Roaringwater Bay, Galley Head and Cork Harbour. The five maps, released on a weekly basis each Friday over the next number of weeks, reveal the marine geology and unique seafloor across the Cork coastline.

The first of the Cork maps is of Bantry Bay. “The bay has been witness to numerous shipwrecks over the years,” they say.

“In 1981, while cleanup efforts using sonar sweeps for the Betelgeuse were under way, the wreck of the French frigate La Surveillante, which had been scuttled during a storm north of Whiddy Island on 2 January 1797, was found. The La Surveillante has since been mapped in high resolution by INFOMAR.”

The Marine Institute say that Bantry Bay runs approximately 35 km from northeast to southwest. The bay is deep, approximately 40 metres in the middle, and is a large natural bay, with one of the longest inlets in southwest Ireland, bordered on the north by the Beara Peninsula.

Roaringwater Bay was also surveyed, and the mapping revealed the bay supports a variety of sub-tidal and intertidal sedimentary and reef habitats. “These include habitats that are sensitive to pressures which might arise from fishing and aquaculture, such as maerl (corraline algae), seagrass and kelp reefs.”

Another map that will be released in the coming weeks is Cork Harbour. “The harbour is often separated into Upper Cork Harbour (following the River Lee from Cork city to the towns of Passage West and Monkstown) and Lower Cork Harbour (separated from the upper harbour by Great Island). The depth of the harbour has been measured at between 4 fathoms (7.3m) and 14 fathoms (26m),” they say.

The maps are available for free to download and according to INFOMAR “have huge potential to communicate with local coastal communities and raise awareness on the importance of maintaining the health and integrity of our marine environment”. The website also has interactive maps, detailed information on the coastline and even a shipwreck viewer available for viewing. Go to infomar.ie to find out more.