Ireland’s first living seawall installed in Cork

Developed in collaboration with the UCC Sustainability Unit, Research Ireland and the Port of Cork, the living seawall at Kennedy Pier combines innovative coastal engineering with ecological design to create a structure that supports marine life while strengthening the harbour’s quay wall.

Engineering for ecology

The project team retrofitted a section of the existing quay wall with a series of specially designed precast concrete panels manufactured at Inland and Coastal Marina System's facilities in Banagher, Ireland. Five bespoke panels were created, each featuring a unique pattern of cups, ridges, depressions and holes – all intended to provide habitat, shelter and feeding opportunities for a wide variety of marine species.

When the tide comes in, the cup-shaped features retain water to form small rockpools, while panels with holes and textured surfaces offer refuge and attachment points for organisms such as crabs, sea anemones, limpets, barnacles and marine algae.

Bringing the harbour to life

According to Dr. Louise Firth, Senior Lecturer in Marine Ecology at University College Cork, and a collaborating partner with the Living Seawall project, the wall is already showing signs of success.

“One month on from installing the panels, we’re seeing a little bit of green film forming,” says Firth. “Come next spring we expect increased colonisation, with big differences by summer.

By providing microhabitats and retaining water at low tide, the wall encourages biodiversity in an area that would otherwise be inhospitable to many marine species. As seaweeds and sponges grow, they’ll naturally produce oxygen and filter the water, improving overall water quality and supporting the broader ecosystem.

A global initiative, locally applied

The Living Seawall concept is part of a global scientific program that began in Sydney, Australia, and is now being adapted to different coastal environments around the world. The Cobh installation is among the first of 10 worldwide, and the very first in Ireland.

Dr. Firth notes that Cobh was an ideal location due to its saline waters and public visibility. “It’s a great place to raise awareness and educate people about marine life,” explains Firth. “We hope this project will inspire more installations around the country.”

Building for the future

The Living Seawall project showcases how innovative coastal infrastructure can coexist with nature, blending durable engineering with environmental stewardship. By helping to make space for nature along Ireland’s urbanised shorelines, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to sustainable marine and civil engineering solutions.

Jon Challis, Inland and Coastal Marina System's Head of Business Development, comments: “This initiative invites us to see seawalls not just as infrastructure, but as spaces where marine life, creativity and community awareness can flourish together.

This news story by Inland and Coastal Marina Systems, is based on an article first published in the Irish Examiner on 21 October