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ATU students contribute to conservation efforts in Ireland by recording rare species
Students on the popular Master in Conservation Behaviour programme in ATU Galway are contributing significantly to conservation efforts in Ireland annually by recording rare and endangered species on land and sea field trips as part of their studies.
On Inis Mór they spotted a rare Thrift Clearwing moth for the first time in 2024 (first recording of it in county Galway) and also spotted it in new locations on the island in 2025. Every year on Inis Mór they also record large numbers of endangered butterflies such as the Small Blue and the Wall Brown.
Programme co-chair and lecturer Dr Martin Gammell says the students first learn about legislation concerning protected and endangered species before going out in the field. They monitor and photograph what they see and hear including birds, butterflies, moths, bats, bees, cetaceans and other species over three days and the records are submitted to the National Biodiversity Data Centre Recording System. Sea birds and cetaceans are also monitored annually on field trips/ marine excursions to the Aran Islands and Kerry’s Blasket Islands.
“Inis Mór has lots of rare species that you wouldn’t see easily on the mainland such as the Thrift Clearwing moth. It was never recorded on Inis Mór until two years ago and we spotted it again last year. It’s endangered in Ireland,” says Dr Gammell.
MSc student Sarah Beth Bradley from Drogheda used specialist equipment to record bats on the island. She first saw them in Dublin Zoo as a young child and has been fascinated ever since. “There are over 1,500 species from Flying Foxes with a 5-foot wing span to cute Bumble Bee bats which are half the size of your thumb. Some of them look like gremlins and others like dogs.”
ATU postgraduate student Leanne Tuohy from Dundalk says the Aran Islands’ diverse ecosystems provide great opportunities to study both terrestrial and aquatic species. Leanne is currently working on a research project in Brú na Bóinne (Boyne Valley) National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, her project involves a soundscape analysis which will assist in enhancing biodiversity before the Boyne Valley National Park is opened up to the public.
For further information about the Master in Conservation Behaviour programme in ATU, please visit: https://www.atu.ie/courses/master-of-science-conservation-behaviour
Photo captions:
- Photo 1 ATU students on the field trip to Inis Mór during the summer (2026), as part of their studies on the Master of Science in Conservation Behaviour programme in ATU Galway.
- Photo 2Thrift Clearwing Moth from Inis Mór (by Dr Martin Gammell, ATU Galway).
- Photo 3 Small Blue Butterfly from Inis Mór (2024, by Dr Martin Gammell, ATU Galway).
For media enquiries, contact:
Regina Daly
Communications and Press Officer
Tel: 087 961 8355
E: regina.daly@atu.ie
