Living on an island, we’ve noticed that for many teenagers, their first real taste of the marine world begins with the ferry journey from Baltimore, West Cork to Cape Clear Island.
To provide a complete ocean experience we decided to dive into marine awareness and education. That’s how ‘Maratacht’ was born.
The sea shapes our everyday lives
Maratacht (a blend of ‘Mara’, meaning ‘sea,’ and ‘Gaeltacht’, the Irish-speaking regions) is a series of residential camps where the ocean takes centre stage. We’re on a mission to show teenage participants—whether they’re from the coast or the heart of the country—just how much the sea shapes our everyday lives. From the clothes we wear (thanks to global trading and fast fashion) to the energy we use (hello, offshore wind farms!), the food we eat (fishing and aquaculture), climate change control (90% of overheating is stored in the oceans) and even the holidays we take (coastal tourism), the ocean is everywhere. It influences our climate, weather patterns, and even the geography of our coastlines. For islanders like us, it’s the very heartbeat of life.
At Maratacht, we strive to help teenagers truly connect with the ocean. At Maratacht, it’s all about experiential learning. Yes, that means kayaking, snorkelling, and getting out on the water, but it also means digging into research papers, exploring rocky shore ecology, and even contributing to citizen science projects. Participants learn to classify, record, and analyse marine life, uploading their findings to data collection sites or personal projects.
Choose your project
Each participant starts by choosing a project that sparks their curiosity, and by the end of their stay, they leave with a portfolio packed with their research, online resources, and a library of academic papers they’ve explored.
Cape is officially a Gaeltacht area so as much of the daily communication as possible will be through Irish. As a result participants will also take home a ‘fóclóir’ of Irish language terms they’ve picked up along the way.
With no more than 25 participants at a time, Maratacht offers an exclusive, hands-on experience with expert, qualified instructors and mentors. All modules are based on UN SDG goals and are linked to second level curriculum Geography, Science and History.
It’s not just about learning—it’s about feeling what it means to live where life revolves around the sea. By the end of it, these teens don’t just understand the ocean—they’ve lived it.
Get more detail at maratacht.ie
Find us on: Instagram @maratacht | Tiktok @maratacht
