Video transcript
Hi, my name is Orla McHale. I’m living in Kinvarra. I’ve always been drawn to the ocean. For a very long time, I grew up in Portmarnock in County Dublin, beside the sea. As a child, I suppose the thing that brought me most joy was being near the sea—just spending time on the sea, the connection to the sea.
As I got older, that connection didn’t die away. In my family, my great-grandfather was a boat builder, so there’s that heritage and there’s always been the connection. So as I got older, I moved to Kinvarra on the West Coast. Couldn’t get enough of the West Coast of Ireland.
I’m now living in the marine village of Kinvarra, working as an environmental education officer after a long career as a primary school teacher. The biggest thing I love to do is instill a love of the ocean for children. I just think children need to spend as much time as they can, either on the water or in the water, and that gives me the biggest joy of all.
I’m working with a group called Cuan Beo at the moment. I just felt I wanted to give back, and what we’re doing is a program to essentially bring kids and let them spend time in the water. It’s based on three pillars: sustainability, education, and adventure. I suppose the adventure bit is the best bit, because the kids get to just have fun on the water. It gives them that sense of ownership of the water, feeling connectedness, and improves mental health and overall well-being.
There’s never a person that says they haven’t had a good day after being on the ocean. We’re trying to encourage kids, and I’ve got a little sign here where we’re trying to tell kids to:
- Take three for the sea
- Protect our rivers
- Stop the stuff
- Turn off the tap
- Cut down on single-use plastics
Cut out plastic, I suppose, as much as possible, especially single-use plastic. But the biggest thing is just to get to your nearest piece of ocean and just enjoy.
Orla McHale
