The Mary Robinson Centre

23/09/2026

Celebrating our amazing volunteers at the Mary Robinson Centre! 🌟

What a special day we had honouring the incredible individuals who give their time, energy, and care to support our mission. We were delighted to welcome members from Ballina Autism Friendly Town and Bridge-Western Care, who were also recognised with awards for their outstanding contributions. 🏆💚

A huge thank you to Ballina Youthreach for providing wonderful music for the celebration. You helped make the afternoon truly memorable! 🎶👏

To every volunteer, thank you for your dedication and for making a difference in our community. We are so grateful for each and every one of you! 🙌✨

11/09/2026

A huge thank you to Ballina Library for lending us a reusable party kit for our Volunteer Appreciation Day! 💚

It was the perfect way to celebrate our amazing volunteers while keeping the event sustainable. The kit came with everything we needed, from colourful cups and plates to bowls and cutlery, helping us cut down on waste. 🌍✨

We are so grateful for this wonderful resource from Mayo County Council. It is a fantastic initiative for any community group or family looking to host a more eco-friendly event.

10/09/2026

Relove Fashion 2026 Competition Now Open for Young People Aged 12-19

STYLE FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD

Relove Fashion is a sustainable fashion competition for young people aged 12-19 in Ireland.

The competition, which has just launched for its third nationwide year, invites young people to create a wearable fashion piece by upcycling unwanted clothes and textiles, promoting creativity, repair, reuse, and sustainable fashion. With finished outfits due at the end of January, it serves as the perfect term project for schools and youth groups.

Those who register their interest before 30th September will be entered into a draw to win a sewing machine, and all participants can receive a free bag of unwanted textiles from participating charity shops to upcycle, if they so wish.

Teachers, youth group leaders and teenagers are invited to find out more and register on www.relovefashion.ie.

To enter the competition, entrants are challenged to explore their creative design skills to create a sustainable and wearable outfit using clothing from the treasure troves of charity shops, swap shops, or reused textiles already available at home.

Register your interest to stay in the loop with key dates, resources, inspiration and county council eligibility.

Mayo.ie Mayo County Council Mayo County Library Relove Fashion Junk Kouture One Westport Circular.ie Rediscovery Centre Mayo Environmental Network The Mary Robinson Centre Make Your Wardrobe Work Irish Environmental Network

09/09/2026

We are so excited to welcome our incredible volunteers to the Mary Robinson Centre for a very special afternoon. This event is all about celebrating you, the remarkable individuals who give your time, energy, and care to support our mission. We cannot wait to honour you! 🙌✨

04/09/2026

🌕 We are proud to shine a light on our friends at Mayo Dark Sky Park as they celebrate a huge milestone! 🎉

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Mayo Dark Sky Festival, and the celebrations are already underway. We are thrilled to share news of a very special event coming up for Mayo Day. ✨

Join Dr Niamh Shaw, the renowned space reporter and adventurer, on Saturday 2nd May at 2.30pm in the W Cinema, Westport for "Reflections on Artemis II." This is a free event, but booking is essential via Eventbrite. 🌍

But that is not all. The 10th Anniversary celebrations continue with a full weekend of activities at the Wild Nephin National Park and Ballycroy Community Centre on Sunday 3rd May and Monday 4th May, from 11am. Expect a wonderful mix of talks, music, arts, a science circus, nature events, a planetarium, and films. There is something for everyone to enjoy under our incredible dark skies. 🌟

These events highlight the importance of protecting our natural environment and our world class dark skies. The Mary Robinson Centre fully supports this work, which reflects the spirit of community and climate action that we hold dear. 🤝

We encourage everyone to come out, explore the beauty of County Mayo, and celebrate this wonderful anniversary with the Mayo Dark Sky Park team.

Book your free tickets now and find the full programme at: www.mayodarkskypark.ie.

We hope to see you there!

03/09/2026

🦋 Did you know that butterflies are telling us a powerful story about climate change right here in Ireland?

These delicate beauties are actually climate superheroes in disguise. They react faster to environmental changes than almost any other species, making them our eyes and ears on the ground (or should we say, in the air!). 🦋✨

The recent Irish Butterfly Atlas revealed some eye opening news. Nearly a quarter of our resident butterfly species have expanded their range, but sadly, just under a quarter are shrinking. And here is the really concerning part: according to Butterfly Conservation Ireland, not a single resident Irish butterfly species has increased its population since 2008. 😔

One bright spot? The beautiful comma butterfly, with its scalloped wings, first arrived in Wexford in 2000 and became a breeding resident in 2014. A sign of our warming climate. 🌡️

But with changing weather patterns, shifting rainfall, and habitat loss, butterflies are struggling to keep their life cycles in sync with the plants and insects they depend on. Even their relationships with ants (who protect caterpillars in exchange for sweet honeydew) are being thrown off balance. 🐜🍯

This matters to all of us. Butterflies pollinate our crops, and their caterpillars feed our birds. When they struggle, the whole web of life feels it. 🌍

This warm summer gave us a flurry of butterfly activity, but the bigger picture reminds us that climate change and habitat degradation are reshaping where our butterflies can call home.

Let’s keep watching, keep learning, and keep acting for our planet. Every small action counts. 💚

Read the full Irish Times article by Professor Yvonne Buckley here:
https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/2026/08/27/what-changes-in-butterfly-populations-tell-us-about-climate-change-in-ireland/

Butterflies react quickly to change but can still get caught out by misaligned life cycles

02/09/2026

🌱 NEW wristbands just landed at the Mary Robinson Centre!

We are so excited to introduce our fresh Fás, Bia, Beo designs. Each one is a small way to show your support for our volunteer led community garden and urban farm.

Every euro from every wristband goes straight to keeping our garden growing, green, and open for everyone.

Pick yours up at the centre or ask us about them next time you visit.

Wear your support. Grow our community. 💚

27/08/2026

Lakes: the lifeblood of our planet. 🌍💧

This World Lake Day, we're celebrating and defending one of our most vital resources.

Lakes supply our drinking water, support agriculture and industry, and sustain countless species of fish, plants, and wildlife. 🌿 They cool our planet, absorb floods, store carbon, and provide livelihoods for communities worldwide.

But they're in crisis.

Overuse, pollution, and climate change are taking a devastating toll. Fertilizers, contaminants, and waste are flooding our lakes, made worse by global warming and intense floods. Rising temperatures and shrinking ice cover are driving rapid evaporation, while freshwater species have declined by 85% in just 50 years. 😔

By 2050, lake ecosystem value could drop by 20%, pollution could more than double, and methane emissions may surge.

We need data to drive action.

The UN's Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer tracks millions of lakes, rivers, and wetlands, revealing pollution hotspots, drought impacts, and signs of recovery. Knowledge is power. Let's use it. 🛰️

This first World Lake Day, let's be aware. Let's act. Let's protect our lakes today for a sustaining life tomorrow.

At the Mary Robinson Centre, we believe climate justice means protecting the ecosystems we all depend on.

💡 Did you know?

Over 117 million lakes cover nearly 4% of Earth's land.

Lakes hold 90% of the world's surface freshwater, making them irreplaceable.

Join us. Share this. Protect our lakes. 💙

21/08/2026

🌍 Systems Change Starts with Us. A Meitheal for Our Time.

At this year's Mary Robinson Climate & Nature Conference, our second keynote session explored the theme of "Food and Care." We were privileged to hear from three inspiring leaders working on the ground for a better future:
🌱 Deirdre deBhailís (Di**le Hub Manager)
🚜 Alice Doyle (Deputy President, Irish Farmers Association)
🧑‍🌾 Molly Garvey (Nuffield Scholar, Community Gardens Ireland Co-Chair)

Their conversation reminded us that transforming our food and care systems is not just about policy. It is about community, resilience, and working together. This is the spirit of "Meitheal."

🎥 Watch the full recording of this powerful session below.

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmMvwu5E6tg

Deirdre deBhailís (Di**le Hub Manager), Alice Doyle (Deputy Preside...