Cormac's Coast

Cormac's Coast Tailored walking tours and talks on Irelands West Coast - The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren in County Clare
Sliabh Liag cliffs in County Donegal.

Specialising in Zoology, Marine Biology, Geology, Botany and Local history.

The underside of an Arctic Cowrie (Trivia arctica) shell with grooves running across it as fine as fingerprints. County ...
31/08/2026

The underside of an Arctic Cowrie (Trivia arctica) shell with grooves running across it as fine as fingerprints.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

31/08/2026

Loinnir (pronounced Lin-ir) is an Irish word for the flickering/dancing sparkle on the waters surface.
Here the Doolin ferry is retuning from a spin under the Cliffs of Moher on a sea full of Loinnir.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

Fools Gold (iron pyrite) between shale layers. County Clare, Ireland.Cormacscoast.com walking tours
30/08/2026

Fools Gold (iron pyrite) between shale layers.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

30/08/2026

Butterflys and Bees on late Summer blooms.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

A Barnacle encrusted, Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas) carapace. County Clare, Ireland.Cormacscoast.com walking tours
30/08/2026

A Barnacle encrusted, Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas) carapace.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

A fresh By-the-Wind Sailor (Velella velella) washed up on the sand. Open ocean drifters that use winds to propel themsel...
29/08/2026

A fresh By-the-Wind Sailor (Velella velella) washed up on the sand. Open ocean drifters that use winds to propel themselves across the water's surface, catching prey with their, blue stinging tentacles as they go.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

Fiadh, framed in a coastal canyon.County Clare, Ireland.Cormacscoast.com walking tours
29/08/2026

Fiadh, framed in a coastal canyon.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

27/08/2026

A Message from Heritage Fisheries – Thank You and Goodbye For Now

For a long time I have been proud of one simple fact: I delivered a truly traditional method of fishing.

I set up Heritage Fisheries to prove it could still be done – with natural, biodegradable materials, as it was done for generations; to protect a living part of Ireland's cultural heritage that is fast disappearing; and to offer a sustainable alternative that leaves nothing behind. I have given everything to this.

Today, I am announcing that Heritage Fisheries will cease trading at the end of 2026.

Not because the fishery doesn't work. It does. Not because there is no interest. There is.

It is because I have spent years trying to find pathways to develop and expand, and there is simply no mechanism in Ireland designed to enable it.

I have never utilised grants for my operations, but I and members of our traditional fishing community have approached State and semi-State bodies, coastal committees and multiple organisations with detailed proposals seeking their assistance to bring our models to the table so that small, traditional fisheries like ours could function.
Despite many conversations and emails, no meaningful pathways were enabled or facilitated.

While there are numerous supports, there is no box for zero-plastic, small-scale, commercial, traditional fisheries.

I am disappointed, not angry. Disappointed that a model that ticks every box the State says it wants – sustainable, environmental, plastic-free, heritage-led, educational – has nowhere to go.

A small business cannot survive on pride alone. It needs a structure to operate within.

Thank you to everyone who has supported, participated and encouraged.

I remain open to a conversation with any Irish official body that wishes to provide a mechanism for it to continue.

With thanks,
Brendan Simpson
Heritage Fisheries

A Lugworm (Arenicola marina) cast and hole. The worm itself is buried in the sand in a U-shaped burrow between the cast ...
27/08/2026

A Lugworm (Arenicola marina) cast and hole.
The worm itself is buried in the sand in a U-shaped burrow between the cast and the hole. They suck in the sand, with their mouths, through the hole and eat the algae growing on it before passing it out their rear ends to form a "sand cast".
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

An exploratory Ivy (Hedera sp.) tendril, reaching out from a crevice in the limestone, searching for something to climb....
27/08/2026

An exploratory Ivy (Hedera sp.) tendril, reaching out from a crevice in the limestone, searching for something to climb.
County Clare, Ireland.

Cormacscoast.com walking tours

Address

Liscannor
V95

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cormac's Coast posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Cormac's Coast:

Shortcuts

Share

Category