Eco Volunteer Of The Year: Outsider.ie Awards

Green, groundbreaking and globally conscious! This award honours the Eco Volunteers who are leading the charge for sustainability in the Irish outdoors, and the nominations were as inspiring as they were innovative.

You’re Invited!

If you’re a nominee, consider this your official invitation to the Outsider Awards 2024, taking place on the evening of Thursday, 27 February 2025, in the Sugar Club, Dublin.

We are beyond thrilled to announce the support of our incredible sponsors, who are helping us celebrate all the brilliance of the Irish adventure scene. With their backing, it’s shaping up to be an unforgettable night!

A special thank you to our title sponsor, Sport Ireland, as well as our supporting sponsors: Craghoppers, Sustainable Tourism Network, Fáilte Ireland, and Salewa.

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For everyone else, a limited number of tickets are available for purchase. Click the link below to grab yours now, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media to stay updated on all things Outsider Awards.

We were blown away by the quality and quantity of the nominations we received this year. So, grab your keep cup, make yourself a brew and check out these incredible Eco Volunteer Of The Year nominees sponsored by Craghoppers.

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We can’t wait to see you there and celebrate another incredible year of Irish outdoor adventures!

Flossie Donnelly

Flossie Donnelly has spurred on the climate fight in Ireland and changed how young people will understand environmental issues in the future by getting Climate Action and Sustainable Development onto the Leaving Cert curriculum. And that’s before she’s even left school herself!

While taking part in beach cleans and climate strikes, Flossie (17) – from Sandycove, County Dublin – noticed there was no proper education about climate change in Irish schools at the junior or senior level. She thought: “How is my generation supposed to save the world against climate change if we’re not being properly taught about it?”

She discussed it with her mother and concluded it would be really beneficial if children were taught about environmentalism from 1st class to 6th year. “If my generation is going to fix this broken world then we need to know how,” she says, adding that it was very important to her that the subject be taught in a fun and practical way rather than being all about “doom and gloom”. “That can be overwhelming and lead to climate anxiety, which is something that enough adolescents suffer with,” she says.

Although at the moment Climate Action and Sustainable Development will only be taught in 5th and 6th year, she has high hopes it will one day be a core subject for all years.

Tomhaggard Clean Coasts Group

The Tomhaggard Clean Coasts Group have shown immense dedication this year – cleaning and preserving their adopted 25km stretch of beach from Carnsore to Cullenstown in County Wexford – and they’ve also diverted as much of the collected waste as possible away from landfill.

Anne Marie Kirwan, the group’s secretary, said the idea for the beach cleans started during lockdown in 2021. “A small group of family and friends began cleaning the local beach, which we discovered was in great need of attention,” she says. The group has grown over four summers and now has 76 members who have removed 10 cubic tonnes of waste from 25km (10%) of the Wexford Coastline.

“We managed to divert around 25% of this waste from landfill by returning, recycling and upcycling fishing gear, including lobster pots and about 1.5km of rope,” says Anne Marie.

Their goals are to remove as much plastic and marine waste as possible to reduce the harm it causes to the marine environment, especially the possibility of ensnarement and entanglement of birds and other marine creatures. But Anne Marie also notes the group has become an important social outlet for many people as it brings a sense of achievement as well as fresh air and exercise in beautiful locations along the south Wexford coast. In May 2025, they are planning to run a one-day mini festival to coincide with Biodiversity Week.

Her advice for anyone wanting to get involved with a similar cause? “Contact Clean Coasts who will put you in touch with a Clean Coasts Officer in your region. We wholeheartedly recommend it.”

Clean Coasts Ballynamona

From monitoring nocturnal migratory birds to beach cleans and education programmes in local schools, 2024 has been an extraordinary year for Clean Coasts Ballynamona in County Cork.

“The work of Clean Coasts Ballynamona is crucial because it directly addresses the impact of pollution on our marine ecosystems, which are vital to biodiversity and local communities,” says the group’s founder Proinsias Ó Tuama.

“Protecting these areas not only enhances the natural environment but also fosters a sense of pride and responsibility within the community. The coastline is an irreplaceable resource, and maintaining its health is essential for future generations.”

The group’s work has mobilised hundreds of volunteers in beach cleans, taught over 800 children in 14 schools about the importance of biodiversity and the scourge of marine litter, monitored 2,000 hours of nocturnal migratory birds in two sites off the coast in Knockadoon and Ballycotton, purchased a street cleaning vacuum to target discarded cigarette butts and trained up nine volunteers on their boat to embark on litter and seabird monitoring.

What advice does Proinsias have for people wanting to set up an initiative with a lasting and positive environmental impact? “Start local. Identify a specific issue or area where you can make an immediate impact, and engage your community. Build a network of people who share your passion.”

Sean Ronayne

Ornithologist Séan Ronayne has been on a mission to record every bird species in Ireland – registering over 10,000 already – and through his amazing project he’s raised awareness of the country’s deepening ecological crisis.

Séan says he’s been listening to birds “since he was a little toddler in the pram”. But it wasn’t until 2018, when he moved to Barcelona that he began recording birds to help himself get to grips with the new species there. He fell in love with the process, and when he came home, decided to apply his new craft to Ireland’s own birds. “I wanted to show people the beauty that is right on our doorstep. Sadly, a beauty that is in grave danger, like never before. I wanted to woo people into fighting for Irish nature,” he says.

Séan says it was heartbreaking to record the species on the cusp of extinction, including the very last pair of Irish ring ouzels. But he says the best thing about the project has been the hope it has given him.

“I thought my love for Irish bird sound was something so niche that only a nerd like me could like it – I was wrong,” he says. “So many people have responded in such a gorgeous way. And despite things being quite grim for Irish nature now, knowing that so many people love it and have a thirst for its improvement, I no longer feel so alone.”

But he cautions, that capturing the voices of this “doomed population” must be used for good. “We need to band together and understand that everyone of us has a role to play.”

East Wicklow Rivers Trust

The East Wicklow Rivers Trust (EWRT) – which formed in 2019 – came together to remove a weir at Ballinglen due to concerns about the impact on water flow on the Vartry River and the effects this has on fish movement.

“The fragmentation of rivers has been identified as one of the greatest global threats to freshwater ecosystems and their biodiversity,” says Faith Wilson on behalf of the EWRT. “Man-made barriers, such as weirs and dams, break up a river’s continuous flow from source to sea and this can interrupt the movement of migratory species, especially those that need to move between freshwater and saltwater to complete their life cycle, such as our iconic Atlantic salmon.”

In 2012, Inland Fisheries Ireland completed a survey of barriers to fish migration on rivers in County Wicklow and Ballinglen Bridge – a beautiful three-arched stone bridge from around 1790 – was identified as a priority for action.

In 2021, the EWRT received funding from the IFI Salmon & Sea Trout Rehabilitation, Conservation & Protection Fund to try and tackle this barrier in the form of an engineered rock ramp. This is a series of stepped rock weirs that mimic the natural conditions in a river creating a series of pools and steps, raising the water levels in the river to allow fish to pass beyond the bridge apron when migrating. It was given the green light and completed in 2024.

“We look forward to welcoming our special river inhabitants back to the Ballinglen Valley,” says Faith, though she also notes the project is one small step in the restoration of river habitat for a suite of protected species.

Mountain Meitheal

Mountain Meitheal is a voluntary organisation – with many branches across Ireland – dedicated to maintaining and protecting Ireland’s fragile upland areas.

Mountain Meitheal was born back in 2000 when Dr. Bill Murphy – having hiked part of the Appalachian Trail – was inspired by the fact that the 2,160-mile trail was maintained by groups of volunteers who wished to give back to the special place they loved and cherished. On Bill’s return home he set about establishing an equivalent organisation in Ireland, which opened for volunteer membership in 2002, undertaking repairs on the Wicklow Way.

Mountain Meitheal’s main goals today are to protect and conserve the mountain and forest environment by repairing, maintaining, and building mountain and forest trails.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Mountain Meitheal and the organisation offers individuals the opportunity to give something back to their community and the natural environment.

As Emer Cunningham, current chair of the organisation, says: “People are at the heart of any successful venture, and volunteers are at the core of Mountain Meitheal. We work with stakeholders such as Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to provide meaningful, high-impact, enjoyable projects, and activities for our volunteers so that there is a great feeling of satisfaction on works completed.”

In 2024, Mountain Meitheal Dublin focused on trail repair and conservation projects, while Mountain Meitheal North West developed an innovative Sheep Wool Path Project using sustainable materials to improve trail conditions, and also hosted on-site educational workshops.