Banner image: Lough Neagh's algal bloom can be seen from space. Photo: dataspace.copernicus.eu

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By Eric Conroy

This is my first blog to venture across the border to Northern Ireland. I boarded the Dublin Belfast enterprise train for an environment conference in Newry. It was organised by the Irish Council of Churches – an ecumenical gathering of Catholic and Protestant denominations. They are concerned about climate change and biodiversity loss, so something not to be missed. The two archbishops of Armagh were in attendance and led the religious inputs. It was well attended by around 200 people from all over Ireland. Reported here in The Impartial Reporter newspaper. 

I was really taken with the presentation on the environment crisis in Lough Neagh by Dr Jim McAdam. He set out the stark situation impacting the lough. It is not a deep lake, so can be impacted by incoming pollution and rising temperatures caused by climate change. Agriculture run-off is the major factor causing the blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that has occurred every summer since 2023. Septic tanks of one-off housing are also a factor, along with impact of the invasive species of zebra mussels. The mussels clean the lough’s water but it then becomes warmer in summer, which lets algae grow more quickly. Nature-based solutions were put forward, including buffer hedgerows to soak up the nutrients coming from farming. My question, which was not answered, was to ask if farming could move away from animal agriculture to eliminate animal-based pollution. What’s happening in Lough Neagh is echoed by pollution in the Republic’s water bodies, including Our Lady’s Island Lake in Wexford. An Taisce's Head of Advocacy Dr Elaine McGoff is an expert on this issue and does huge work on water quality in Ireland.

Another interesting talk was given by a Moravian church representative, Roy Douglas, who gave us a lot of worrying statistics on climate change. I heard that the current world temperatures are probably the highest in 800,000 years. I understood it was 125,000 years: I’ll have to ask Professor John Sweeney of this parish (An Taisce) about this!

The environment minister in North Ireland Andrew Muir, spoke on the environment from a Christian perspective. He is an MLA for the Alliance Party, and the first openly gay politician in Northern Ireland. It was good to hear a Northern politician talking about issues other than the political situation in Ulster. He told the conference of his many visits to Lough Neagh and his deep concern regarding its pollution.  He said that fifteen of the 37 science-based actions identified in the recent report on Lough Neagh have been implemented. I hope that the other 22 actions will be addressed shortly. Minister Muir also spoke of the importance of North-South cooperation on environmental issues. 

Dr Hilary Marlow, from the University of Cambridge, said there are many scriptural references to creation and our place within it.  As Christians, we all have a responsibility to consider how these scriptures might change our daily words and actions.  Creation is like God’s voice to us, speaking to challenge the sin of injustice against all creatures, including humanity itself. Climate injustice is a systemic human problem at the root of many the world’s problems including human poverty, species extinction, carbon emissions, and warfare.  Dr Marlow cited Pope Francis’ 2015 best selling encyclical letter, Laudato Si on care for our common home, as essential reading for creation-loving Christians of all denominations. I have read this book twice: it speaks to all people in the world, whether they are Catholic, Protestant or no religion. Professor John Sweeney helped prepare the book.

As I had never really seen Newry while passing through on the road journey to Belfast, I left a couple of hours after the conference to walk around the town, which is now a city of course. I came across a lot of churches – mainly Protestant – and institutions such as the Masonic Order, but the most impressive was the Catholic cathedral of St. Patrick and St Colman in Hill Street built of local granite, it was the first Catholic cathedral in Ireland opened after Catholic Emancipation. It was built in the Victorian gothic style with fantastic internal decoration. The Church of Ireland church has the best view, being perched high up on the steep hill beside the city centre. I noticed a lot of dereliction unfortunately, which appears to be an all-Ireland problem. I plan to write on this topic in a future blog.

I go to services in Christ Church Cathedral, which is just across the street from An Taisce's traditional HQ in Tailors' Hall. It will be celebrating its millennium in 2028. I enjoy the sung Eucharist, especially a Mozart mass! I’d like to see environmentally-friendly practices in church services. I would replace individually-printed weekly service sheets to save paper, with a screen where we all sing from the same hymn sheet literally! Somehow I don’t think the elders will agree with this. I would encourage more active travel and public transport in the congregation getting to church, and leave the car behind.

We need all the spiritual and religious help we can get to help address our environmental problems.

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If you want to share any feedback with Eric, on this or any of his other blogs, please email [email protected] 

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Additional links:

https://www.facebook.com/daerani.gov.uk/posts/daera-minister-andrew-muir-has-participated-in-the-creation-care-conference-toda/1330905075735496/

https://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/2024/queens-research-lough-neagh-public-risk.html

https://www.facebook.com/churchofireland/photos/professor-jim-mcadam-shares-the-scientific-background-to-the-lough-neagh-crisis-/1299939012162005/

https://www.impartialreporter.com/news/25776901.climate-change-top-ecumenical-conference-newry/https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/54154

https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/2025/11/15/let-justice-flow-like-rivers-conference/