WARNING This episode includes accounts of physical and sexual violence, specifically Ritual Abuse, Mind Control and Organised Abuse (RAMCOA). If you feel you need support with any of the issues raised in this episode, you can reach out tto hte organisations listed in the episode notes.

The series opens with a discussion about the importance of youth work in making connections between young people and empowering them to take action on the issues they face.

In this episode, we sit down with composer and sound artist Karen Power to discuss her project: Hidden Life in Carlingford Lough (2024), a composed soundscape containing only sounds that were recorded on and underneath the Lough. The work seeks to amplify the sounds coming from the lough’s amazingly diverse life, which Karen hears on a par to musical conversations.

The shores of our island are thriving with life, from seagrass meadows and kelp forests to rock pools and salt marshes. In the face of global challenges for our oceans, how can a balance be found between conservation strategies and community needs in highly dynamic marine environments?

At the narrows between Omeath and Warrenpoint, ferry boats once carried folks across Carlingford Lough. In wartime, the passengers might have carried a piece of butter or bag of sugar up their sleeve. Stories such as these inspired a community-engaged art project using driftwood and bits and pieces found on the beach around the lough.

The undersea world often remains out of sight. In this episode, our guests take us from the forests of County Down to the rocky shores and hidden depths of Carlingford Lough. Together, we explore how we can make the natural world more visible through creative and scientific approaches, activism and art.

Balancing ocean conservation with sustainable livelihoods can be challenging. Healthy seas depend on meshworks of habitat. This episode looks at seagrass meadows and their part in maintaining ecological diversity and mitigating the effects of climate change.

In the new season of the Across Divides podcast, we take a deep dive into the Shifting Tides Project, which brings together coastal communities from the twin shores of Carlingford Lough, working across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.