Yesterday, the island community of Inishturk marked World Bee Day with the introduction of two colonies of Native Irish Honey Bees as part of a new pilot biodiversity initiative sponsored by Wild Atlantic Honey & Mead and led by the Native Irish Honey Bee Sanctuary.

The bees, sourced from a respected native Irish beekeeper in Connemara, travelled by ferry from Roonagh Pier across the Atlantic waters to Inishturk early in the morning, arriving safely in calm conditions before being carefully installed on the island.

The project represents an important step in creating a protected and biosecure environment for Native Irish Honey Bees — a species under increasing pressure on the mainland due to habitat loss, imported bees, disease pressures, and changing environmental conditions. Inishturk’s isolated Atlantic location offers a unique opportunity to support biodiversity and help preserve native Irish pollinators in a more natural setting.

The event also included an Introduction to Beekeeping workshop for the island community, led by sanctuary founder and beekeeper Sean O’Connor. Islanders of all ages attended, including the three pupils from Inishturk National School, who took part with great enthusiasm and curiosity.

Hosted on the O’Toole family farm along one of the island’s scenic walking routes, the session introduced participants to the importance of pollinators, the role bees play in biodiversity and food production, and the basics of caring for honey bees in a sustainable and responsible way.

One of the hives has been fitted with a BroodMinder monitoring sensor, allowing the sanctuary to remotely follow the colony’s development and environmental conditions as part of the wider conservation project.

Speaking at the event, Sean O’Connor said the initiative is about more than beekeeping alone.

“This is about protecting a native species, supporting biodiversity, and reconnecting communities with nature and traditional skills. Inishturk provides a very special environment for that.”

Earlier this year, the O’Toole family won a gallon of traditional mead during a mead-making demonstration hosted on the island by Sean O’Connor. To celebrate the arrival of the bees, Paddy O’Toole insisted on opening a bottle of the mead and sharing a glass with those attending — a fitting moment linking Ireland’s ancient traditions of honey, mead, and community spirit.

The Native Irish Honey Bee Sanctuary hopes the pilot project will become an important long-term educational and conservation initiative for the island and a positive example of how remote communities can play a role in protecting Ireland’s natural heritage.

The Islands school population suited up for the talk