Following severe flooding around Inishowen in Donegal in 2017, the Inishowen River Trust (IRT) engaged Professor Mary Bourke at Trinity College Dublin as an academic consultant to advise on alleviating future flood damage. The advisory service provided to IRT included working with the Trust and the local community to determine specific measures for implementation and the final findings of the project provided the basis for IRT to successfully apply for EU funding for the first natural flood management project in Ireland.
The Innovation Office at Trinity, through its CONSULT Trinity office, supported Professor Bourke and the IRT from the beginning by managing the initial terms of engagement and ensuring the smooth running of the project throughout. CONSULT Trinity has continued to work in tracking the impact of the work carried out and in promoting the project.