Mini-monsters navigating the Atlantic and the adventures of two young seahorses marked the start of Galway National Science Week in Salthill's Atlantaquaria.
The president of An Taisce and RTÉ wildlife broadcaster, Ms Eanna Ní Lamhna, joined a throng of young marine enthusiasts for yesterday's opening, followed by a dip among stingrays and the resident Angel shark by scuba diver Vinnie Hyland.
The Marine Institute and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) supported yesterday's event, when the aquarium permitted one child per every adult to enter free of charge.
The highlight of the afternoon was Only Fools and Seahorses, a play about two young seahorses. The production was written by the staff of Atlantaquaria, headed by Mr Neil Campbell and directed and performed by the pupils of Tirellan Heights National School in Galway city.
As Science Week events unfold across the country this week, Galway is gearing up for its own highly successful, week-long science and technology festival that begins on November 15th.
Bending it like Beckham forms part of the festival program, a show that shows how much of a genius the English football captain is as it zooms in on skilful 3D footwork by the Real Madrid player.
Contributors to the festival include the US science educator Mr Walter Rohr, Dr Tom Mason of the Armagh Planetarium, "magician" Mr Richard Robinson, and Dr Bunhead, also known as Mr Tom Pringle, a former broadcaster with the BBC and the Discovery Channel.
Sustainable Energy Ireland will host workshops in the Children's Discovery Museum, and the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering's science roadshow will visit local schools.
How science and the media interact will be examined in Frankenstein Foods, Genetic Superhumans, Stem Cell Scares, a show that will be staged at NUI on November 18th.
The 7th Galway Science and Technology Festival comes to a close on Sunday, November 21st, in Leisureland and the Galway Bay Hotel, when the work of 35 primary schools that were involved in the Fionn Science Project will go on display for the public. The festival is hosted by the Galway Education Centre with support from the European Union, the Government, Galway County and City Enterprise Board and Medtronic, and details are available from (091) 745602 or www.galwayscience.ie.