Latest news with #MahareesHeritageandConservation
Perth Now
11-07-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Message in a bottle washed up in Ireland after travelling from Canada
A message in a bottle has made its way from Canada to Ireland after almost 13 years. Kate Gay spotted a wine bottle that had a piece of paper inside of it washed up on the shore as she walked along Scraggane Bay on the Dingle Peninsula on Ireland's southwest Atlantic coast. She opened the wine bottle and the letter during an evening community project meeting, when the group found out that a couple named Anita and Brad wrote the note on September 14, 2012. The spouses threw a wine bottle containing the letter following a day trip to Bell Island, which is part of Newfoundland and Labrador. Anita and Brad included a phone number in the letter, but there was no answer when the community project meeting group tried to call it. However, the group raised a glass to Anita and Brad. The Maharees Heritage and Conservation community wildlife and environment protection organisation announced Kate's find on their Facebook page. Captioning a photo carousel of the message in a bottle, including single snaps of the wine bottle and the letter, a spokesperson wrote: "MESSAGE IN A BELL ISLAND TO SCRAGGANE BAY, MAHAREES! "This message in a bottle from Anita and Brad was found by Kate and Jon today on Scraggane Bay! "Such a long way to travel and such a long time to get here but we got it! Now if only Anita and Brad would just answer the phone they told us to call them on!!! "What a coincidence that one of our CreativeIrl Neart na Machairí project community partners finds it, our team opens it together and we connect with another coastal area facing climate impacts!!! "Another amazing story in our coastal resilience journey!! (sic)." A woman called Amanda Rae Donovan commented on the post, claiming to be Anita's cousin. She wrote: "Anita is my cousin and she and Brad are just about the sweetest couple you will ever meet."
Toronto Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Newfoundland couple's love note in a bottle found 13 years later on Irish shore
Published Jul 10, 2025 • 2 minute read Brad and Anita Squire message message in a bottle was found on the shores of Ireland. Photo by Maharees Heritage and Conservation / Facebook ST. JOHN'S — A romantic message in a bottle thrown from the cliffs of an island off Newfoundland nearly 13 years ago was found on a beach in Ireland this week — and the couple behind it are still in love. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Brad and Anita Squires had been dating for about a year when they decided to end a quiet September picnic on Bell Island in 2012 by casting a message out to sea. 'Today we enjoyed dinner, this bottle of wine and each other on the edge of the island,' Anita wrote on a piece of lined paper before stuffing it into the bottle. Brad stood up and hurled it into the waters of Conception Bay. 'I gave it everything I had,' he said in an interview Wednesday. 'We didn't see it hit the water, it was too high up … I just assumed it smashed on the rocks.' It didn't. On Monday afternoon, more than 3,000 kilometres away, Kate and Jon Gay found the bottle on a beach on the Maharees peninsula along the southwest coast of Ireland. They broke it open that night with members of a local conservation group, who then posted about the letter on Facebook. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In less than an hour, Martha Farrell with the Maharees Conservation Association was reading a text from Anita Squires confirming she and Brad were now married with three children. 'And then I said, 'Yay, love conquers all — and the Atlantic Ocean!'' Farrell said in an interview. 'It was unbelievable, because we didn't know what had become of this very romantic couple,' she added. 'Our project is about coastal resilience and climate adaptation. And we were wondering, is this love story, is this romance resilient? Would they still be together?' Brad and Anita Squires were in a long-distance relationship when they had their picnic on Bell Island, which is about a 20-minute drive and a short ferry ride northwest of St. John's. He was a young police officer posted in British Columbia and his future wife was training to be a nurse in Newfoundland. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They were married in 2016, and they have two teenagers and a young child. 'We were young in love and now we're older in love,' Brad Squires said Wednesday. Farrell said the crowd at the Gays' house made a toast to the Newfoundland couple after reading the letter. Later, across the Atlantic, Brad and Anita Squires toasted the group in Ireland as they shared text messages with Farrell. 'Anita and I both feel like we have new friends, and we're all equally amazed,' Brad Squires said. He and his wife will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary next year. The Maharees Conservation Association, co-founded by Farrell in 2016, is also celebrating its 10th anniversary next year. 'I guess we have some people to visit and a trip to probably plan,' Squires said. Toronto Blue Jays Olympics Toronto & GTA Uncategorized Basketball
UPI
08-07-2025
- UPI
Look: Message in a bottle floats from Canada to Ireland in 13 years
July 8 (UPI) -- A message in a bottle launched by visitors to Newfoundland's Bell Island was found washed up on an Irish beach nearly 13 years later, after apparently crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Kate Gay said she was walking a Dingle Peninsula beach this week when she spotted the wine bottle with a sheet of paper inside. Gay showed the bottle to members of Creative Ireland Neart na Macharaí during a meeting at her house that evening, and they broke the bottle open. The note, written by a couple named Brad and Anita, was dated Sept. 12, 2012. The letter described the couple's day trip to Bell Island. There was a phone number on the letter, but there was no answer when group members tried to call. The Maharees Heritage and Conservation group posted photos of the bottle to social media on Monday, and within an hour group members were messaging with Anita. Group member Martha Farrell said Anita reported that she and Brad had married in 2016 and are still together to this day.
Irish Independent
24-04-2025
- Irish Independent
Maharees community launches new visitor leaflet as part of Climate Action Project
The leaflet, designed by Mairead Kinsella, a frequent visitor to the Maharees and a key community partner in the project, is more than just an informational guide. It represents a creative response to the unique biodiversity of the region and its vulnerabilities to climate change. Mairead's work encourages visitors to consider their role in preserving the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the places they enjoy. "It's been a joy and privilege to be a community partner on the Neart na Machairí project," she said during the launch. 'I've learned so much about Maharees — the people, the biodiversity, the heritage — and the broader climate challenges we face. For the first time, I feel empowered by knowledge rather than frightened of what the future holds. I was eager to share that learning through this leaflet, and I hope visitors like myself find it both useful and empowering.' The launch event reflected the spirit of the project — a lively and inclusive celebration that featured local food, creative children's activities, and open discussions on climate change, biodiversity, and regenerative tourism. It served as a reminder of the deep connections between communities and their environments, and the power of creative collaboration to inspire action. Aidan O'Connor, Chair of the Maharees Conservation Association, praised Mairead's contribution: "We are really heartened by what Mairead has done for our community. She listened to our story, learned about the challenges we face due to climate change, and created something that supports and uplifts us. The co-creation process she undertook with our team and the Neart na Machairí project was thoughtful and collaborative. We're incredibly proud of the final result and delighted to support the launch of the leaflet.' The leaflet launch is one of many initiatives under the Neart na Machairí project, a two-year collaborative effort exploring how the Maharees can adapt and thrive amid climate and biodiversity challenges. The project brings together local residents and three artists — Emer Fallon, Silke Michels, and Zoë Uí Fhaoláin Green — under the guidance of the Maharees Conservation Association and Project Designer Zoë Rush. Neart na Machairí is delivered in partnership with Maharees Heritage and Conservation and Dingle Hub, and is supported by the Creative Ireland Programme through its Creative Climate Action Fund II.
