Last month, on August 25th, 2025, CERES co-founder, Dr. Michael Connolly, unexpectedly passed away. Over the course of his career, Michael co-authored scientific peer-reviewed papers with more than 100 researchers from around the world. From 1989-1996, Michael and Imelda set up, ran and owned the National Aquarium which was the Republic of Ireland’s first ever public aquarium. When he returned to school, Michael kept that independence and desire for self-learning. Due to the popularity of the aquarium, Michael was also frequently on nature and environmental radio and TV programmes during the 1990s – especially in Ireland.