Dragons’ Den, Blackrock College School & Enterprise Ireland Student Awards (Best Innovation DLR) · Dublin · Active
Paddy entered a school Dragon’s Den with a design for a low-cost aquaponics system — and won. Built from recycled materials for under €1,000, the system proved that aquaponics could work in a school, grow real food, and fire up a generation of students to think differently about where their food comes from.
Designed around the Transition Year curriculum, the system lets students grow and sell fresh produce — learning the science of nitrogen cycles, closed-loop food production, and sustainable growing by doing it themselves. Winner of the Enterprise Ireland Student Award for Best Innovation, 2025, the Blackrock system is the prototype that everything else builds on: a proof of concept for what accessible, school-based aquaponics can look like at scale.
Sharamentsa, Achuar Territory, Ecuador
The Achuar community of Sharamentsa was facing food insecurity and water pollution. Working with community leaders, Patchamama NGO, and Achuar lead farmers. The team designed floating aquaponic systems that sit on existing fish ponds, growing fresh vegetables independently of polluted river sources. The work is now being considered within a wider biocultural strategy for the region. – using 90% less water than traditional agriculture.
Uses up to 90% less water than traditional agriculture.
Park House Community System, Dún Laoghaire In Development
Park House is a creative and cultural hub in Dún Laoghaire — and the next home for an Amazon Aquaponics system. A community aquaponics tank and microgreens growing space will support workshops, public learning, and local food growing, connecting the school model to a wider community audience. Installation planned August 2026. Amazon Aquaponics was named community partner in DLRCoCo’s award of the Park House licence in May 2025.
Living Liffey Islands, Dublin City In Development
What if the Liffey could clean itself? Living Liffey Islands combines floating aquaponics, natural filtration, and biodiversity habitat on the River Liffey — capturing waste, improving water quality, and integrating public art made from recovered plastic materials, developed with artist Rhona Byrne and the Irish Nautical Trust. Scientific monitoring led by the DCU Water Institute. Creative Ireland funding application submitted April 2026.
Dún Laoghaire Aquaponics Pod & Floating Eco Island · In Development
A two-phase installation connecting land and sea in one of Ireland’s most visited coastal locations.
Phase 1 is a floating ecological pontoon in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. Salt-tolerant plants extend their roots into the water, filtering nutrients, supporting biodiversity, and demonstrating the connection between food systems and water health.
Phase 2 is a compact, weatherproof Aquaponics Pod on the East Pier — beside local food vendors, growing produce for the community and acting as a living classroom for schools and visitors.