The UK and Ireland, in common with most other European states, are in the middle of a period of rapid expansion in the number of marine protected areas (MPAs), known generally as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), to meet the EU Habitats Directive. This level of activity will dominate the future of MPAs in Irish waters, presenting opportunities for marine conservation and potentially bringing wider benefits to society. The success of SACs is likely to depend heavily on the attitudes and engagement of people that use protected sites (stakeholders). This article reports on a stakeholder workshop where the potential benefits of and the achievement of potential improvements in marine protected areas were discussed. A lack of baseline data and inefficient communication of existing information appear to restrict the perceived success of some existing reserves. Improvements seem possible in legislative coherence, public engagement and the science base. Resources for monitoring and managing protected areas are always likely to be stretched. Ways have to be found to make use of whatever data are available, potentially leading to public access websites for each SAC where stakeholders can upload information. There appeared to be a broad consensus on many points in the day⿿s discussions. In keeping with the workshop format, individual participants were invited to emphasise areas of omission, disagreement or consensus in comments that follow the main body of this article.The UK and Ireland, in common with most other European states, are in the middle of a period of rapid expansion in the number of marine protected areas (MPAs), known generally as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), to meet the EU Habitats Directive. This level of activity will dominate the future of MPAs in Irish waters, presenting opportunities for marine conservation and potentially bringing wider benefits to society. The success of SACs is likely to depend heavily on the attitudes and engagement of people that use protected sites (stakeholders). This article reports on a stakeholder workshop where the potential benefits of and the achievement of potential improvements in marine protected areas were discussed. A lack of baseline data and inefficient communication of existing information appear to restrict the perceived success of some existing reserves. Improvements seem possible in legislative coherence, public engagement and the science base. Resources for monitoring and managing protected areas are always likely to be stretched. Ways have to be found to make use of whatever data are available, potentially leading to public access websites for each SAC where stakeholders can upload information. There appeared to be a broad consensus on many points in the day⿿s discussions. In keeping with the workshop format, individual participants were invited to emphasise areas of omission, disagreement or consensus in comments that follow the main body of this article.