Displaying items by tag: Proposed Maritime Museum

29th November 2017

Buoyant Derry as Maritime Museum Passage Promises to Float all Boats

An architect's image of the Maritime Museum & Archive Centre in Derry would look like in the Waterside area of the city

#MaritimeMuseum - A decision by the Department of Infrastructure (Dfi) to finally approve plans for a Maritime Museum at Ebrington will hasten the completion of a major tourist draw in the heart of Derry, according to local politicians who have hailed the move.

As The Derry Journal writes, DfI (last week) finally approved planning permission for the Maritime Museum, which is expected to open in Spring 2020. It also gave the green light for new vehicular/pedestrian access off Limavady Road via a new signalised junction.

Both applications are part of the wider ongoing regeneration at Ebrington. Local politicians said the progress was welcome and that the museum would ultimately showcase Derry's unrivalled nautical heritage and attract hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city. SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H. Durkan: “I welcome this planning decision as another piece in the Ebrington jigsaw.

On the back of other recent developments and approvals on the site, it is becoming clear that the huge potential of this key site can be realised. "Before I established a Department of Environment North-West Headquarters there a few years ago, there were no jobs and precious little activity in Ebrington.

Local businesses have now set up there and in the future, with careful planning and adequate investment, the place will be awash with activity. "The Maritime Museum itself has been talked about for a long time. It is fitting that we celebrate the rich maritime history of our City in a way that will enhance our ever –improving tourism product.’"

For more on this story, click the newspaper's report here.

Published in Coastal Notes

Tagged under

Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.