Displaying items by tag: Titanic Maritime Festival

28th May 2016

Belfast Welcomes Some Tall Ships back for Titanic Maritime Festival

Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor Arder Carson with one of the tallship volunteers, Niamh Macklin from Bryson Future Skills on board the Maybe

#TitanicMaritime - Belfast City welcomes some of the Tall Ships back for the Titanic Maritime Festival a three day event (28-30 May) that begins today and includes this Spring Holiday Monday in the UK.

Groups of young people from across the city have been enjoying the challenge of life on the ocean waves, thanks to Belfast City Council’s Sail Training Initiative.

A total of 30 volunteers, aged between 16 and 28 and from all parts of the city, are taking part in series of voyages on board the tall ships Maybe and Morgenster. They were scheduled to call to ports such as Dublin, Liverpool, the Isle of Man, Derry/Londonderry, Galway, Cork, Oban, Carsaig on the Isle of Mull and Lamlash on the Isle of Arran.

Lord Mayor, Councillor Arder Carson, said: “These voyages will provide the participants with a unique, challenging and inspirational experience that increases their self-awareness and self-confidence, develops their teamwork and leadership skills and creates a strong sense of community responsibility, perhaps helping them to become future civic leaders.

The Lord Mayor added “As members of trainee crews, along with trainees from Dublin, Galway and Liverpool they will be an important members of the crew and their participation in all activities is essential to the smooth running of the voyage.”

During the voyages, the trainees will help in all aspects of life on board, including trimming sails, steering and navigation.

The Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival and for further details, click here.

Published in Maritime Festivals

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Belfast Secures Support For Tall Ships Return Next Summer

#TallShips - It's confirmed: Belfast will host the start of 2015's international Tall Ships Races.

According to BBC News, the tall ships will return to Belfast Lough for the first time since 2009 to coincide with next July's Titanic Maritime Festival.

The news follows more than two-and-a-half years from the original announcement by Belfast City Council, which has since secured sponsorship for its hosting of the event from German supermarket chain Lidl.

The tall-masted fleet's return to Irish shores will come three years after Dublin hosted the Tall Ships Races Festival.

BBC News has more on the story HERE.

Published in Tall Ships

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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.