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Displaying items by tag: Galway Docklands Festival

Galway Docklands Festival has become an established event on the west coast maritime calendar, after a successful event last weekend.

Restoration work on various vessels, knot-making, and walking tours of the Claddagh area were among the themes of the three-day festival.

 The Nora Bheag sails by Nimmo's Pier celebrating Galway's Maritime Heritage during the Galway Docklands Festival Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy The Nora Bheag sails by Nimmo's Pier celebrating Galway's Maritime Heritage during the Galway Docklands Festival Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy

Port of Galway Sea Scouts and students were among the participants.

The event was held in aid of the RNLI and Ability West.

Anna Oliver celebrating Galway's Maritime Heritage at the Galway Docklands Festival last weekend Photo: Joe O'ShaughnessyAnna Oliver celebrating Galway's Maritime Heritage at the Galway Docklands Festival last weekend Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy

Published in Galway Harbour

The heart of Galway's maritime heritage comes to life with the much-anticipated Galway Docklands Festival, taking place from September 29th to October 1st, 2023.

As Afloat reported earlier, the three-day festival promises an unforgettable experience celebrating Galway's rich marine industry, all while supporting charitable causes.

Boat Restoration

Kickstarting the festival, Friday's activities will take place around Galway Bay Seafoods. Dive into the world of seafood with mouthwatering tastings while engaging in enlightening short talks about Ireland's fishing industry. Visit the Galway Lifeboat and meet boat builders working on restoring Galway’s maritime heritage.

Claddagh Hall Adventures

Saturday's action-packed schedule is centred around Claddagh Hall. The morning begins with a burst of activity within the hall, followed by an enjoyable afternoon of sailing and boat tours. The evening will be topped off with a public quiz, promising fun and friendly competition for all.

Family Fun Day

Sunday is a family-oriented day. Bring the kids along for entertainment, face painting, and delightful treats from the ice cream van. Explore the magic of family boat tours and step onboard an authentic Galway Hooker to experience a piece of maritime history up close.

Throughout the entire festival, visitors will have the opportunity to visit the Galway Hooker Sailing Club's restoration project, experience local history with guided walking tours, learn knots, visit stands from Galway Aquarium, Corrib Beo, Water Safety Ireland and much more. It's a chance to connect with the maritime heritage of Galway like never before.

Worthy Causes

Organisers say all funds raised during the festival will be dedicated to two noble causes – the Galway branch of Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Ability West. 

Published in Maritime Festivals

National Watersports Campus, Dun Laoghaire

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Stakeholders combined forces in 2019 to promote a project to improve the Harbour’s infrastructure resulting in improved access, job creation and greater tourism potential. 

A grant application to government made by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCoCo) assisted by stakeholders was successful with the announcement of a €400k feasibility study grant from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) in January 2020.

It meant plans for the €8m National Watersports Campus at Dun Laoghaire Harbour got the green light from Government and came a step closer to reality.

The project recognises deficits in the current set up in the harbour, proposing the construction of an all-tide publicly-accessible slipway (none currently in the Greater Dublin Area) as well as a marine services facility, providing a much-needed home for the supporting industry. 

The campus also seeks to provide a marketing framework to make boating more accessible to the general public.

The benefits of such an increase might be obvious for the Dun Laoghaire waterfront but there are other spin-offs for the harbour town in the creation of the sort of jobs that cannot be shipped abroad.

Centre for Community Watersports activity and public slipway

  • High-Performance coaching centre
  • Flexible Event Space for hosting national and international events
  • Multipurpose Building
  • Campus Marketing and Promotional Centre
  • Accommodation for Irish Sailing and Irish Underwater Council
  • Shared NGB Facility
  • Education Centre for schools, community groups and clubs
  • Proposed site – Carlisle Pier

Watersports Campus FAQs

Similar to the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, the watersports campus will provide quality, public, recreational and high-performance facilities for the many watersports participants. The Campus will considerably enhance the services currently provided by more than 30 clubs and activity centres to over 50,000 annual users of the harbour.

The passing of control of the harbour to DLRCC, the public appetite for a community benefitting project and the capital funding for sports infrastructure in the Project 2040 National Plan have aligned to create an opportunity to deliver this proposal.

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) and the Irish Sailing Association (Irish Sailing) are the project leads, endorsed by the National Governing Bodies of other Irish watersports and clubs and activity providers.

The National Sports Policy, published in 2018, established the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) to provide Exchequer support for sports facility projects. In some cases, these may be projects where the primary objective will be to increase active participation in sport. In other cases, these may be venues where the focus is more related to high-performance sport.

Government has allocated at least €100m over the term to 2027 to successful applicant projects.

The Watersports Campus was one of seven successful applicants for Stream 1 funding allowing planning to commence on the project design and feasibility. €442,000 has been granted in this phase.

NThe project will provide for a municipally-owned public access facility to include a small craft slipway that is accessible at all stages of the tide (currently none in public ownership in the greater Dublin area), storage and lock-up resources, watersports event management space, a high-performance centre and NGB accommodation.

The project aims to enhance the profile of Dun Laoghaire as a major international venue for maritime events, shows and conferences. Establish Dun Laoghaire as the 'go-to place' for anything marine – generating revenues Create employment in the county - attract businesses, visitors and events. Grow the market for watersports Promote the services of activity providers to the public. Complement the plan to develop Dun Laoghaire as a 'destination.'

As of January 1 2021, The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has approved the applicant project and DLRCC are expected to appoint a team to further advance the project.

©Afloat 2020