The club was born in 1965, but was conceived long before then in the Crofton Hotel (where the BIM offices now stand). It was there that a number of owners who were not members of any club and who kept their boats haphazardly in the Inner Harbour or in the Coal Harbour used to meet.
Above: Frosbite series, 2009
It was at the suggestion of Joe Briscoe, our founder commodore, that the formation of a proper club was considered and with a subscription of £1 each he raised a fund of £30. With this and the help of a dedicated band the task was tackled.
Meetings with official bodies, plans and more plans, articles of association, planning permissions – horrendous problems were tackled and solved. The then harbour master, Commander Thompson suggested the present site while members gave their services free of charge. Amongst there were architect Brian Doran, heating engineer Cecil Buggy, civil engineer Jim Hegarty and many, many others who donated their skills.
Big money was then needed so, to supplement grants and loans, a water carnival was run which attracted 25,000 people to Dun Laoghaire and yielded £2,000 – undreamed of success. It was repeated the following year.
The club was finally built and has since undergone a number of modifications including the building of the slip and the dinghy park. We owe a great debt of gratitutude to our founder members whose names are honourably inscribed on a board over the stairway.
The Club was named to indicate that it catered for all types of craft and for all types of people - the only common denominator being that they get their enjoyment from boating.
So if your leisure pleasure is serious sailing or just ‘messing about in boats’ and if you are looking for friendly companionship which will last a lifetime - welcome aboard!
(Above information and image courtesy of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club)
Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, West Pier, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Tel: 01 280 1371
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