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Displaying items by tag: Mike Aigroz

RTÉ presenters Kathryn Thomas and Gráinne Seoige were among the 2,000 competitors who crossed the finish line at the Ironman triathlon in Galway yesterday.
According to the Irish Independent, the duo took part in the relay competition in aid of Irish Autism Action.
Meanwhile, fellow celebrity and Boyzone star Keith Duffy took on the challenge of completing the entire 70.3-mile course, finishing with a time of 5 hours 40 minutes.
The first Ironman event to be held in Galway comprised a swim across Galway Bay, a 90km cycle across Connemara and a 21km run through the streets of the City of the Tribes.
However adverse conditions at the start of the race saw the swimming stage reduced from 1.9km to 700m for safety reasons.
Among the elite competitors, first home was Switzerland's Mike Aigroz, with a time of 3:50:12. Best among the Irish men was Cork's Owen Cummins at 4:01:26.
Britain's Lucy Gossage came first in the women's section at 4:02:09, while Irish national record holder Joyce Wolfe set a time of 5 hours 44 seconds.

RTÉ presenters Kathryn Thomas and Gráinne Seoige were among the 2,000 competitors who crossed the finish line at the Ironman triathlon in Galway yesterday.

According to the Irish Independent, the duo took part in the relay competition in aid of Irish Autism Action.

Meanwhile, fellow celebrity and Boyzone star Keith Duffy took on the challenge of completing the entire 70.3-mile course, finishing with a time of 5 hours 40 minutes.

The first Ironman event to be held in Galway comprised a swim across Galway Bay, a 90km cycle across Connemara and a 21km run through the streets of the City of the Tribes.

However adverse conditions at the start of the race saw the swimming stage reduced from 1.9km to 1km for safety reasons.

Among the elite competitors, first home was Switzerland's Mike Aigroz, with a time of 3:50:12. Best among the Irish men was Cork's Owen Cummins at 4:01:26.

Britain's Lucy Gossage came first in the women's section at 4:02:09, while Irish national record holder Joyce Wolfe set a time of 5 hours 44 seconds.

Correction: The original version of this story had the distance of the swimming stage as reduced from 1.9km to 700m, but the official Ironman Galway website confirms the swim distance as 1km.

Published in Galway Harbour

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