Tom MacSweeney
The Chief Executive of Hibernia Line, which has announced a new year-round ferry service between Ringaskiddy in Cork Harbour and Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France, has said that Ireland has been over-reliant on East Coast ports to carry freight to Europe.…
Being family-oriented, encouraging sailing that combines good racing with leisure, is at the heart of Calves Week in Schull, West Cork, where there are already sixteen boats on the entry list for the event in August. Mark Murphy, Communications and…
The revival of the Rankin Class continues apace in Cork Harbour with two further boats located in the campaign to restore the dinghy fleet. “It might have seemed a pipe-dream when we started, but we now have an active fleet…
Focused on the sound of the sea through music, song and particularly sea shanties, a new maritime festival is planned for the Cork Harbour town of Carrigaline in June. “This is primarily focused on song to promote maritime interest –…
Dungarvan Sailing Club Celebrates 80 Years, Hurler Roots and Calls for Harbour Dredging
28th March 2026 Tom MacSweeney
Dungarvan Sailing Club owes a lot to the hurling counterparts of the county team. One of them brought from Stateside the plans for the first dinghy built for club sailing and which was its foundation for the growth that has…
As we embark on a New Year, the question remains: a pointer to public, political and media failure – SEA BLINDNESS. How many Irish people appreciate that over 90 per cent of the goods they buy come to this island…
The "mood music" in the fishing industry is better than it was, but the industry must be determined and needs continuing, strong political support, according to the Managing Director of one of the country's biggest seafood processors, Donagh Good. One…
Ireland's sole entrant in the 5.8 Mini Globe Race has reached Antigua in the Caribbean Islands. Jakub Ziemkiewicz from Aghada in East Cork, sailing BIBI of Cork, finished tenth of the twelve sailors who left Lanzarote on January 11 on…
The top boats on the South Coast were presented with their 2024 awards at the annual general meeting of SCORA, the South Coast Offshore Racing Association, in the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven on Friday night (January 31). Thirteen…
Cork Sailmaker Barry Hayes Builds Ireland's First Signal Cannon for Sailing Events
8th December 2024 Tom MacSweeney
Crosshaven sail designer and sailmaker Barry Hayes has built his own cannon which will be used as the starting gun for the inter-Services Beaufort Cup during Cork Week Regatta and for the Naval Race and other naval occasions. He has…
RNLI research has shown that over a five-year period there were 1,800 launches by lifeboats in Ireland and the UK to assist people cut off in coastal areas by incoming tides. "Tides are not easily understood by the public," says…
Irish Solo Sailor Tom Dolan's 2024 Figaro Victory: More Than Just a Sporting Success
23rd October 2024 Tom MacSweeney
Figaro winner Tom Dolan, in a review of the past season, says that winning the French race was much more than just a sporting success. " It is the culmination of several years of unremitting work, resilience, and moments of…
Marie Coyne, the Inishbofin author and artist who led the successful campaign to get 13 skulls of deceased islanders, which had been removed and stored for over 130 years in the Old Anatomy Museum at Trinity College Dublin, returned to…
Comhdháil Oileáin Na hEireann was founded in 1984 "when the Islands were battling poverty, mass emigration, bureaucratic hostility, lack of services and infrastructure and the constant threat of enforced evacuation and clearance," says Rhoda Twombly, Secretary of the organisation, which…
'Downward Trajectory' Raises the Question – Does Ireland Want a Fishing Industry?
13th September 2024 Tom MacSweeney
In fishing ports over the past few weeks I've heard a general opinion expressed that there is a downward trajectory in the industry. The State agency, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, issued statistics for last year which showed that 244,989…
Mayo Sailing Club's Joan Mulloy has signed up for the 2024 Double Handed World Offshore Championships in September. That adds to a busy sailing schedule as she is also looking forward to the next stage of 'The Famous Project' in…
