Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
A record number of people visited Loop Head Lighthouse on the Shannon Estuary in County Clare during 2016. Figures from Clare County Council show that 27,274 people visited the lighthouse during the opening period up to Sunday 2 October compared…
Moths & Flying Fifteens Combine for Frostbite Series This Weekend on Dublin Bay
7th October 2016 Flying Fifteen
This coming weekend the Mitsubishi Flying Fifteen Frostbite Series starts and are being hosted by the National Yacht Club for the next six weeks. Local FF fleet captain Joe Coughlan is hoping for a good turnout following the success of…
#Lusitania - Yesterday (Thursday 6 October) marked 81 years since the discovery of the wreck of the Lusitania off the Old Head of Kinsale, more than 20 years after the ocean liner was lost. And less than three weeks from…
#Tourism - Lough Neagh joins an exclusive list of 100 ‘sustainable destinations’ after its success in a global tourism competition this week. As the News Letter reports, the largest inland waterway in the island of Ireland was put forward for…
Read Afloat's e–news below with all the latest sailing and boating highlights featuring: Star(fish) attractions: Why village sea centre & All-Ireland trail are shining bright; Txt for Spinal Injuries’ RIB; & save date for Ilen baa-rty Sign up for a…
#Kinsale - Harbour users in Kinsale can now check tide times online thanks to a new Twitter account. Kindle Tides (@KinsaleTides) does exactly what the name suggests, tweeting daily with the latest tide information for the Co Cork harbour in…
We well know from running stories now and again about the restoration of the Conor O’Brien 57ft ketch Ilen at Oldcourt near Baltimore for Limerick’s Ilen Boat-building School just what a high level of interest it arouses at home and…
Our Maritime Heritage Conference Focuses Research, Resources & Restoration
7th October 2016 Historic Boats
An all-day Belfast–based conference this month entitled 'Our Maritime Heritage: Research, Resources and Restoration' is taking place at Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). The first 65 delegates to register here will receive a complimentary lunch. A keynote speaker…
Spinal Injuries Ireland Seeks Support For Charity Work; Including RIB Trips on Dublin Bay
7th October 2016 RIBs
As part of its annual fundraising campaign, Spinal Injuries Ireland is seeking support from the sailing and boating community on its 'Colour me Friday' campaign day today. Spinal Injuries Ireland is the only support service for people who have sustained…
Marine Wildlife & Lighthouses Feature in Responsible Tourism Awards
7th October 2016 Aquatic Tourism
Maritime tourism operators featured at the 2016 Irish Responsible Tourism Awards announced at a ceremony yesterday in Dublin. In the best for Natural Heritage Tourism category, a silver award went to Sea Synergy Marine Awareness & Activity Centre (Co. Kerry). The marine interpretive…
GP14 world champion Shane MacCarthy is known for his exploits across a number of sailing classes, most recently the Fireball dinghy, (winner of the Munsters in Killaloe) but perhaps less known is his Solo dinghy form. It turns out the…
Waterways Ireland Pilots Education & Recreation Project On Lough Erne
6th October 2016 Inland Waterways
#InlandWaters - Waterways Ireland completed the first week of its pilot 'Water Project' for post-primary schools last Friday 30 September. Ninety students and teachers from four second-level schools in Co Fermanagh are engaged in water-based learning activities on Lough Erne…
Read Afloat's e–news below with all the latest sailing and boating highlights including: Stow the Speedos: Dun Laoghaire’s Urban Beach ‘on hold’; Bulloch ‘marine activity’ build plans; Irish Lights honour is in the post Sign up for a daily digest of Irish sailing and…
Raw Sewage Discharge In Cork Harbour Will Be Fixed In Next 18 Months Says Minister
6th October 2016 Cork Harbour
#CorkHarbour - Some 35,000 wheelie bins’ worth of raw sewage is being discharged into Cork Harbour every day, Housing Minister Simon Coveney has told the Dáil. But as The Irish Times reports, the minister has promised that the problem will…
#IrishLights - An Post has today (Thursday 6 October) a set of stamps to commemorate the Commissioners of Irish Lights. There are four stamps in the collection designed by Vermillion Design, featuring Irish Lights staff working on a buoy; a…
#Fishing - Fishing ports in Howth and Castletownbere were raided by gardaí and State agencies yesterday (Wednesday 5 October) in a sting operation focused on undocumented workers, as The Irish Times reports. The raids come after revelations last November in…
Permission Sought For Mixed Development At Former Western Marine Site
6th October 2016 Waterfront Property
#BullochHarbour - Permission is being sought to develop a mixed housing and commercial scheme at the former premises of Western Marine at Dalkey’s Bulloch Harbour. The planning application by Bartra Property Ltd calls for the demolition of the existing warehouses…
#Coastguard - Early this morning the Sligo-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter completed the medical evacuation of an injured crewman from a large tanker some 350km off Eagle Island in Co Mayo. The overnight operation was jointly co-ordinated with the UK…
#CalMacContract - The £900m ferry contract to operate Scottish west coast services awarded to CalMac Ferries Ltd by Transport Scotland earlier this year, has been in force for almost a week. The contract that began last Saturday, 1 October is…
Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Urban Beach & Swimming Pool Project 'On Hold'
6th October 2016 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
The €2.75 million urban beach proposed for Dun Laoghaire Harbour is 'currently on hold' pending 'organisational restructure', according to a report in the Irish Times. A spokesman for the state company told the newspaper 'we hope to have it back…