MacDara Conroy
MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business
Later this week Andrew Doyle, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will lead Irish participation in Qingdao, China at the Seafood Expo, one of the largest seafood fairs in the world. Irish seafood exports…
As reported earlier today, World Sailing’s AGM confirmed the inclusion of a new Mixed Two-Person Keelboat event to replace the previously agreed Mixed One-Person Dinghy at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The International Finn Association has released a statement on…
#InlandWaters - Tools created by local Fermanagh craftsperson Albert Robinson were a key feature during this year’s World Canals Conference. The tools, displayed in archive exhibition ‘Reflections, the Lasting Legacy of the Waterways’, brought to life the story of the…
National Yacht Club Gets Its Own Seabin Thanks To Local Campaigner Flossie
30th October 2018 Dublin Bay
#Seabin - Five months after local coastal litter campaigner Flossie Donnelly saw the installation of Dun Laoghaire Harbour’s first Seabin, the enterprising youth has presented the National Yacht Club with its own water-cleaning device. According to the Dun Laoghaire waterfront…
Eddie English of SailCork has shared video of an unusual arrival in Cork Harbour this morning in the shape of cargo ship BBC Pearl. The 150-metre Antiguan-flagged vessel is a heavy-lifting specialist and comes equipped with two massive cranes for the…
British offshore skipper Alex Thomson and his crew sailing the IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss have officially broken the 24-hour distance record for a 60ft monohull, as Sail-World reports. Thomson — who sailed with fellow 2020 Vendée Globe challenger Nin O’Leary on…
Safehaven Marine’s latest commission comes from Puerto Rico, as its capital San Juan has ordered an Interceptor 48 pilot boat. This will be the 41st pilot vessel and the 17th in the Interceptor 48 class produced by the Cork Harbour boatyard,…
Sky Lanterns: Don’t Put Emergency Services Under Unnecessary Strain, Coastguard Appeals
25th October 2018 Coastguard
Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard has issued an appeal against the use of sky lanterns ahead of next week’s Hallowe’en celebrations. Sometimes called Chinese lanterns, the airborne paper lights carry a flame inside and are often used at social occasions such…
Women on Water at the National Yacht Club are entering two 1720 Sportboats in the DBSC Turkey Shoot — and you could be a part of the action. Experienced women sailors will have their own boat (€100pp) but those newer…
#YouthSailing - The Royal Cork Yacht Club will host next year’s Irish Sailing Youth Pathway Championships, it has been announced. The dates to save are 25-28 April 2019 when Ireland’s largest youth regatta comes to the world’s oldest yacht club.…
‘Operation Orca’ Set To Survey Scottish Killer Whales On Celtic Voyager
25th October 2018 Marine Wildlife
#MarineWildlife - The RV Celtic Voyager departed the Port of Cork yesterday (Wednesday 24 October) for ‘Operation Orca’, a 12-day survey of an offshore killer whale community associated with the Northeast Atlantic mackerel fishery. A team of marine scientists from…
#GreenDiesel - Recreational boaters in Ireland face an end to fuelling with green diesel, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice. According to the Irish Examiner, Ireland has been infringing EU law by allowing the sale of cheaper…
#IslandNews - Tributes have been paid to Patsy Dan Rodgers, the King of Tory Island in Donegal who died late last week aged 74, as The Irish Times reports. President Michael D Higgins was among the first to hail Rodgers,…
#Ferry - A passenger ferry has been involved in a collision with a number of yachts amid foggy conditions in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, as RTÉ News reports. The UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency has confirmed that no…
#MarineWildlife - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s (IWDG) datasets for cetacean sightings and strandings around the Irish coast are now back online after previous versions were corrupted in a cyber attack. The launch coincided with the hosting in Kilkenny…
#Diving - Irish Water Safety has honoured cave diver Jim Warny for his role in the rescue of the Thai football team earlier this year. Warny also gave a presentation on the Tham Luang rescue operation at the IWS conference…
Vintage windsurfers from all over Ireland are coming together for the first time in more than 30 years in Dun Laoghaire this weekend. Tomorrow (Saturday 20 October) the National Yacht Club plays host to The Gathering, organised by Two Score…
Anglers Reminded Of Water Safety Guidelines As Drowning Death Toll Reaches 3 For 2018
18th October 2018 Angling
Three anglers have died in Ireland so far this year as a result of drowning, according to the latest figures from Irish Water Safety. The sobering news has prompted a reminder from Inland Fisheries Ireland to all anglers to follow…
#Jobs - SmartBay Ireland is seeking to recruit a community liaison co-ordinator for its marine and renewable energy test site and subsea observatory in Galway Bay. The successful candidate will have a contract with SmartBay, but the focus of the…
#HYC - The doors of Howth Yacht Club will be open next Monday 22 October to anyone curious to try sailing or boating in North Co Dublin. HYC will be one of many clubs across Ireland holding open days to…
