MacDara Conroy
MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business
#WATER SAFETY - A 27-year-old Irish tourist had died after drowning in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The tourist and a colleague, who have not yet been named, had reportedly entered the Yarra River in central…
#BOAT NAMES - The Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS) has released its 22nd annual list of the top ten boat names in America, which makes for some amusing reading. “A boat name reflects the life and loves…
#POWER FROM THE SEA - A new marine research lab in Cork Harbour could help Ireland to be a global leader in renewable energy, the Irish Examiner reports. The Beaufort Laboratory, being built on a three-acre site next to the…
#MCIB - The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has called for better safety awareness among leisure boat users in its report into the deaths of two men off Helvick Head in Co Waterford in May 2010. John O'Brien and Pat…
#SURFING - Conor Conlon of CMP has produced this wonderful video of top professional surfers taking on the Atlantic swells of the west coast this winter. Setting up his gear on the shore during a window of clean swell, Conlon…
#DUBLIN BAY NEWS - The annual St Patrick's Day Harbour2Harbour Walk in aid of mental health charity Aware is just a few weeks away. The 16.2 mile walk around Dublin Bay begins at 10.30am on Saturday 17 March, taking around…
#RACING - Mayo Sailing Club's winter series of lectures continues this Thursday 23 February with a talk by Ed Alcock on 'The Rules of Racing'. Alcock is racing manager of the Irish Sailing Association (ISA), and his lecture will outline…
#SURFING - A six-strong Irish team is in Peru to compete in the inaugural World Stand-Up Paddle and Paddleboarding Championships, which commence today (19 February). The surfers have travelled at their own expense to the Peruvian capital Lima to take…
#INLAND WATERWAYS - A new mobile app that guides visitors around the trails of Lough Derg has gone live, the Clare Champion reports. More than 20 trails are included in the app, from walking to cycling, driving, cruising and canoeing.…
Results of Genetic Studies of Brown Trout Stocks in Suir and Boyne Catchments
19th February 2012 Inland Waterways
#INLAND WATERWAYS - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has announced the results of studies on the genetic makeup of brown trout stocks in the Suir and Boyne river catchments. These studies form part of a wider scheme looking at Ireland's larger…
Cork Company Set to Deploy Energy Device at Cornwall's Wave Hub
17th February 2012 Power From the Sea
#POWER FROM THE SEA - An Irish firm has landed a contract to provide a wave device for a new offshore energy test site in Cornwall, Siliconrepublic reports. Ocean Energy, which is based in Cork, will deploy its first full-scale…
#TITANIC - A plaque honouring Titanic orphan and playwright William Ruddick Millar has been unveiled in his hometown of Carrickfergus, the News Letter reports. Millar was orphaned at five years old when his father, a deck engineer on the ill-fated…
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Work on exterminating sea squirts at a marina in north Wales has begun. The £250,000 (€301,000) project by the Countryside Council for Wales involves attaching giant bags to the subsurface structures around the marina in Holyhead, which…
#KAYAKING - The Galway Advertiser reports that the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) at Castlebar will host the Irish Kayaking Intervarsities this weekend from today 17 February. Eighteen colleges will compete in events on the Clydagh river and Lough Lannagh…
#MARINE WILDLIFE - TED have posted video of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group's Dr Simon Berrow giving a talk on the biggest fish in Ireland's waters, the mysterious basking shark. The second largest fish in the world, basking sharks…
#TALL SHIPS - The organisers of the Tall Ships Races visit to Dublin are inviting young people to get involved by becoming 'trainees' aboard the fleet as they race from Spain to Ireland this summer. The 18 ships (as of…
#KITESURFING - Dublin kitesurfing pro Ross Harte takes our breath away with this video shot from the top of his 12-metre kite, via WorldIrish. The 30 knot winds are clearly no problem for this daredevil as he catches some big…
#GALWAY BAY - Galway Bay FM reports that the National Parks and Wildlife Service is to work with the Marine Institute towards completing a management plan for Galway Bay. It comes two weeks after a group of oyster fishermen met…
#MARINE WILDLIFE - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group has confirmed the sighting of a humpback whale off Achill Island in Co Mayo last weekend. Surfers off Keel Beach were credited with the discovery, after spotting a large whale of…
#OLYMPICS - Yesterday Ireland's Olympic hopefuls celebrated recognition of their success in the 2012 round of funding. But cuts to the budget of the Irish Sports Council (ISC) have prompted a "major" review of high performance programmes from 2013 onwards,…
