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Displaying items by tag: Tallship Returns

Captain Tom McCarthy paid a visit to New Ross, Co. Wexford, to admire the newly refurbished tallship which he had previously sailed on its voyage to Pembroke, south Wales. 

The visit as The New Ross Standard reports, was an opportunity to meet old friends, among them Frances Ryan, John F. Kennedy Trust Chairperson, Sean Connick CEO, and former harbourmaster Luke Foley.

Holding the unique distinction of being the only person to captain all of Ireland’s tall ships – the Dunbrody, the Jeanie Johnston and the Asgard II – the Corkman previously sailed the 'Jeanie' to North America during its tour there in the early 2000s.

The tallship's return follows an extensive break at (the nearby New Ross Boatyard) where it received a complete renovation, and now the Dunbrody is welcoming visitors once more, much to Seán’s delight.

‘We had our first tour bus arrive yesterday since March 2020, Trafalgar tours, and we’re due to have a couple more tomorrow,’ he said. ‘It’s a good sign, it’s wonderful to see it, but obviously because of restrictions we’re operating at reduced capacity and can only do outdoor tours at the moment'.

He added 'Currently we’re at 25-30 per cent of capacity but it’s a step back towards normality. At the moment we’re really looking forward to 2022 and preparing for a full tourist season.’

Published in Tall Ships

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.