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A Harbour Seal photographed at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinnipeds, they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas. Photo: AfloatA photograph of a Harbour Seal taken at Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay, Ireland. Also known as the common seal, this species can be found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They are the most widely distributed species of pinnipeds and can be found in the coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Baltic and North Seas. Photo: Afloat

Displaying items by tag: McCrohan

#Rowing: Sinéad Jennings and Claire Lambe ended their campaign at the World Cup Regatta in Varese with a commanding performance to win the C Final of the lightweight double sculls. They led all the way and were four lengths clear of nearest rivals, Italy Three, at the finish.  

 Ireland had two competitors in the repechage of the women’s lightweight single sculls. There were two places on offer in an A Final, but Poland and Switzerland One took these. Siobhán McCrohan finished fifth and Denise Walsh sixth.  In the lightweight men’s four, Ireland battled it out for third in the C Final with Austria, losing out by .15 of a second.  In the C Final of the women’s pair, Leonora Kennedy and Barbara O’Brien finished third. Norway pipped Ukraine to win.

World Cup Regatta, Varese – Day Two (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Four – C Final (places 13 to 16): 1 Canada One 6:09.73, 2 Serbia 6:11.21, 3 Austria 6:15.85, 4 Ireland (L Seaman, M O’Donovan, L Keane, S O’Driscoll) 6:16.00.

Women

Pair – C Final (places 13 to 16): 1 Norway One 7:22.74, 2 Ukraine 7:23.16, 3 Ireland (L Kennedy, B O’Brien) 7:33.07.  

Lightweight Double Sculls – C Final (places 13 to 17): 1 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 7:17.24, 2 Italy Three 7:26.29, 3 Chile 7:29.71.  

Lightweight Single Sculls – Repechage (First Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Poland Two 7:49.90, 2 Switzerland One 7:51.76; 5 Ireland Two (S McCrohan) 8:04.69, 6 Ireland One (D Walsh) 8:08.81

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland ended the first session of the World Cup in Varese with two heat wins and five crews set for the second chance of the repechages. Siobhan McCrohan finished fourth in her heat of the lightweight single sculls and Denise Walsh one place further back in her heat.  

 The men’s lightweight four finished fourth in their heat. The race was won by Italy Two, with the United States One second. Ireland placed fourth down the course, ahead of fifth-placed Austria One.   

World Cup Regatta, Varese (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Four – Heat Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Italy Two 6:00.40, 2 United States 6:00.95; 4 Ireland (L Seaman, M O’Donovan, L Keane, S O’Driscoll) 6:18.75

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Ireland (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:27.07, 2 Britain 6:33.38; 3 Netherlands Two 6:48.24.  

Women

Pair – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Germany 7:23.08, 2 Russia One 7:24.46; 5 Ireland (L Kennedy, B O’Brien) 7:46.38.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Two (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Switzerland 7:03.98, 2 Canada 7:04.45; 3 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 7:05.0.

Single Sculls – Heat One (Winner to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechages): 1 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:34.32; 2 Czech Republic (M Knapkova) 7:36.13.  

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Netherlands Two 7:40.25, 2 Italy 7:45.99; 4 Ireland Two (S McCrohan) 8:02.38.

Heat Two (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Canada 7:42.41, 2 Netherlands One 7:45.30; 5 Ireland One (D Walsh) 8:11.91.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Siobhan McCrohan won the won the women’s senior single sculls for Tribesmen and the experienced Old Collegians/UCD crew took the men’s senior quadruple at the Irish Championships this afternoon.

In the junior women’s eight, Portora had to see off a challenge by Bann, while Shandon bested Castleconnell in an exciting race to win the junior men’s quadruple – their third in-a-row.

Queen’s won the men’s novice eight, beating UCD and Trinity, while Margaret Cremin of Lee won the club single sculls and Andrew Goff of Waterford the men’s intermediate single.

Irish Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork (Day Two, Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 5:46.51, 2 UCD A 5:49.27, 3 Queen’s 6:08.61. Novice: 1 Queen’s 6:18.97, 2 UCD 6:25.66, 3 Trinity 6:38.63.

Four – Junior, coxed: 1 Portora 6:36.84, 2 St Joseph’s 6:37.0, 3 Athlunkard 6:45.18.

Pair – Senior: 1 UCC 7:03.18, 2 NUIG 7:10.16, 3 Carlow 7:12.51.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Old Collegians/UCD 6:07.97, 2 Commercial 6:14.51. Junior: 1 Shandon 6:16.78, 2 Castleconnell 6:17.49, 3 Cork BC A 6:28.24.

Single – Intermediate: 1 Waterford (A Goff) 7:23.95, 3 Athlone (P Munnelly) 7:34.43. Club: 1 Shandon (C Merz) 7:42.94, 2 Clonmel (D Lynch) 7:44.96, 3 Lee (D Larkin) 7:45.94.

Women

Eight – Novice: 1 Commercial 6:59.55, 2 Queen’s 7:13.67, 3 Trinity 7:13.67. Junior: 1 Portora 6:49.43, 2 Bann 6:52.99, 3 Shannon 7:13.95.

Sculling, Double – Intermediate: 1 Skibbereen 7:36.62, 2 St Michael’s 7:45.87, 3 Belfast BC 7:48.80.

Single – Senior: 1 Tribesmen (S McCrohan) 8:06.29, 2 Commercial (Sarah Dolan) 8:12.04, 3 Skibbereen (O Hayes) 8:13.99. Club: 1 Lee (M Cremin) 8:33.88, 2 Garda (J Ryan) 8:46.29, 3 Queen’s (R Brown) 8:51.52. Junior: 1 Cork (D Forde) 8:07.98, 2 Skibbereen (E Hegarty) 8:18.01, 3 Offaly (A Mooney) 8:21.91.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: The battle for the final place on the Ireland team for the European Championships in Poznan next weekend ended with victory for Sinead Jennings. The St Michael’s woman beat Siobhan McCrohan of Tribesmen in a shootout at the National Rowing Centre. The two women had both targeted the lightweight single sculls place at Poznan. Jennings, a former world champion in the lightweight single, has never won a European medal.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Siobhán McCrohan and Sinéad Jennings dead-heated in the shoot-out for the place in the lightweight single sculls at the European Championships. The race was held over 1500 metres because of a powerful tailwind at the National Rowing Centre, and neither sculler could draw clear of the other in a stirring contest. McCrohan started and finished well, while Jennings did well in the middle stages. The two are set to race again over 1500 metres on Friday or Saturday.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Siobhán McCrohan set a new record for Irish lightweight women in indoor competition at the Irish Provinces Indoor Rowing Championships at the University of Limerick. The Tribesmen athlete clocked seven minutes 15.2 seconds for the 2,000 metres. The standing record was 7:16.8, set by Claire Lambe in 2010.

The best men’s open time was 6:10.2, taken by Kevin Coughlan of Carlow, and Jonathan Doyle won the lightweight open section in 6:28.1. There was a record time for 500 metres in the men’s lightweight 50-59 category. Christian Leonard set a time of one minute 34.5 seconds. SELECTED RESULTS

 

Mens 2k
MO 1 Kevin Coughlan_Carlow 06:10.2 2000
MO 2 David Meehan_SMRC 06:11.3 2000
MO 2 Dan Hindle_NUIG 06:11.3 2000
LMO 1 Jonathan Doyle_PaddyPower_IRC 06:28.1 2000
LMO 2 Alan Mc_Kenna_Carlow 06:38.3 2000
LMO 3 Alan Goodison_Fermoy_RC 06:53.3 2000
Current Irish Record:
2000 19-29 Eamon Joyce M Hwt U.C.C.R.C. 5:59.3 2001 Race result
2000 19-29 Paul Griffin M Lwt Muckross RC 6:16.4 2001 Race result
Womens 2k
LWO 1 Siobhan McCrohan_Tribesmen_RC L 07:15.2 2000
LWO 2 Amy Bulman_UCCRC 07:48.2 2000
WU23 1 Deirdre O'Sullivan_UCCRC 07:17.9 2000
WU23 2 Caoimhe Joyce-Hearne_NUIG 07:20.4 2000
WU23 3 Hannah O'Sullivan_SMRC 07:23.6 2000
WO 1 Aine Collins_Fermoy_RC 07:23.7 2000
WO 2 Jessica O'Keeffe_SMRC 07:25.4 2000
WO 3 Marie Piggot_NUIG 07:39.4 2000
Current Irish Record:
Claire Lambe Lwt UCDBC 7:16.8 2010 Race result
Mens 500
New Irish Record : LM50-59 Christian Leonard_ 01:34.5 500
Old Record: LM50-59_500 Joe Keating M Lwt London 1:41.1 2008 Historical Record
Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Two of the big wins of the evening session of finals at the Irish Rowing Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork came to crews with very different levels of experience.

The Cork Boat Club junior women’s eight made a breakthrough for the club at this level by beating Portora and Bann in a fine race. The senior men’s quadruple was taken by the crew of Albert Maher, Sean Jacob, Con Collis and Michael Maher, who held off a challenge from the Castleconnell/University of Limerick crew. Jacob and Maher are both in their forties and have over 40 ‘Pots’ between them.

The women’s senior pair was won by Barbara O’Brien and Aifric Keogh, representing NUIG, while Sarah Quinn of Belfast Boat Club won the Club singles.

The junior men’s quadruple gave Shandon’s young crew – two are junior 17 athletes and one a junior 16 – a fine win over Skibbereen, who faltered before the finish.

The women’s lightweight single sculls final turned into a battle between Claire Lambe of Old Collegians and Siobhán McCrohan of Tribesmen, with the Dubliner coming out on top.

Turlough Hughes of UCD had a remarkably straightforward win over David O’Malley of St Michael’s in the men’s intermediate single sculls, while UCD held off a late charge by Queen’s to win the men’s novice eight.

Irish Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork (Selected Results; Finals)

Men

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 5:46.25, 2 NUIG 5:50.28, 3 UCD 5:56.96. Novice: 1 UCD 6:59.50, 2 Queen’s 7:02.31, 3 Trinity 7:03.29.

Four, coxed – Junior: 1 Cork BC 6:35.99, 2 Presentation 6:36.22, 3 Portora 6:38.08.

Pair – Senior: 1 UCD (M O’Donovan, N Kenny) 6:46.05, 2 NUIG 6:49.95, 3 Commercial B 7:00.16.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Old Collegians/Commercial (C Collis, S Jacob, A Maher, M Maher) 5:59.84, 2 Castleconnell/University of Limerick 6:00.60, 3 Queen’s 6:07.90.

Junior: 1 Shandon 6:08.24, 2 Athlone 6:13.34, 3 Skibbereen 6:15.52.

Single – Intermediate: 1 UCD (T Hughes) 7:13.0, 2 St Michael’s (O’Malley) 7:20.72, 3 NUIG (O’Connor) 7:25.14. Club: Lee (D O’Sullivan) 7:31.80, 2 St Michael’s (P O’Connor) 7:36.24, 3 Belfast BC (A Murray) 7:39.44.

 

Women

Eight – Novice: 1 Queen’s 7:19.74, 2 Trinity 7:55.75. Junior: 1 Cork BC 6:39.32, 2 Portora 6:41.90, 3 Bann 6:45.27.

Sculling, Double – Intermediate: 1 Killorglin (F Foley, M Dukarska) 7:17.17, 2 Commercial 7:20.83, 3 Skibbereen 7:39.99.

Pair – Senior: 1 NUIG (B O’Brien, A Keogh) 7:33.89, 2 St Michael’s 7:42.32, 3 Shannon 7:42.48.

Single – Lightweight: 1 Old Collegians (C Lambe) 7:41.70, 2 Tribesmen (McCrohan) 7:43.80, 3 Skibbereen (Hayes) 8:01.34. Club: 1 Belfast (S Quinn) 8:09.22, 2 Queen’s (Edwards) 8:10.61, 3 Lee (McGuire) 8:39.69.

Junior: 1 Cork BC (O Forde) 8:06.14, 2 Belfast BC (J English) 8:07.11, 3 Commercial B 7:00.16.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Irish rowing grabbed a few hours of relative calm between spells of gusting wind to stage the second session of the Ireland Trial at Newry Canal today. Lightweight single sculler Siobhán McCrohan (26) again topped the overall rankings – bettering her per centage of projected world gold medal winning time set on Saturday.

Paul O’Donovan and Sanita Puspure also confirmed their good form, with O’Donovan teaming up to good effect with Shane O’Driscoll in a lightweight double scull. One of the most encouraging aspects of the weekend was the evidence of a breadth of talent in the lightweight men’s category – Anthony English did well today, and Niall Kenny was not far behind.

Ireland Trial, Newry Canal (Run over 5km; Selected Results)

(Percentage is of projected world gold medal winning time)

Saturday

Men

Pair – Senior: 1 D Neale, C Folan 18 minutes 41.53 seconds (82.03), 2 D Power, P O’Connell 18:53.62 (81.6). Under-23: 1 R O’Callaghan, R Bennett 18:29.53 (82.92), 2 M Pukelis, K Neville 19:23.43 (79.08). Junior: D Keohane, B Keohane 19:06.58 (80.24), 2 Murphy, O’Connell 19:26.23 (78.89), 3 Fallon, Bennett 19:32.47 (78.47).

Lightweight: 1 Quinlan, O’Connor 19:27.59 (81.36), 2 McKenna, Murphy 19:30.72 (81.15), 3 Keane, Breen 19:32.55 (81.02).

Sculling,

Single – Senior: 1 J Keohane 19:16.47 (84.31), 2 A McEvoy 19:37.34 (82.81). Under-23: 1 T Oliver 19.47.82 (82.08), 2 A Harrington 19:52.47 (81.76), 3 S McKeown 20:06.03 (80.84). Junior: 1 D O’Malley 19:41.55 (82.5), 2 C Carmody 19:57.29 (81.43), 3 C Hennessy 20:15.6 (80.21).

Lightweight – Senior: 1 N Kenny 19:18.40 (86.33), 2 J Ryan 19:28.13 (85.61), 3 M O’Donovan 19:30.07 (85.46). Under-23: P O’Donovan 19:05.46 (87.3), 2 S O’Driscoll 19:26.18 (85.75), 3 C Beck 19:41.35 (84.65).

Women

Four – Senior: Deasy, McCarthy, O’Brien, Leahy 19:51.76 (84.33).

Pair – Senior: L Dileen, A Keogh 20:12.32 (84.14), 2 Bennett, Gilligan 21:28.79 (79.14). Under-23: G Collins, O Finnegan 21.05.13 (80.62). Junior: 1 K O’Connor, H Hickey 21:43.08 (78.28), 2 Clarke, Glover 21:54.75 (77.58), 3 Nagle, O’Keeffe 22:33.06 (75.38).

Sculling

Single – Senior: 1 S Puspure 20:21.36 (86.99), 2 M Dukarska 2:40.57 (85.65), 3 E Moran 21:20.92. Under-23: 1 C Fitzgerald 21.50.12 (81.10), 2 H O’Sullivan 22:14.21 (79.64), 3 M Dineen 22:27.69 (78.84). Junior: 1 E Lambe 21:47.62 (81.25), 2 J English 21:54.17 (80.85), 3 E Barry 22:03.17 (80.30).

Lightweight – Senior: 1 S McCrohan 20:58.15 (87.43), 2 C Jennings 21:15.24 (86.26), 3 O Hayes 21:18.60 (86.03). Under-23: 1 R Morris 21:32.68 (85.09), 2 S Horgan 21:47.18 (84.15).

Sunday

(Provisional Results)

Overall (ranked on per centage of projected world gold medal time): 1 S McCrohan (lightweight senior single scull) 2o:50.49 (87.97), 2 P O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll (lightweight under-23 double) 17:26.91 (87.40), 3 S Puspure (women’s senior single) 20:17.63 (87.26), 4 A English (lightweight senior single) 19:13.24 (86.71), 5 M Dukarska, E Moran (women’s senior double) 19:02.81 (86.63), 6 N Kenny (lightweight single) 19:18.26 (86.34).

Men

Pair, Senior: 1 Coughlan, Buckley 19:02.79 (80:50), 2 Neale, Folan 19:08.71 (80.09). Under-23: 1 O’Callaghan, Bennett 18:34.83 (82.52), 2 Power, O’Connell 18:44.47 (81.82), 3 M Pukelis, K Neville 19:13.78 (79.74). Junior: 1 Keohane, Keohane 19:04.69 (80:37), 2 Fallon, Bennett 19:20.32 (79.29), 3 Murphy, O’Connell 19:21.50 (79.21).

Lightweight, Senior: 1 Prendergast, O’Donovan 18:35.31 (85.18), 2 Ryan, Griffin 18:38.23 (84.96), 3 McKenna, Murphy 19:05.94 (82.90). Under-23: 1 Hegarty, Ryan 19:24.87 (81.55), 2 Keane, Breen 19:25.40 (81.52).

Sculling, Double – Under-23: 1 T Oliver, C Beck 18:06.94 (82.57).

Lightweight, Under-23: O’Donovan, O’Driscoll 17.26.91 (87.40)

Single – Senior: 1 Keohane 19:05.78 (85.09), 2 A McEvoy 19:27.84 (83.49), 3 A Bolger 20:52.45 (77.85). Under-23: 1 A Harrington 19:29.92 (83.34), 2 S McKeown 20:03.43 (81.02), 3 A Boreham 20:57.27 (77.55). Junior: 1 O’Malley 19:29.80 (83.35), 2 Carmody 19:55.68 (81.54), 3 A Gough 20:12.44 (80.42).

Lightweight, Senior: 1 A English 19:30.24 (86.71), 2 N Kenny 19:18.26 (86.34). Under-23: 1 D Quinlan 19:54.86 (83.69), 2 S O’Connor 20:05.94 (82.92)

 

Women

Pair – Senior: 1 Dilleen, Keogh 20:00.78 (84.94), 2 M O’Neill, E Tormey 20:30.55 (82.89). Under-23: Fitzgerald, Dinneen 21:33.47 (78.86). Junior: 1 O’Connor, Hickey 21:36.52 (78.67), 2 Wray, Morelli 21:41.98 (78.34), 3 Clarke, Glover 22.11.23 (76.62).

Double – Senior: Dukarska, E Moran 19:02.81 (86.63)

Sculling, Single – Senior: Puspure 20:17.63 (87.26). Under-23: 1 H O’Sullivan 22:16.18 (79.52), 2 B Walsh 22:35.91 (78.36)

Junior: 1 J English 21:23.36 (82.79), 2 E Lambe 21:27.12 (82.55), 3 E Hegarty 21:37.89 (81.86).

Lightweight – Senior: 1 McCrohan 20:50.49 (87.97), 2 O Hayes 21:14.15 (86.33), 3 C Jennings 21:19.10 (86.00). Under-23: 1 R Morris 21:37.26 (84.79), 2 S Horgan 22:10.68 (82.66)

Published in Rowing

Irish rowing got a real fillip today when lightweight single sculler Siobhan McCrohan won a bronze medal at the World Cup rowing regatta at Lucerne. In a race won by the outstanding Greek talent Alexandra Tsiavou, the 24-year-old Galway woman saw off challenges from Belgium’s Jo Hammond and Poland’s Weronika Deresz to take bronze. Switzerland’s Pamela Weisshaupt took the silver medal.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne – Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Double Scull – D Final (places 19 to 24): 1 Hungary 6:36.15, 2 Ireland 6:43.77, 3 Sweden 6:44.75.

Women

Double Scull – Semi-Final (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Australia 6:54.22, 2 Ukraine 6:56.73, 3 Poland 6:58.30; 4 Belarus 7:07.73, 5 Romania 7:09.95, 6 Ireland (L Dilleen, S Puspure) 7:15.75

Lightweight Double Scull – C Final (Places 13 to 18): 1 Austria 7:14.01; 5 Ireland (S Dolan, C Lambe) 7:19.47

Lightweight Single Scull – Semi-Final One (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Switzerland (P Weisshaupt) 7:56.1, 2 Ireland (S McCrohan) 7:58.65, 3 Belgium (J Hammond) 8:03.22; 4 Japan 8:09.31, 5 Canada 8:09.80, 6 Hong Kong 8:14.50. A FINAL: 1 Greece (A Tsiavou) 7:47.78, 2 Switzerland (P Weisshaupt) 7:51.39, 3 Ireland (S McCrohan) 7:54.86; 4 Belgium (J Hammond) 7:55.17, 5 Poland (W Deresz) 7:59.80, 6 Netherlands (M-A Frenken) 8:02.57.

Published in Rowing

Siobhan McCrohan qualified for the final of the lightweight single scull at the World Cup rowing regatta at Lucerne in Switzerland by taking second in her semi-final. The goal of a top three place was annexed early and not yielded up: she was in second behind Pamela Weisshaupt, the world champion in 2008 and 2009 all the way down the course. Jo Hammond, a Briton who now rows for Belgium, took third.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne – Day Two (Irish interest)

Women

Lightweight Single Scull – Semi-Final One (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Switzerland (P Weisshaupt) 7:56.1, 2 Ireland (S McCrohan) 7:58.65, 3 Belgium (J Hammond) 8:03.22; 4 Japan 8:09.31, 5 Canada 8:09.80, 6 Hong Kong 8:14.50.

Published in Rowing

For all you need on the Marine Environment - covering the latest news and updates on marine science and wildlife, weather and climate, power from the sea and Ireland's coastal regions and communities - the place to be is Afloat.ie.

Coastal Notes

The Coastal Notes category covers a broad range of stories, events and developments that have an impact on Ireland's coastal regions and communities, whose lives and livelihoods are directly linked with the sea and Ireland's coastal waters.

Topics covered in Coastal Notes can be as varied as the rare finding of sea-life creatures, an historic shipwreck with secrets to tell, or even a trawler's net caught hauling much more than just fish.

Other angles focusing the attention of Coastal Notes are Ireland's maritime museums, which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of our nautical heritage, and those who harvest the sea using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety pose an issue, plying their trade along the rugged wild western seaboard.

Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied as the environment they come from, and which shape people's interaction with the natural world and our relationship with the sea.

Marine Wildlife

One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with Marine Wildlife. It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. And as boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify, even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat. Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse, it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to our location in the North Atlantic, there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe. From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals, the Marine Wildlife category documents the most interesting accounts around our shores. And we're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and video clips, too!

Also valuable is the unique perspective of all those who go afloat, from coastal sailing to sea angling to inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing, as what they encounter can be of great importance to organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). Thanks to their work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. But as impressive as the list is, the experts believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves, keep a sharp look out!

Weather

As an island in the North Atlantic, Ireland's fate is decided by Weather more so than many other European countries. When storm-force winds race across the Irish Sea, ferry and shipping services are cut off, disrupting our economy. When swollen waves crash on our shores, communities are flooded and fishermen brace for impact - both to their vessels and to their livelihoods.

Keeping abreast of the weather, therefore, is as important to leisure cruisers and fishing crews alike - for whom a small craft warning can mean the difference between life and death - as it is to the communities lining the coast, where timely weather alerts can help protect homes and lives.

Weather affects us all, and Afloat.ie will keep you informed on the hows and the whys.

Marine Science

Perhaps it's the work of the Irish research vessels RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of Marine Science for the future growth of Ireland's emerging 'blue economy'.

From marine research to development and sustainable management, Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. Whether it's Wavebob ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration, the Marine Science category documents the work of Irish marine scientists and researchers and how they have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.

Power From The Sea

The message from the experts is clear: offshore wind and wave energy is the future. And as Ireland looks towards the potential of the renewable energy sector, generating Power From The Sea will become a greater priority in the State's 'blue growth' strategy.

Developments and activities in existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector, and those of the energy exploration industry, point to the future of energy requirements for the whole world, not just in Ireland. And that's not to mention the supplementary industries that sea power projects can support in coastal communities.

Irish ports are already in a good position to capitalise on investments in offshore renewable energy services. And Power From The Sea can even be good for marine wildlife if done properly.

Aside from the green sector, our coastal waters also hold a wealth of oil and gas resources that numerous prospectors are hoping to exploit, even if people in coastal and island areas are as yet unsure of the potential benefits or pitfalls for their communities.

Changing Ocean Climate

Our ocean and climate are inextricably linked - the ocean plays a crucial role in the global climate system in a number of ways. These include absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere and absorbing 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity. But our marine ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure due to climate change.

The Marine Institute, with its national and international partners, works to observe and understand how our ocean is changing and analyses, models and projects the impacts of our changing oceans. Advice and forecasting projections of our changing oceans and climate are essential to create effective policies and management decisions to safeguard our ocean.

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, said, “Our ocean is fundamental to life on earth and affects so many facets of our everyday activities. One of the greatest challenges we face as a society is that of our changing climate. The strong international collaborations that the Marine Institute has built up over decades facilitates a shared focusing on our changing ocean climate and developing new and enhanced ways of monitoring it and tracking changes over time.

“Our knowledge and services help us to observe these patterns of change and identify the steps to safeguard our marine ecosystems for future generations.”

The Marine Institute’s annual ocean climate research survey, which has been running since 2004, facilitates long term monitoring of the deep water environment to the west of Ireland. This repeat survey, which takes place on board RV Celtic Explorer, enables scientists to establish baseline oceanic conditions in Irish waters that can be used as a benchmark for future changes.

Scientists collect data on temperature, salinity, water currents, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the Atlantic Ocean. This high quality oceanographic data contributes to the Atlantic Ocean Observing System. Physical oceanographic data from the survey is submitted to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and, in addition, the survey contributes to national research such as the VOCAB ocean acidification and biogeochemistry project, the ‘Clean Atlantic’ project on marine litter and the A4 marine climate change project.

Dr Caroline Cusack, who co-ordinates scientific activities on board the RV Celtic Explorer for the annual survey, said, “The generation of long-term series to monitor ocean climate is vital to allow us understand the likely impact of future changes in ocean climate on ecosystems and other marine resources.”

Other activities during the survey in 2019 included the deployment of oceanographic gliders, two Argo floats (Ireland’s contribution to EuroArgo) and four surface drifters (Interreg Atlantic Area Clean Atlantic project). The new Argo floats have the capacity to measure dissolved ocean and biogeochemical parameters from the ocean surface down to a depth of 2,000 metres continuously for up to four years, providing important information as to the health of our oceans.

During the 2019 survey, the RV Celtic Explorer retrieved a string of oceanographic sensors from the deep ocean at an adjacent subsurface moored station and deployed a replacement M6 weather buoy, as part of the Irish Marine Data Buoy Observation Network (IMDBON).

Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the IMDBON is managed by the Marine Institute in collaboration with Met Éireann and is designed to improve weather forecasts and safety at sea around Ireland. The data buoys have instruments which collect weather and ocean data including wind speed and direction, pressure, air and sea surface temperature and wave statistics. This data provides vital information for weather forecasts, shipping bulletins, gale and swell warnings as well as data for general public information and research.

“It is only in the last 20 years, meteorologists and climatologists have really began to understood the pivotal role the ocean plays in determining our climate and weather,” said Evelyn Cusack, Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann. “The real-time information provided by the Irish data buoy network is particularly important for our mariners and rescue services. The M6 data buoy in the Atlantic provides vital information on swell waves generated by Atlantic storms. Even though the weather and winds may be calm around our shores, there could be some very high swells coming in from Atlantic storms.”