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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: Paul O'Donovan

16th February 2018

Murphy Adds Gold in New Zealand

#Rowing: Max Murphy added a gold medal to the silver he had won in the men’s senior pair at the New Zealand Rowing Championships today. The UCD oarsman was part of the Waikato senior eight which were clear winners, beating a crew from their own club into second. Kevin Neville and Eamon Power of NUIG were in the Wellington crew which took bronze.

 In warm and calm conditions, Paul O’Donovan and Gary O’Donovan finished fourth in the Premier double sculls, an elite event won by Chris Harris and Robbie Manson.

New Zealand Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, Day Four (Irish interest)

Men

Eight – Senior

Final: 1 Waikato (3 M Murphy) 5:56.41; 3 Wellington (7: K Neville; 8 E Power) 6:00.28.  

Pair - Senior

Final: 2 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 6:59.41.

Sculling,

Double – Premier

Final: 4 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:38.66. Senior – B Final: 1 Wairau (2 K Neville) 6:46.04.

Single – Club

B Final: 5 Wairau (E Power) 8:11.15.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan, in the Premier (open weight) single sculls, and the Skibbereen four both made it to A Finals at the New Zealand Rowing Championships. O’Donovan won in a repechage to join some of the top heavyweight single scullers in the world in the final. Gary O’Donovan took third in the race and will compete in the B Final.

 The two brothers joined Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll to form a four which won its repechage and will also compete in a final with top heavyweight crews.

 Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll took fifth in their repechage of the Premier Pair and missed out on the final, while Max Murphy made it through to the A Final of the men’s pair and NUIG’s Kevin Neville and Eamon Power progressed through repechages in the senior single and club single respectively.    

New Zealand Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Four – Premier

Repechage Two (First two to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan, P O’Donovan, M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:21.39.   

Pair – Premier

Repechage (Top Four to Final; rest eliminated): 5 Skibbereen (S O’Driscoll, M O’Donovan) 7:11.47.

Senior

Repechage (Top Three to Final): 2 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 7:33.13.  

Sculling,

Single – Premier

Repechage One (First two to Final; rest to B Final): 1  Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 7:23.32; 3 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan) 7:55.63.

Senior

Repechage Three (First Two to Semi-Final): 2 Wairau (K Neville) 7:29.91.  

Club

Repechage One (First Two to Semi-Final): 1  Wairau (E Power) 8:19.07.  

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan was the pick of the Irish internationals at the testing New Zealand Rowing Championships on Lake Karapiro on Tuesday. O’Donovan finished third in his heat of the Premier (openweight) single sculls – just .11 of a second behind the winner of the other heat, Mahe Drysdale, the Olympic champion. O'Donovan will get a second chance to make the final through the repechages.

 The pair of Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll took fourth in their heat, while a four with the three O’Donovans and O’Driscoll also conserved energy for Wednesday’s repechages. The double of Paul and Gary O’Donovan took part in a race for lanes and took fifth.

 It was another good day for UCD’s Max Murphy, who is competing for Waikato. He was part of the club’s senior four which won their heat and progressed directly to the final. In the pair, Murphy placed third in a heat.

 Kevin Neville of NUIG, competing for Wairau, qualified for the senior double semi-finals. Neville and Eamon Power, also of NUIG and rowing for Wairau, are set for repechages in the senior and club singles respectively.

New Zealand Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Four – Premier (First to Final; rest to repechage)– Heat Two: 4 Skibbereen (S O’Driscoll, M O’Donovan, P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 7:05.67.  

Senior (First to Final; rest to repechage) - Heat Two: 1 Waikato (3 M Murphy) 6:25.58.

Pair – Premier (First to Final; rest to repechage): Heat Two: Skibbereen (S O’Driscoll, M O’Donovan) 7:24.79.

Senior (First to Final; rest to repechage) – Heat Two: 3 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 7:11.58.

Sculling,

Double – Premier (All go to Final): 5 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 7:20.97.

Senior – (First Four to Semi-Finals: rest to Repechages) – Heat Three: 3 Wairau (2 K Neville) 6:50.56.

Single – Premier (First to A Final; rest to repechage) – Heat One: 4 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan) 7:45. 8. Heat Two: 3 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 7:20.17.

Senior (First to Final; rest to repechage) – Heat One: 3 Wairau (K Neville) 7:53.53.

Club – Heat One (First two to Semi-Final; rest to repechage) – Heat One: 3 Wairau (E Power) 8:00.75.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul and Gary O’Donovan finished sixth in the Premier Double Sculls Final at the North Island Club Championships on Lake Karapiro in New Zealand today. Earlier, Paul O’Donovan had finished sixth of eight in the Premier Single Sculls, while Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll had won the B Final of the Premier Pair.

 Max Murphy had a very satisifactory outing. The UCD man, who has been based in New Zealand, took the senior eight and four with Waikato.

North Island Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, New Zealand (Irish interest)

Men

Senior Eight – A Final:  1 Waikato (3: M Murphy) 6:19.55.

Senior Four – A Final: 1 Waikato (3 M Murphy) 6:15.01.

Premier PairB Final: 1 Skibbereen (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll)  6:43.34.

Senior Pair – A Final: 4 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 6:51.51.

Premier Double Sculls – Final: 6 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:50.76.

Premier Single – A Final: 1 R Manson 6:39.58; 6 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 6:54.63. B Final: 3 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan) 6:57.21.  

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan finished sixth of the eight competitors who reached the A Final of the Premier Single Sculls at the North Island Club Rowing Championships in New Zealand. Robbie Manson, the top heavyweight single sculler won. Gary O’Donovan took third place in the B Final.

 Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll won their B Final of the Premier Pair, taking ninth overall. Max Murphy, the former UCD captain, was part of the Waikato senior pair which finished fourth in their final.  

North Island Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, New Zealand (Irish interest)

Men

Premier Pair – B Final: 1 Skibbereen (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll)  6:43.34.  

Senior Pair – Final: 4 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 6:51.51.

Premier Single – A Final: 1 R Manson 6:39.58; 6 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 6:54.63. B Final: 3 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan) 6:57.21.  

 

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan qualified for the Final of the Premier Single Sculls, a heavyweight event, at the North Island Championships in New Zealand today. The Skibbereen man finished second in his repechage, behind New Zealand international Matthew Dunham and ahead of the former world and Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale. All three qualified. Gary O’Donovan finished fourth, one place from qualification.

North Island Rowing Championships, Lake Karapiro, New Zealand (Irish interest)

Men

Senior Four – Heat One: 1 Waikato (W Guest, T Bedford, M Murphy, J Ingham) 6:18.85. 

Premier Pair – Heat One (First to Final; rest to repechage): 4 Skibbereen (S O’Driscoll, M O’Donovan) 6:44.25. Repechage One (First Three to Final; rest eliminated): 4 Skibbereen (O’Driscoll, M O’Donovan) 6:41.12. 

Senior Pair – Heat One (First to Final): 1 Waikato (M Murphy, T Bedford) 6:50.16.

Premier Single Sculls – Heat One (Winner to Final; rest to Repechage): 6 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 7:25.42. Heat Two: 6 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan) 7:28.38. Repechage One (First Three to A Final): 1 M Dunham 7:05.97, 2 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 7:07.45, 3 M Drysdale 7:12.51; 4 Skibbereen (G O’Donovan) 7:15.84.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll competed as a heavyweight pair at the North Island Championships in New Zealand today. The world champions in the lightweight pair, who have switched to heavyweight in the hope of competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, finished fourth in their heat.

 Paul O’Donovan and Gary O’Donovan both finished sixth in their heats of the single sculls. Both also competed as heavyweights.

 All three boats move into repechages on Sunday.

Published in Rowing
1st December 2017

Afloat Honours Paul O'Donovan

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan is the Afloat Rower of the Month for November. The Skibbereen man beat all comers to show himself the top  single sculler at the Ireland Trial. He teamed up with his Olympic crewmate and brother, Gary, in a fast double on the Sunday.

 Paul O’Donovan is the world champion in the lightweight single sculls. He was a UCD Alumni Award winner in November, the youngest ever. He is 23.

Rower of the Month awards: The judging panel is made up of Liam Gorman, rowing correspondent of The Irish Times, and David O'Brien, editor of Afloat magazine. Monthly awards for achievements during the year will appear on afloat.ie. Keep a monthly eye on progress and watch our 2017 champions list grow.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Top internationals, including world champion Paul O’Donovan, Denise Walsh and Monika Dukarska, are amongst the big entry of over 400 crews from 26 clubs entered for the Muckross Head of the River on Saturday at the National Rowing Centre. The Ireland women’s pair which competed at the World Championships, Aileen Crowley and Aifric Keogh, are also entered. They are set to take on Emily Hegarty and Tara Hanlon, the crew which came closest to matching them at the recent Ireland Trial.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan and Gary O’Donovan, in a lightweight double scull, tied for the best time with a men’s heavyweight four on the second day of the Ireland trial over six kilometres today. The fastest women’s crew was the four of Tara Hanlon, Emily Hegarty, Aileen Crowley and Aifric Keogh. The double of Claire Lambe and Monika Dukarska were next fastest. 

Ireland Trial, National Rowing Centre, Sunday (6 km; selected results):

Men

Four: Shandon/St Michael’s (Murphy, Prendergast, McKeon, Garvey) 21 min 22 sec 

Doubles: G O’Donovan, P O’Donovan (lwt) 21:22; R Byrne, S McKeown (hwt) 21:36. 

Women

Four: Old Collegians, Skibbereen, UCC (T Hanlon, E Hegarty, A Crowley, A Keogh) 22:54.

Double: M Dukarska, C Lambe (hwt) 23:12; D Walsh, A Casey (lwt) 23:35

Published in Rowing
Page 6 of 12

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.”