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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: Rowing Ireland

Rowing Ireland has been awarded €70,079 for urgent repairs to the National Rowing Centre in Cork in the latest Sports Capital and Equipment Programme Regional Capital Allocations.

The amateur rowing union was also awarded €140,771 for Olympic equipment and €171,214 for a European fleet of boats for camps for Paris and the LA Olympics.

Minister Martin announced an overall package of €150 million in new capital grants under the latest round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) on Friday, February 11th.

€144 million is allocated to almost 1,900 applications with €6 million kept in reserve for successful appeals lodged by unsuccessful applicants.

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Published in Rowing
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Rowing Ireland has postponed its 2021 AGM originally scheduled for this coming Sunday 26 September until Sunday 31 October.

The national governing body’s board opted for the five-week delay to give delegates more time to prepare for voting on a number of wide-ranging proposals for Rowing Ireland’s constitution.

These include a new gender balance quota on the board of 40% women, more independent directors, and that the board would have a specified chair distinct from the president’s role.

Rowing Ireland held the first in a series of webinars to discuss the proposals last Thursday (16 September) and the next takes place this evening (Tuesday 21 September) at 7.30pm.

Register on the Rowing Ireland website, where you can also download the relevant documents.

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Rowing Ireland has imposed a ban on media interviews with the international team until after the Olympic Games.

After negotiations this week, the ban will be lifted for one Zoom open day for the media under the auspices of the Olympic Federation of Ireland. Olympic athletes are also required to be available in the mixed zone at the Games. 

A Rowing Ireland spokesperson confirmed that athletes have been told not to otherwise speak to the media.

It is understood that the high-performance director, Antonio Maurogiovanni, believes this will protect the rowers in terms of public expectations and in regard to their mental health.  

“The rowing team will be available for media interviews at a media day, that we are currently finalising details of with the Olympic Federation of Ireland. This will coincide with the official team announcements. Details on this will be confirmed shortly,” Rowing Ireland said in a statement.

The rowing team is one of Ireland’s best hopes for medals in Tokyo. Ireland has qualified six boats and all four Olympic-class boats which competed at the recent World Cup Regatta in Lucerne won medals. During and after the regatta, Rowing Ireland said it would not allow media interviews with the rowers.  

Neither the Olympic Federation nor Sport Ireland favours blanket bans on athletes speaking to the media. 

In a statement, Sport Ireland said: “Rowing Ireland is an independent organisation and takes its own decisions. There are legitimate performance concerns and extra pressures arising from COVID which led to Rowing Ireland’s decision. That said, some access to the media is preferred for multiple reasons including creating a positive profile for the sport.”

Published in Rowing
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Running a sports body has become increasingly onerous. Many sporting entities have become companies and now need to abide by the Companies Act. All entities funded by Sport Ireland must comply with a code of governance, adopted by Sport Ireland, by the end of 2021. In recent years, the sporting world has been rocked by controversies both internationally and here in Ireland, which have had significant repercussions. It is now more essential than ever that all sporting entities, big and small, need to focus on good governance.

Sports Governance: A Guide for Sporting Entities is designed to help board or committee members to understand and address governance issues. The book focuses on three main areas: firstly, an introduction to governance, with a specific look at the governance code for sporting entities and the need for governance; secondly, becoming a board member and the considerations taken by both the person and the organisation before taking on the responsibility; and thirdly the key functions of a board – strategy, risk, accountability, and monitoring. Each chapter ends with essential points for the smaller sporting entity and the club, as well as ten key points.

Sports Governance: A Guide for Sporting Entities is essential reading for anyone involved in running a sporting body, large or small. It will also be of interest to policymakers and auditors. It is available from www.orpenpress.com and all good bookshops for €20.

Anne McFarland is a chartered accountant with a Diploma from UCD in Corporate Governance and a Diploma from the Law Society in Sports Law. She has been a finance director of multinational organisations for many years; she lectures on corporate governance and enjoys working with sporting entities, big and small, to develop strategy and improve governance. This book draws on her practical experience as a board member and as an advisor on governance, as well as her interest in sport, both amateur and professional. She is co-author of A Practical Guide for Company Directors (Chartered Accountants Ireland, 2017).

Published in Book Review

Rowing Ireland has launched a Virtual Regatta. The regatta will run over lockdown bank holiday weekend from 9 am on Saturday the 2nd of May and finish at 5 pm Monday the 4th of May.

This will be an opportunity for our members to represent their clubs and for our members at every level. Whether they are a World medallist or part of our High-Performance team this will give Rowing Ireland members an opportunity to clock their km's with their club and province for some great prizes while staying active.

Prizes

There are four new Concept 2 ergometers and some exciting spot prizes to be won. Here are the prizes on offer:

  • A new Concept2 ergometer for the top club in each province.
  • A trophy for the top club in the country.
  • There are exciting spot prizes to give out along the way for best photo submission, most metres completed in one day, and best 2k time.
  • Individual 1st, 2nd and 3rd medals for most distances in each age category in each province.

How it will work

  1. Rowers complete their work out and take a selfie with their monitor showing their times
  2. Input their information, distances in metres and selfie through the Rowing Ireland Virtual Regatta page

Rowing Ireland is encouraging its High-Performance team preparing for Tokyo 2021 and Junior 14 members to wear their club colours proudly and compete in the first Virtual Regatta.

Published in Rowing

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, announced a new strategic partnership between Waterways Ireland and Rowing Ireland during the Get Going, Get Rowing #Blitzit Festival of Rowing on Grand Canal Dock on 9 May.

The partnership will seek to promote rowing programmes and clubs on the over 1,000km of inland waterways managed by Waterways Ireland.

It will also see a range of Rowing Ireland programmes, including Row for Life, the Get Going Get Rowing schools programme and Transition Year rowing coach programme, avail of Waterways Ireland facilities and sites to help promote improved levels of fitness, health and wellness across all ages in a fun and sociable environment.

Waterways Ireland, which is under the aegis of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, says it has seen a huge increase in the number of recreational users on and along all the waterways in recent years and there is now even more opportunity for people to try new recreational activities.

The new partnership allows Waterways Ireland and Rowing Ireland to join forces in promoting the health and well-being and social opportunities that are available through rowing in the great outdoors.

“For Waterways Ireland, partnerships are an ideal opportunity to encourage people to see inland waterways as a fitness and recreational opportunity for them,” said Sharon Lavin, head of marketing and communications at Waterways Ireland.

“Through working at a strategic level with Rowing Ireland, further programmes will be developed and people young and old will learn skills to help them stay fit and healthy for life.”

Rowing Ireland chief executive Michelle Carpenter added: “Our Get Going, Get Rowing programme — that has engaged 30,000 individual students in 2018 — is key to transitioning those from our school's programme to on the water rowing and activity on the water for life and our clubs.

“These values are significant elements of our strategic plan and we are thrilled to work hand in hand with our partners in Waterways Ireland.”

Further information on rowing programmes under this partnership can be found at RowingIreland.ie and www.WaterwaysIreland.org.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Kinetica Sports Nutrition, one of Ireland’s leading sports nutrition brands, today announced that it is rowing in behind one of Ireland’s strongest groups of Olympic 2020 hopefuls as it signs up to become the official headline partner of Rowing Ireland.

 The partnership will enhance the brand’s visibility in one of Ireland’s fastest growing sports, building on its devoted following amongst professional athletes and international sports teams. The sponsorship will provide funding to Rowing Ireland along with Kinetica’s range of sports nutrition products. Rowing Ireland the will have the opportunity to promote and encourage all upcoming levels of rowing talent. The partnership also aims to highlight that rowing is a sport in which anyone can participate.

 In addition to the overall partnership arrangement, Kinetica has signed up two-time Olympian and current World Champion Sanita Puspure as an official brand ambassador. Sanita’s excellent run of form continues, on the back of her recent gold-winning performance at the Memorial Paolo d’Aloja in Piediluco, Italy less than three weeks ago. Sanita was joined at the official launch by fellow Olympic hopefuls, Aifric Keogh and Monika Dukarska. The partnership will be amplified through the brand’s new #KineticaIgnites campaign; designed to ask everyone to look at the motivation behind their sport and exercise and inspire everyone to use sport and exercise to help build a healthy body and mind.

 Ann Marie Brady, Senior Brand Manager, Boyne Valley, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Rowing Ireland, a fantastic organisation that will be at the forefront of Ireland’s medal hopes in Tokyo next year. Our aim with this sponsorship is to provide support to all rowers and coaches and help them to reach their maximum potential with the support of our wide range of great-tasting Kinetica products. Kinetica is trusted and used by many professionals and athletes across leading teams and associations in Ireland and abroad.

 "This is an exciting opportunity for us to be present at several high-profile competitive tournaments as well as a chance for us to extend our knowledge and expertise with some of the best sporting talent that Ireland has to offer. As well as this, we’re excited to help Rowing Ireland in promoting rowing as a sport that anybody can get involved in and reminding people that you don’t need to be an Olympian to get involved and enjoy this great sport.”

 Michelle Carpenter, CEO, Rowing Ireland added, “We are delighted to welcome Kinetica on board as our official headline partner. Our goal is always to promote and encourage participation in rowing at all levels and Kinetica can help us achieve that with their support and expertise. 2016 was a massive breakthrough year for rowing in Ireland, achieving our first ever silver medal in Rio. Our sights are fully set on Tokyo in 2020 and we look forward to collaborating with Kinetica and are grateful for their backing and commitment throughout this journey. We are very much looking forward to the exciting times ahead.”

 Kinetica will also benefit from increased visibility on Rowing Ireland’s boats and team clothing as well as being at the forefront of all major rowing events at home and abroad, including title sponsorship of the upcoming Irish Championships. As part of the exciting agreement, Kinetica will adopt the naming rights to the National Rowing Ireland centre in Farran Woods, Co. Cork.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Fran Keane has been chosen as Operations Manager and Pathway Coordinator for Rowing Ireland. Keane comes from a strong Athlone rowing family. His father and uncles rowed for Athlone Boat club and after following the family tradition he went on to row for UCC and Cork Boat Club. He also had a year rowing in Galway. Having moved to Cork in 2002 Fran secured a job teaching in Presentation Brothers College in 2004 where he also had the role of Head Rowing Coach.

Over the past 14 years in this job, Fran has overseen the development of the schools rowing program to where it has nearly 100 boys participating. He has coached a number of winning crews at the Irish Championships as well as preparing athletes for international selection. Keane has coached successfully at all junior international levels: Home Internationals, Coupe de la Jeunesse, Junior European Championships and Junior World Championships.

For Rowing Ireland, he has been involved in a voluntary capacity as Lead Sweep Coach, Lead Junior Men’s Coach and Junior Lead Coach. “I am delighted to be joining the Rowing Ireland team at such an exciting time for Irish rowing and look forward to the challenge that this role has to offer,” he said after his appointment. Speaking about the appointment, the chair of the high-performance committee, Neville Maxwell, said: “Forward planning is key to our organisation, not only with targeting Tokyo (2020) but also preparing for Paris (2024). We believe that the appointment of Fran will fit perfectly with this strategy. Fran’s experience at domestic club level and with the junior team over the last number of years will hugely benefit Rowing Ireland as we build our clubs and crews in the upcoming years.”

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#Rowing: The agm of Rowing Ireland was businesslike and brief – coming in under an hour.

 Neville Maxwell, the chair of the high performance committee, praised the “energy and enthusiasm” of high performance director Antonio Maurogiovanni. “He wants a system which is open and transparent,” he said.

 Maxwell said that there was a move away from lightweight rowing and it was essential to build a programme which would last. Finding new sources of income was very important.

 Leo Gibson replaced outgoing treasurer Dan Buckley, who has stepped down. The Old Collegians man spoke of the hope of drawing down Large Scale Sports Infrastructure grants.

 Rowing Ireland president Eamonn Colclough said the priority was to finance work on the National Rowing Centre, with the hope of replacing the slips and, perhaps, the buoyed course. Next in priority would be Lough Rinn and then the proposed new Blessington course.

 Colclough said that he hoped there was a big uptake on the package deal which will give Irish spectators a good way to travel to the World Rowing Championships in Linz in Austria in August/September. “I would love to hear The Fields of Athenry ring out over the waters in Linz,” he said.

 Rowing Ireland is preparing to facilitate clubs using Lough Rinn by taking over the insurance requirements asked for by Leitrim County Council. The Council will “spend hundreds of thousands of euro” on developing the course and surrounds, Colclough told the agm.

 The fixtures calendar for 2020 emerged in a very similar form to the one proposed. Erne Head moved to a week earlier than scheduled and will now take place on March 7th and the Castleconnell Sprint Regatta takes a similar step to May 9th. Carlow’s Dambuster Head is set to take place on  February 1st.

 Galway Regatta (June 6th) and Shandon Masters Regatta (August 15th) were late additions to the draft calendar put before delegates.  

Awards

President’s: Seamus Scully, Carlow

Connacht: Paul Gallen

Leinster: Gerry Conway, Frank Moore, Willie Ryan, Mick Carney, Andrew Coleman

Munster: Brian Sheppard

Ulster: Jeremy Johnston

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Rowing Ireland has received a commendation from the International Olympic Committee for its work in promoting women’s sport. The Irish governing body were awarded the “Women and Sport” Achievement Diploma in recognition of its “outstanding contribution to promoting the development and participation of women and girls in sport”.

The Get Going, Get Rowing programme has introduced big numbers of girls to rowing.

Published in Rowing
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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.”