Displaying items by tag: Bádoireacht

12th July 2017

Meitheal Mara Youth Crews Set to Make Waves in Cork Harbour

A variety of handcrafted currachs will be used, including fifteen Dunfanaghy currachs in the Meitheal Mara youth race

Organised by Meitheal Mara, this Thursday 13th of July will see dozens of young people from the Bádoireacht programme take part in a heated Youth Race between Blackrock and Cork City in Cork Harbour.

Starting at 18:30 from the newly renovated Blackrock Harbour, the crews include Cork Life Centre, Bishopstown Youth Project, Farranree Youth Project, Ballyphehane Foroige, Douglas Foroige, Ballincollig Foroige and Naomhóga Chorcaí. Most of these groups are regular participants in the Bádoireacht rowing programme and youth race, however for Ballincollig Foroige this will be the very first year.

A variety of handcrafted currachs will be used, including fifteen Dunfanaghy currachs, two Naomhógs and one Owey Island style currach. This is the first time that the Owey Island boat will be used in the Youth Race, rowed singlehandedly by William from Cork Life Centre who was part of the winning Ocean to City youth crew in 2016. Look out for Stufinali and An Doras Dearg, two of the participating currachs which were built by the young people themselves! In total there will be over 35 hardy rowers taking part in Thursday’s race, most of whom will be first year participants.

The race will culminate with a party at the Lapp's Quay finish line where families and supporters get together to cheer on the crews coming in from Blackrock. The first boats will cross the line around 19:00 with live commentary, music as well as a celebratory prize giving directly afterwards. Watch the spectacular fleet come in after the tough 4.5km race and welcome them at the finish line!

Clare Hayden, Youth Manager; We’re delighted to see the progression in our rowers this year. It’s fantastic to see the young people develop not just their rowing skills but also grow in confidence over the weeks. We look forward to a hotly contested race on Thursday!

Cathy Buchanan, General Manager; The blisters, rivalry and seamanship that will be exhibited at the youth race express the experiences that Lee-side young people have gained from their involvement in Meitheal Mara’s Bádoireacht rowing and boat building programme. Bádoireacht is key to Meitheal Mara’s activities and relationships. It is supported with energy and enthusiasm from Cork’s youth organisations and by funding from the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund through Cork ETB and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

The Bádoireacht programme and Youth Race are organised by Meitheal Mara, the community boatyard, training centre and charity located in the heart of Cork City. Bádoireacht is a unique boat building and rowing service for young people (ages 14 – 18). It has been running successfully since 2002 with an average of 130 individuals participating each year. Young people have an opportunity to learn to row currachs, sail and to build their own boats and woodcraft. For more information please see www.meithealmara.ie.

Published in Cork Harbour

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Offshore wind

ESB know the importance of offshore wind in tackling climate change and delivering net zero. Ireland has a unique capability given its prime location to take advantage of the potential of offshore wind. ESB are working hard to develop offshore wind projects for the benefit of everyone across society in Ireland and the UK. This includes ongoing engagement with marine users and local communities so ESB can deliver these significant projects.

Offshore wind will play a major role globally in our fight against climate change. It will help to replace energy generated by burning fossil fuels with that from a clean, safe and secure renewable energy source. Ireland’s geographic location on the exposed edge of the Atlantic presents us with a significant opportunity to generate electricity from wind – both offshore and onshore.

Power from onshore wind farms currently provide over one-third of Ireland’s electricity needs. But, whilst its marine area is many times the size of its landmass, Ireland’s offshore wind potential is only starting to be realised. ESB have a coastline stretching over 3,000km but only one operational offshore wind farm – Arklow Bank, with a capacity of 25 MW. In contrast, Belgium’s coastline is only 63km long, but it has already developed more than 2,000 MW of offshore wind. In Great Britain, with a coastline four times the length of ours, offshore wind generation now equates to over 440 Arklow Banks, with an installed capacity of 11,0000 MW as of late 2021.

The Irish Government's target to install 5,000 MW of offshore wind capacity in our maritime area by 2030 is set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021. It also has the objective to source 80% of Ireland’s electricity needs from renewables by the same year. In line with this, ESB is applying its professional and proven engineering expertise to the challenges set within the Climate Action Plan.

ESB are committed to playing a strong role in developing Ireland’s offshore wind potential for the benefit of the people of Ireland. This will be done in consultation with marine users and local communities, and with due care for the marine environment.