Maurice O'Connell
Maurice 'Prof' O'Connell is a partner in North Sails Ireland. He is also a professional sailor, sailing & life/business coach and sailing media analyst/commentator.
In 2018 he again won his class in the Round Ireland Race and in 2019 finished 2nd in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race - 10 years after he won it!
Also in 2019, he was providing expert commentary and analysis in studio for the SSL Star Europeans in Garda, Italy and SSL finals in Nassau.
Full bio here.
Tis all happening here in North Sails Ireland! We had our first outing on the new Cape 31 "BLAST" here in Dublin Bay. This is the second Cape 31 in Ireland to be kitted out in a full North Sails…
North Sails Ireland's On-Site Sail Repair Service for Next Week's Cork Week - Save These Numbers!
5th July 2022 North Sails Ireland
As has become our custom and practice over the past 15 years at most of the major events, North Sails Ireland will be providing overnight sail repair services for next week's Cork Week in Crosshaven. Our Service Manager Shane Hughes…
It's great to be back! Huge congratulations to the team at Howth Yacht Club, led by the mighty Brian Turvey delivering the first major inshore event in Ireland since 2019. The competition was awesome, the race management excellent, the craic…
Greeting sailors from us all here at North Sails Ireland! Things are getting moving now - the Axiom Private Clients April League is in full swing in Kinsale, they just finished their Frank Godsell March Series and AIB DBSC Spring…
Greetings everyone from us here at North Sails Ireland. I was fortunate enough to get in a little "warm weather training" when I spent three days working with Irish Sailing’s performance squad at their winter training base in Lanzarote a…
Happy new year everyone! North Sails Ireland is continuing to further push the boundaries of sail design and construction using our Helix load sharing technology. Helix is being continuously developed and refined by our designers at the very highest levels…
Here at North Sails Ireland, our one-design (non-IRC/ECHO) clients have had a fantastic season. North Sails powered championship winners in the J24, Puppeteer 22, Dragon, Flying Fifteen, J80 and many many other classes. For these one-design classes, our winter pricing…
Following on from the success of our wonderful North Sails Ireland customers at events all over the country last weekend, we bring you some more good news:- Our PPD (price period discount) programme will be going live on October 1st…
North Sails Ireland is again sponsoring the J/109 Nationals this year. The event will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club and in talking to event organiser Damien Quinn from "Jalapeno", it is hoped that 12 boats will be…
Mermaid National Championships - North Sails Powers the McCormack "Treble" to the 2020/2021 "Double"
8th September 2021 North Sails Ireland
The Mermaid National Championships were hosted by Tralee Bay Sailing Club recently. TBSC in Fenit is one of my favourite places to race. The majestic mountain backdrops surrounding Samphire Island make it an unforgettable experience. Here at North Sails Ireland,…
North Sails Powers the Podium at the Dragon Nationals in Kinsale
7th September 2021 North Sails Ireland
Not for the first time, the super-consistent team of Neil Hegarty, David Williams and the evergreen Peter Bowring won the Dragon Irish National Championships in Kinsale YC over the weekend. In a stunning series, they opened their account with three…
North Sails Powers Class Winners at the ICRA National Championships
6th September 2021 North Sails Ireland
WOW! What an amazing weekend that was! The "ICRA's", our national championships, hosted by the National Yacht Club, have just finished. It was amazing to see so many sailors afloat competing hard for the national titles up for grabs. It…
Amazing - how did ALL these events (listed below alphabetically!) all fit in Dublin Bay last weekend? Beneteau First 31.7 National Championships Beneteau First 21.7 national Championships Dragon East Coast Championships RS Aero National Championships Ruffian National Championships DBSC Saturday…
What North Sails Clients Had to Say at Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale
29th June 2021 North Sails Ireland
Well, what an amazing event that was! Congratulations to the team in Kinsale YC for another fabulous Sovereign's Cup. We had a nice mixture of wind speeds and directions, tons of shifts, plenty of sunshine and the odd light smattering…
"We Haven't Hoisted This Sail in 13 Years" - Jump Juice's North Sails Genoa Staysail
25th June 2021 North Sails Ireland
When the Ker 37 Jump Juice team decided to enter the Coastal division in Sovereign's Cup this year, we knew there would be much longer legs than the usual windward/leewards. So, skipper Conor Phelan pulled his genoa staysail ("GS") out…
Big Results Mark Great Kick-Off to Summer Season For North Sails Ireland
17th June 2021 North Sails Ireland
Wow, what a start to the season ‘proper’! Well done to everyone involved in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race and more besides, writes Maurice O’Connell. This year’s D2D was one of the most enjoyable offshores I have ever done…
As we close in on when "racing proper like" starts next week, we wanted to share the early season "training" and "racing" successes of our wonderful clients flying North Sails. Scottish Series - "Final Call", "Animal" & "Leaky Roof" We…
The North Sails Ireland team have been hitting the water hard all over the country this past couple of weeks. It's great to see light at the end of the tunnel and especially our great customers getting their new sails…
North Sails - Four Lessons Learned From The America's Cup - Immediate Benefits for Irish North Sails Clients
30th March 2021 North Sails Ireland
Here at North Sails Ireland, we feel blessed to be associated with the larger North Sails team that designed, manufactured and delivered the sails used in the recent America's Cup finals and Prada Cup Challenger series finals. We are lucky…
North Sails & Professional Navigator Campbell Field Talk Through the New Rolex Fastnet Race 2021 Course
17th February 2021 North Sails Ireland
The biennial RORC Fastnet race is undergoing a seismic change this year. As reported here in Afloat, it's the first time since it's inauguration in 1925 that it will NOT finish in Plymouth in Devon but in Cherbourg in France.…
