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Dublin Bay Boating News and Information

Displaying items by tag: Waterways Visitor Centre

#DUCKING DOCKS - Who will have the best looking duck swimming in the Duck Race?...at the Duck Your Duck Workshop this Saturday 25th August (between 11am-5pm –both Sat. & Sun). The children's creative workshop will be held at the Waterways Visitor Centre, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin.

There will be glitter and glue, paint and polish. So come on down and give your duck some character before it joins the Duck Race. Plus radio controlled boats, Watery Stories and the Darklight Kids' Programme.

In addition there will be plenty of other events and activities for all ages, organised as part of National Heritage Week, for more click HERE.

Also of course to boarding the tallships, with more than 40 such majestic vessels lining both sides of the Liffey quays. Also laid on are shored based  events at both the Grand Canal and Spencer Docks. To see the free family festival programme over the four days click visit www. dublintallships.ie/

Published in Coastal Notes

#PEG PEOPLE - This weekend's (18-19 August) children's arts and craft morning workshop is as usual been held in the Waterways Visitor Centre located in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock. Noting the centre has also organised other events and activities as part of National Heritage Week and with the Tallships (23-26 August) coming to town!

The theme of the creative morning is 'Peg People-Create Your Own Character With Textiles and a Wooden Peg! The activity is part of an on-going Children's Summer Workshop Programme, held every weekend until late August. On each of the weekends (both mornings), the theme of the art & craft workshop will change.

Art & craft workshops are to cater for two age groups with the first workshop (5-7 year olds) starts at 11:00 and the second session for those (aged 8-10) begins at 12 noon.

Admission is €3.00 per child, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited so booking is advisable. For further details contact: (01) 6777510, Wed-Sun 10.00am- 6.00pm and by visiting www.waterwaysirelandvisitorcentre.org/events.aspx

Published in Inland Waterways

#WEAVING WAVES -This weekend (4-5 August) there is to be an arts and craft morning workshop for children held in the Waterways Visitor Centre located in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock.

The theme for this weekend's activity is ' Weaving Waves: Will your water be flat calm or very stormy? The wave-themed activity is part of an on-going Children's Summer Workshop Programme, held every weekend until late August. On each of the weekends (both mornings), the theme of the art & craft workshop will change.

Art & craft workshops are to cater for two age groups with the first workshop (5-7 year olds) starts at 11:00 and the second session for those (aged 8-10) begins at 12 noon.

Admission is €3.00 per child, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited so booking is advisable. For further details contact: (01) 6777510, Wed-Sun 10.00am- 6.00pm and by visiting www.waterwaysirelandvisitorcentre.org/events.aspx

Published in Inland Waterways

#TOWERS FOR KIDS -This weekend (28-29 July) there is to be an arts and craft morning workshop for children held in the Waterways Visitor Centre located in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock.

The theme for this weekend's activity is 'Tall Towers: How High will your tower be? which is part of an on-going Children's Summer Workshop Programme, held every weekend until late August. On each of the weekends (both mornings), the theme of the art & craft workshop will change.

Art & craft workshops are to cater for two age groups with the first workshop starting at 11:00 (5-7 year olds) and the second session begins at 12 noon (8-10 year olds).

Admission is €3.00 per child, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited so booking is advisable. For further details contact: (01) 6777510, Wed-Sun 10.00am- 6.00pm and by visiting www.waterwaysirelandvisitorcentre.org/events.aspx

Published in Inland Waterways

#CHILDREN'S CRAFTS- This forthcoming weekend (21-22 July) there is to be an arts and craft morning workshop for children held in the Waterways Visitor Centre located in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock.

This weekend's theme is 'Otter Hand Puppets' where children can make cute otter characters!

The event is part of an on-going Children's Summer Workshop Programme, which is held every weekend until late August. On each of the weekends (both mornings) the theme of the art & craft workshop will change.

All of the art & craft workshops are catered for two age groups, with the first workshop starting at 11:00 (5 – 7 year olds) and the second session begins at 12 noon (8 – 10 year olds).

Admission is €3.00 per child, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited so booking is advisable. For further details contact: (01) 6777510, Wed – Sun 10.00am – 6.00pm and by visiting www.waterwaysirelandvisitorcentre.org/events.aspx

Published in Inland Waterways

#JUNE JAZZ JETTY – The Waterways Visitor Centre in the heart of the Grand Canal Dock, Dublin is the place to be with the venue buzzing to the sounds of the 'Jazz on the Jetty in June'. The free event this Wednesday (27th) is between 12.30 - 2.00pm.

Gavin Kerins will be entertaining those on the jetty in the inner basin which is close to the DART station at Grand Canal Dock. Also on the quayside there will be an Irish Village Market with a wide variety of food stalls, giving an option to buy your lunch during the musical event.

For further information and about the visitor centre click HERE.

Published in Boating Fixtures

#MAKING MAGICAL MOSAICS - This forthcoming weekend (23-24 June) there is to be an arts and craft morning workshop for children held in the Waterways Visitor Centre located in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock.

The theme for this weekend's activities is 'Magical Mosaics' where all things shiny, sparkly, colourful and glittery make these arts of work turn into magical mosaics!

The event is part of an on-going Children's Summer Workshop Programme, which is held every weekend until late August. On each of the weekends (both mornings) the theme of the art & craft workshop will change.

Art & craft workshops are to cater for two age groups with the first workshop starting at 11:00 (5 – 7 year olds) and the second session begins at 12 noon (8 – 10 year olds).

Admission is €3.00 per child, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited so booking is advisable. For further details contact: (01) 6777510, Wed – Sun 10.00am – 6.00pm and by visiting www.waterwaysirelandvisitorcentre.org/events.aspx

Published in Inland Waterways

#BUILDING BARGES IN THE BOX – This forthcoming 'Bloomsday' there will be an arts & crafts workshop for children at the Waterways Visitor Centre, otherwise affectionately known as the 'Box' which is located in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock.

The theme for the Bloomsday weekend is 'Building Barges', what will your barge carry? which is part of a Children's Summer Workshop Programme, held at weekends till late August. On each of the weekends (both mornings) the theme of the art & craft workshop will change.

Art & craft workshops are to cater for two age groups with the first workshop starting at 11:00 (5 – 7 year olds) and the second session begins at 12 noon (8 – 10 year olds).

Admission is €3.00 per child, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited so booking is advisable. For further details contact: (01) 6777510, Wed – Sun 10.00am – 6.00pm and www.waterwaysirelandvisitorcentre.org/events.aspx

Published in Inland Waterways

Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay on the east coast of Ireland stretches over seven kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine.

The biggest boating centre is at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Bay's south shore that is home to over 1,500 pleasure craft, four waterfront yacht clubs and Ireland's largest marina.

The bay is rather shallow with many sandbanks and rocky outcrops, and was notorious in the past for shipwrecks, especially when the wind was from the east. Until modern times, many ships and their passengers were lost along the treacherous coastline from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, less than a kilometre from shore.

The Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea and is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sandbanks lie, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

Dublin Bay FAQs

There are approximately ten beaches and bathing spots around Dublin Bay: Dollymount Strand; Forty Foot Bathing Place; Half Moon bathing spot; Merrion Strand; Bull Wall; Sandycove Beach; Sandymount Strand; Seapoint; Shelley Banks; Sutton, Burrow Beach

There are slipways on the north side of Dublin Bay at Clontarf, Sutton and on the southside at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and in Dalkey at Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours.

Dublin Bay is administered by a number of Government Departments, three local authorities and several statutory agencies. Dublin Port Company is in charge of navigation on the Bay.

Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the southside of the Bay has an East and West Pier, each one kilometre long; this is one of the largest human-made harbours in the world. There also piers or walls at the entrance to the River Liffey at Dublin city known as the Great North and South Walls. Other harbours on the Bay include Bulloch Harbour and Coliemore Harbours both at Dalkey.

There are two marinas on Dublin Bay. Ireland's largest marina with over 800 berths is on the southern shore at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The other is at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey close to Dublin City.

Car and passenger Ferries operate from Dublin Port to the UK, Isle of Man and France. A passenger ferry operates from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Howth as well as providing tourist voyages around the bay.

Dublin Bay has two Islands. Bull Island at Clontarf and Dalkey Island on the southern shore of the Bay.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city and into the Bay. Its tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

Dollymount, Burrow and Seapoint beaches

Approximately 1,500 boats from small dinghies to motorboats to ocean-going yachts. The vast majority, over 1,000, are moored at Dun Laoghaire Harbour which is Ireland's boating capital.

In 1981, UNESCO recognised the importance of Dublin Bay by designating North Bull Island as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development, UNESCO’s concept of a Biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but also the areas around them and the communities that live and work within these areas. There have since been additional international and national designations, covering much of Dublin Bay, to ensure the protection of its water quality and biodiversity. To fulfil these broader management aims for the ecosystem, the Biosphere was expanded in 2015. The Biosphere now covers Dublin Bay, reflecting its significant environmental, economic, cultural and tourism importance, and extends to over 300km² to include the bay, the shore and nearby residential areas.

On the Southside at Dun Laoghaire, there is the National Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as Dublin Bay Sailing Club. In the city centre, there is Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club. On the Northside of Dublin, there is Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club and Sutton Dinghy Club. While not on Dublin Bay, Howth Yacht Club is the major north Dublin Sailing centre.

© Afloat 2020