#rnli – The RNLI are inviting the public to a meetingabout plans for a permanent Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station in Dromineer . The public will meet the architects/engineers at a consultation on the Station plans for Lough Derg. The meeting will take place at Lough Derg Yacht Club, Wed. October 15 from 7-9pm.

The Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station, began operations from the premises of Lough Derg Yacht Club at Dromineer, halfway down the east shore of the lake in County Tipperary. Now that plans for our new permanent Station in the village are well underway, it is important the the public become engaged with the consultation process for the new permanet station location in their locality.

On May 25, 2014, the Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station celebrated its tenth birthday. In those ten years, the lifeboat has launched 240 times, 60 of those at night. Volunteer crews have rescued 340 people and saved the lives of three people.

Following a rescue August 13 of this year, the Skipper of the vessel wrote this letter to our Lifeboat Operations Manager, Mr. Liam Maloney (quote used with kind permission).

The lifeboat reached us within 20 minutes of my call and towed us to the safety of Shannon Sailing Dromineer. [...]
It would be hard to do justice to the spped and manner in which all those people concerned responded to my emmergency call, including the operator who answered my radio call.

For many years the RNLI and the lifesaving work of its volunteers, have enjoyed the strong support of the people of Nenagh through the tireless efforts of campaigners in the RNLI's expanding fund raising committee, chaired locally by Niamh McCutcheon. The RNLI is a charity that saves lives, it does not receive Governent grants and relies entirely on the contributions and legacies from the public to continue its vital operations.

Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station is one of forty four RNLI Stations operating in Ireland. A local application to station an RNLI lifeboat on Lough Derg, led by Charles Stanley Smith and Teddy Knight, became reality, when, on 25 May 2004, the Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat officially began service. In the preceding year and a half, volunteer crews and members for the Operations Committee were recruited and underwent intensive training on the water and in the classroom, with RNLI Divisional Trainer Assessor Helena Duggan - our Trainer Assessor to this day.

Lough Derg is one of three RNLI inland Stations in Ireland, the other two are located at Lough Erne Yacht Club, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and our sister Station on the river Shannon, at Lough Ree.

Lough Derg is the lowest, and at twenty-seven miles long, the largest of the series of lakes on the river Shannon, the longest river in the Republic of Ireland. The shores of Lough Derg are bordered by three counties with the most outstanding countryside. It has secluded lagoons that can be accessed by narrow rivulets and many public and private harbours.

It is a beautiful, serene and charming freshwater lake. However, it can be provoked by high winds that funnel between the hills that border its southern narrower stretches of water. With little warning Lough Derg suddenly becomes an unforgiving sweep of water. At Parker's Point, where two stretches of the lake meet from the west and from the south, the water depth decreases sharply from one hundred and twenty feet to less than twenty feet. In a south westerly these factors combine to produce extremely confusing seas, with waves that come from the two directions at once to produce treacherous steep 'pyramid' waves. It is at this point on the lake that vessels frequently get into difficulties.

In the past Lough Derg was a major conduit for the passage of people and trade goods along the river Shannon. Nowadays the lake is used for pleasure by fishing and sailing boats, cruisers and barges. By necessity the rescue services must be present and ready to deal with increasing traffic and any possible difficulties that might ensue. Lough Derg is ready to do that, with volunteers on call twenty fours hours a day, every day of the year

#loughderg – Iniscealtra Sailing Club and Garykennedy Sailing Club hosted the annual 24–mile long Gortmore Bell Race on Lough Derg at the weekend, 36 sailing boats ranging from one design types such as 1720s and J24s plus a good mix of 28ft to 34ft cruiser–racers competed. Conditions for the Lough's long distance race were ideal with wind speeds ranging from eight and 14 knots from the north–east.

The course for the 2014 race was from a start Line in Mountshannon Bay to the Gortmore Green Navigation Mark rounded to Port, thence to Coose Bay Red Navigation Mark to port, Mountaineer Green Navigation Mark  to starboard and a finish in Mountshannon Bay.

The winning boat boat was the Hanse 34 sailing cruiser, Dash, skippered by Dan O'Donnell of  Iniscealtra Sailing Club.

#HolyIsland - Waterways Ireland's chief executive has said the agency would be "delighted" to work with Clare County Council to develop improved public access to Holy Island on Lough Derg.

Dawn Livingstone was speaking following a visit to Holy Island during which she was briefed by the local authority on its plans to secure the purchase of the island, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Regarded as one of the most important historical and ecclesiastical sites in Ireland, the island comprises some 50 acres, of which more than four acres are in the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW).

"Waterways Ireland would be delighted to work in partnership with the council to develop better access to Holy Island as part of a management plan for care of the important ecclesiastical monuments on the island has been developed," said Livingstone.

"Holy Island is one of a number of important historic sites associated with the inland waterways, which Waterways Ireland believe linked together form a heritage trail that would also bring new visitors to the waterways and local areas."

Livingstone was accompanied on her visit to Holy Island by Gerard Dollard, director of services with Clare County Council, who confirmed that the local authority is presently putting funding in place and signing contracts to acquire the land, and said the council "warmly welcomes" Waterways Ireland's interest in the project that would go up for consultation with "all stakeholders and the local community" following the purchase.

Holy Island lies close to the village of Mountshannon and is on the UNESCO World Heritage site tentative list as an Early Medieval Monastic site along with Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Glendalough, Kells and Monasterboice.

The island also has important links to Brian Ború and is known throughout East Clare as the 'Jewel of the Lough'. Still used as a burial ground, the ruins and buildings still standing on Holy Island date back as far as the 7th century when the monastic site was established by St Caimin. Tom MacSweeney has more on the island in his latest This Island Nation.

#loughderg – Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Mr. Alan Kelly TD today launched a brand new website dedicated exclusively to the promotion of the inland waterways of the Lough Derg region.

www.discoverloughderg.ie provides visitors to the region with information on places to visit, events, accommodation providers and restaurants, special offers, and land and water based activities.

The website is one of a number of marketing initiatives being rolled out over the coming months and during 2015 to establish the Lough Derg area in counties Clare, Galway and Tipperary as Ireland's premier lakeland destination.

"Lough Derg is the most important tourism asset in this region, and the lake has the capacity and the potential to entice and host domestic and international visitors alike," stated Minister Kelly at the launch of www.discoverloughderg.ie.

The Minister added: "We need to continue to work on increasing the demand for lakeside and leisure activities and attract tourists into the Lakelands Lough Derg Region. An online presence is just one activity to assist us in doing this".

Minister Kelly confirmed that a €2million stimulus package is being invested to progress the objectives of the "Roadmap for Experience Development and Destination Marketing Plan 2014-2017" for Lough Derg, which was launched earlier this year.

Implementation of the Plan is being co-ordinated by the Lough Derg Marketing Group (LDMG), comprising Fáilte Ireland, Waterways Ireland, Inland Fisheries, Clare, Galway and Tipperary County Councils, LEADER and tourism trade representatives from the private sector.

In addition to the website, the LDMG has coordinated a promotional video for the Lakelands Lough Derg Region, which is available to view on the newly launched website and which local tourism businesses are encouraged to incorporate into their websites. Lakelands Lough Derg will also be promoted on websites across France and Germany later this year, while a domestic marketing campaign is planned for the national print and broadcast media in early 2015.

Joe MacGrath, LDMG Chairperson and Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council commented: "One of the key objectives outlined in the Roadmap is to improve orientation around Lough Derg for visitors. This will be achieved by erecting new signage to create a sense of arrival and enhance the visitor experience in exploring the area. It will focus on the three counties of Clare, Tipperary and Galway that border the lake with signage from motorways to the regional and local roads included in the scheme. Work is progressing in relation to this project and new signage is expected to be put in place in 2015".

"The marketing and promotion of Lough Derg is an ongoing process," explained Áine Mc Carthy, Tourism Marketing Coordinator for Lough Derg, who added: "For example, the Lough Derg Marketing Group launched a pilot food tourism initiative, A Taste of Lough Derg 2014, in June of this year which became an instant success generating public attention on social media through a series of events organised by the tourism trade in July and August. The initiative, which continues this month has created a significant interest in local produce available around Lough Derg and has heightened awareness of Lough Derg as a food tourism destination".

"The initiative will be extended next year to get more of the tourism trade involved, with more events taking place throughout the summer months offering visitors to Lough Derg a choice of food events to attend," added Ms. Mc Carthy.

Meanwhile, the LDMG has been involved in an EU Project called TRAP (Territories of Rivers Action Plans) since March which involves improving stakeholder engagement around Lough Derg.

Businesses wishing to be added to www.discoverloughderg.ie or to have their details updated should send an email to [email protected].

#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist two people on board a 40ft cruiser, adrift by Crow Island, south of the Scilly Islands on Lough Derg yesterday.

On Wednesday afternoon, September 3, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist two people adrift on their boat by Crow Island. They had damaged the drive shaft on their boat after glancing off a rock.

The lifeboat launched at 3.50pm with Helm Eleanor Hooker, Peter Clarke and Jason Freeman on board. Winds were south westerly, Force 2, visibility was good.

The lifeboat came alongside at 4.15pm and found two fishing boats assisting. Fishermen in one lakeboat had taken the bow line of the casualty vessel to hold them off the rocks. The second fishing boat had remained on standby in case they were required. The lifeboat crew thanked the fishermen for their assistance. The two people were safe and well and wearing their lifejackets. A lifeboat crew member was transferred to the boat, where, after full checking the boat for any further damage, he set up a tow. The lifeboat towed the boat, with her two crew and an RNLI volunteer on board, to Killaloe, where it was safely tied up alongside at 5.15pm

RNLI Lifeboat Helm Eleanor Hooker advises all boat users to remember the importance of 'remaining within the safe channels marked on their lake charts'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 6.30pm.

#barge – It is to take up a new berth in Lough Derg next week, but the history of a barge docked at Customs House Quay as a performance theatre is every bit as colourful and exciting as the play it's hosted over the past three weeks writes Andrew Carey.

The 80–foot barge "Spera in Deo" (Trust in God) or "T82" was built in Holland in 1895 and although used as a cargo vessel, the records show she was originally a sailing ship.

Converted to a mussel dredger in 1924 by the Blommaert family in Zierikzee, the boat remained in Holland until 1983 when it was brought to Kerry where it operated for a number of years. It left the southern shores for Greencastle in Donegal where it became one of the first dredgers to fish mussels on the River Foyle.

A major overhaul of the historic vessel was undertaken by a Donegal entrepreneur who used it for recreational purposes for a number for years before a fire destroyed the engine and caused extensive smoke and fire damage.

She lay stricken, afloat and for sale before the keen mariner's eye of Robert McGrath from Achill Island saw the vessel and with it an opportunity to transform it into something special.

Emma D'Arcy, co-owner of the historic barge, said that as the insurance company had paid a six figure sum to the previous owner, it was to be sold as a hull.

"Robert loved it and over the course of a week decided that the best thing to do was to go back up to Donegal to see if he could get it going. Hours of labour and meticulous work led to the engine spluttering back life.

Over eight months later, the barge was seaworthy enough to navigate up the Shannon estuary.

"Rob had to wait patiently for good weather before he could make the perilous journey from Donegal down the west coast to Foynes and eventually into Limerick. It took several weeks for a 48 hour weather window that would allow the crew to make the journey.

In the meantime, Limerick playwright Helena Enright, who was putting the finishing touches to 'The River', a multi-sensory theatrical experience about the river Shannon, had heard that the barge was en route.

"She approached us to see if we would be interested in letting her use the barge for a couple of weeks to stage her play about the river and its effects on its inhabitants over the years", Emma explained.

"Helena was thrilled as there are actually very few vessels in Limerick itself and anything she found was too small, sunk, or had people living onboard".

Moored in Limerick as a floating theatre, Spera in Deo will begin the next phase of its colourful history when it moves to Dromineer next week.

#RNLI - At 7.25pm on Saturday evening (16 August) Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to launch to assist five people on board a vessel reported broken down soon after setting out from Garrykennedy Harbour to Mountshannon Harbour.

The lifeboat launched at 7.35pm with helm Eleanor Hooker, David Moore and Jason Freeman on board. Winds were southwestly Force 6 and visibility was good.

At 7.50pm the lifeboat located the casualty vessel between Parker Point and Garrykennedy, and found all on board – four adults and a child – to be safe and wearing their lifejackets.

An RNLI crewmember was transferred across, where he reassured the passengers before setting up a tow. The lifeboat then towed the boat back to Garrykennedy, where it was safely tied up alongside at 8.10pm.

The skipper of the cruiser thanked the RNLI crew for their speedy assistance. He said that he had raised the alarm "as with the worsening weather and no boats visible to offer him assistance, I was getting very concerned." 

The lifeboat crew assured him that he had done the correct thing in calling for help.

#RNLI – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist five people on board a 28ft boat with reported engine failure by Ryan's Point on Lough Derg.

At 7.25pm on Wednesday evening, August 13, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist five people, four adults and a young child, on board a vessel reported broken down and drifting near Ryan's Point on Lough Derg.

The lifeboat launched at 7.37pm with Helm Eleanor Hooker, Lian Knight and Dom Sharkey on board. Winds were westsouthwest; Force 4, visibility was very good.

The lifeboat located the casualty vessel in Dromineer Bay, where all on board were found to be safe and wearing their lifejackets. The lifeboat transferred an RNLI crewmember across to the boat, where he reassured some of the passengers who were quite anxious, before setting up a tow.

The lifeboat towed the boat, with her passengers and an RNLI volunteer on board, to their berth in Dromineer, where it was safely tied up alongside at 8.17pm.

The skipper of the cruiser thanked the RNLI crew for their assistance. He was reassured that he had done the correct thing in promptly calling the lifeboat, especially considering the drift of the boat since their engine had failed.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 8.40pm.i

#rnli – At 4pm on Friday afternoon, August 8, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist a family of five on board a vessel aground inside the Mountaineer Buoy at Ryan's Point on Lough Derg.

The lifeboat launched at 4.13pm with Helm Eleanor Hooker, Robbie Garland and Jason Freeman on board. Winds were southwesterly; Force 4, visibility was very good.

The lifeboat was alongside the casualty vessel at 4.20pm, where they found all on board to be safe and wearing their lifejackets. The lifeboat transferred an RNLI crewmember across to the boat, where he reassured everyone, before going to check for damage and any ingress of water under the floorboards, or into the engine. When he was satisfied that the hull was not holed, he set up for a tow. Whilst he was doing that, the lifeboat took soundings in the immediate area of the casualty boat, in order to establish the safest route back to deep water.

At 4.46pm, with her passengers and an RNLI volunteer on board, the lifeboat took the boat off the rocks and out to deep water. The engine, steering and props were found to be in proper working order. An RNLI crewman helmed the cruiser to the safety of Garrykennedy Harbour, where it was tied alongside at 4.57pm

The skipper of the cruiser thanked the RNLI crew for their prompt and efficient response to their distress, saying they 'were aground for ten minutes when they saw the lifeboat coming around the headland to help them'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 5.28pm.

#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI located three people reported overdue on Friday evening (1 August) after an excursion to Holy Island on Lough Derg.

At 7.20pm on Friday, Valentia Coast Guard requested the Lough Derg lifeboat to launch to locate three people reported overdue by their family.

The three had set out three hours earlier for Holy Island in Scarriff Bay, two rowing a wooden dinghy and a third in a kayak, and were thought to be returning via the Scilly Islands.

The lifeboat launched at 7.30pm with helm Eleanor Hooker, Gerry O’Neill and David Moore on board. Winds were northerly Force 3 and visibility was poor, down to half mile.

The lifeboat circumnavigated the Scillly Islands and at 7.52pm located the three missing people north of the islands. All were wearing their lifejackets and were in good spirits.

The lifeboat accompanied the three back to shore, where they were met by their family.

Peter Kennedy, Lough Derg RNLI deputy launching authority, advised all boat users to "check weather conditions before setting out, and carry a reliable means of communication with shore."