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Displaying items by tag: European Coarse Fishing Championships

Preparations are in full swing at the Glenone Coarse Angling Facility (known locally as Molloy’s Ford) at Portglenone in Co Antrim ahead of the world-renowned European Coarse Fishing Championships, set to take place on the Lower Bann later this month.

It will be the first time that Northern Ireland will host an angling event of this calibre since the World Championships were held on the River Erne in 1992, and the Newry Canal in 1982.

The National Coarse Fishing Federation of Ireland (NCFFI) was awarded the honour of hosting the 25th anniversary of this event by the Fédéracion International de la Pêche Sportive, and has been working closely with the local community to bring the event to this area of Mid Ulster.

The championships are set to be staged around the communities of Portglenone and Bellaghy in the Bann Corridor, an area of outstanding natural beauty where the teams representing 18 nations will be hosted throughout the event, bringing a welcome boost to the local economy.

Significant investment from Waterways Ireland and Mid Ulster District Council and the generosity of local landowners has led to the enhancement of the existing coarse fishing facility to support an angling event of this size.

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Martin Kearney, expressed his delight in anticipation of the forthcoming championships.

“Preparations are almost complete to welcome over 100 anglers from countries all across Europe to the magnificent Lower Bann River at Portglenone-Bellaghy. The site has an established angling heritage as home of a number of large coarse angling festivals, including the annual Bann Bonanza, and our investment will create a River venue capable of hosting further international competitions in years to come.

“We would encourage the local community to come out to welcome the anglers in force at the Parade of Nations, a colourful affair which will see member of local community groups welcome the teams in procession as they make their way from Seamus Heaney Homeplace to the GAA Hall in Bellaghy on Thursday 27 June at 5.30pm.”

Sharon Lavin of Waterways Ireland said the cross-border body is “delighted to welcome so many international visitors to experience exceptional angling along the Lower Bann.

“They will undoubtedly enjoy the new facilities installed along the river at Portglenone and we look forward to working on other similar collaborative projects in the future, in continuing to develop and promote the excellent angling product available.”

Event organiser Jack Tisdall of the NCFFI said: “To host this prestigious event is fantastic news for the coarse angling community as we are providing Ireland with its first world-class angling facility on a river. Further planned developments will support the inclusivity of all in our sport and leave a legacy of angling for the area.”

Teams will train on the venue from Monday 23 to Friday 28 of June ahead of the Parade of Nations on Thursday 27 June where the chair of Mid Ulster District Council will ceremoniously receive the flags from the teams and the championships will be declared open by the president of FIPSed (Fédération Internationale de la Pêche Sportive en Eau Douce) on Saturday and Sunday 29-30 June.

Enthusiasts will be delighted with the opportunity to watch top rods in action on the bank, such as England’s Will Raison and Hungary’s Tamas Walter, as well as team Italy which is currently ranked number one in the world.

For more details of the European Coarse Fishing Championships, please visit the dedicated website HERE.

If you are a local community group who would like to take part in the Parade of Nations, contact Helen Rainsford, NCFFI public relations, on 07711 607 200.

The NCFFI is also appealing to members of all communities for their help in stewarding the event with 100 volunteers are required.

If you are available from 8am to 2pm on the Saturday and Sunday, or both, please visit the event website for more details and to register online.

Published in Angling

Galway Port & Harbour

Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city and port is located on the northeast side of the bay. The bay is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) long and from 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) to 30 kilometres (19 miles) in breadth.

The Aran Islands are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay.

Galway Port FAQs

Galway was founded in the 13th century by the de Burgo family, and became an important seaport with sailing ships bearing wine imports and exports of fish, hides and wool.

Not as old as previously thought. Galway bay was once a series of lagoons, known as Loch Lurgan, plied by people in log canoes. Ancient tree stumps exposed by storms in 2010 have been dated back about 7,500 years.

It is about 660,000 tonnes as it is a tidal port.

Capt Brian Sheridan, who succeeded his late father, Capt Frank Sheridan

The dock gates open approximately two hours before high water and close at high water subject to ship movements on each tide.

The typical ship sizes are in the region of 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes

Turbines for about 14 wind projects have been imported in recent years, but the tonnage of these cargoes is light. A European industry report calculates that each turbine generates €10 million in locally generated revenue during construction and logistics/transport.

Yes, Iceland has selected Galway as European landing location for international telecommunications cables. Farice, a company wholly owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe.

It is "very much a live project", Harbourmaster Capt Sheridan says, and the Port of Galway board is "awaiting the outcome of a Bord Pleanála determination", he says.

90% of the scrap steel is exported to Spain with the balance being shipped to Portugal. Since the pandemic, scrap steel is shipped to the Liverpool where it is either transhipped to larger ships bound for China.

It might look like silage, but in fact, its bales domestic and municipal waste, exported to Denmark where the waste is incinerated, and the heat is used in district heating of homes and schools. It is called RDF or Refuse Derived Fuel and has been exported out of Galway since 2013.

The new ferry is arriving at Galway Bay onboard the cargo ship SVENJA. The vessel is currently on passage to Belem, Brazil before making her way across the Atlantic to Galway.

Two Volvo round world races have selected Galway for the prestigious yacht race route. Some 10,000 people welcomed the boats in during its first stopover in 2009, when a festival was marked by stunning weather. It was also selected for the race finish in 2012. The Volvo has changed its name and is now known as the "Ocean Race". Capt Sheridan says that once port expansion and the re-urbanisation of the docklands is complete, the port will welcome the "ocean race, Clipper race, Tall Ships race, Small Ships Regatta and maybe the America's Cup right into the city centre...".

The pandemic was the reason why Seafest did not go ahead in Cork in 2020. Galway will welcome Seafest back after it calls to Waterford and Limerick, thus having been to all the Port cities.

© Afloat 2020