Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Planning permission has been refused by Galway County Council for a new terminal and other facilities for a company providing boat tours on Killary Fjord. Connemara Sea-Cruise, which own Killary Fjord Boat Tours, sought planning permission for the construction of…

Dublin Port Company (DPC) has launched a public consultation on the future of cruise liner tourism at Dublin Port. To help inform the consultation process, DPC has published a discussion paper setting out key considerations to be addressed. DPC has…

Heritage Minister Josepha Madigan has championed plans to upgrade the Barrow Canal towpath as a 46km blueway as a major economic boon for the communities it connects in counties Laois and Kildare. The upgrade scheme between Lowtown and Athy in…

Overseas visitors holidaying in Ireland’s coastal areas spent €1.94 billion in 2018, while marine tourism generated €650 million in the same period. That’s according to new research from NUI Galway’s Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU), which also identified activities such…

Over six million visitors to Ireland visited a coastal area last year and almost five million of them took part in a marine-related activity, a study by NUI Galway has found writes Lorna Siggins Most popular water-based activities were sea swimming,…

Two chic barge berths at Belfast Harbour Marina are available for bookings for those looking for a different base to explore Northern Ireland. The berths — named ‘Harland’ and ‘Wolff’ after the city’s iconic shipyard — comprise the renovated barge…

The chief executives of Fáilte Ireland and Waterways Ireland met last week to discuss their new Strategic Partnership Programme to develop tourism along the latter’s network of inland waterways. The agreement is focused on delivering “a programme of works to…

The third phase of the Shannon Blueway has been opened by Michael Ring, Minister for Rural and Community Development, in the company of Waterways Ireland’s acting chief executive John McDonagh and Leitrim County Council Cathaoirleach Enda McGloin. The project has…

Ireland is a veritable bounty of beautiful beaches, as TripAdvisor’s latest list of Ireland’s best can attest. But beyond the most highly rated bathing spots around the Irish coast, there exists a number of hidden gems to attract those seeking…

Proposals for a new blueway along the River Barrow have been blocked by planners who objected to the scheme for a hard surface along the 115km of towpath. But as The Irish Times reports, many locals and users of the…

Oscar Wilde’s surgeon dad waxed lyrical about it, Vikings lost their weapons in it, and poitín makers and anglers have shared their knowledge of its rocks and islands. The Corrib – this island’s second largest lake after Lough Neagh –…

New figures out today from British Marine, the leading trade association for the UK leisure marine industry, highlight how the marine sector has created close to £6bn in sales from boating-related tourism expenditure in 2018, a 65% growth since 2013.…

Dublin Town, the not for profit organisation charged with creating a welcoming and economically viable city environment in Dublin, has urged Dublin Port to reconsider its decision to cut cruise ship calls to the city by more than 50%, from…

Good news for Irish sailors planning a Greek sailing holiday. Go-ahead UK firm Wildwind, based in Vassiliki and run by Simon Morgan, is now offering free supplemental flights to London and accommodation at the Hilton Hotel in Gatwick during the early weeks…

Dublin Port’s decision to reduce cruise liner visits from 2021 has sparked concern among the wider tourism industry in Ireland. As covered last month on Afloat.ie, rising freight volumes and the need to create space due to Brexit will mean…

Cobh may finally get a new marina in what’s being touted as a major boost to marine tourism in the Cork Harbour town, as plans are prepared for public display. The East Cork Journal has details on the new €450,000…