A man in his 40s has died in hospital after an incident involving a jet ski in Carlingford Lough on Monday evening (22 May), as RTÉ News reports.

The man and a woman were recovered from the water following reports of two people in difficulty in the water off the Co Louth town early on Monday evening.

While the woman remains hospitalised in a serious but stable condition as of Tuesday night (23 May), the man was pronounced dead on Tuesday afternoon.

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

A public consultation on the Loughs Agency’s angling and fisheries improvement strategy and action plans for Foyle and Carlingford has been launched.

The consultation, which will run for a period of eight weeks, will provide members of the public with the opportunity to share their thoughts on the agency’s plans for improving angling and fisheries products in these catchment areas.

Three informative, data-led documents have been drafted by the Loughs Agency, which aim to provide a baseline for how best to implement changes that will have a real and lasting impact on angling and fisheries in the coming years.

These documents are the Fisheries and Angling Improvement Strategy for Foyle and Carlingford 2022-2030; Angling Action Plan for Foyle and Carlingford 2022-2030; and Fisheries Improvement Action Plan for Foyle and Carlingford 2022-2030.

A stakeholder consultation process was held in late 2022, which provided angling clubs and members of the angling community with an early chance to have their say. This feedback has since been incorporated into the latest drafts.

Loughs Agency will be holding a series of information sessions throughout the catchment areas in April. Agency staff will be present at these to answer questions on the documents, while also assisting with the feedback process. The sessions will take place as follows:

• Loughs Agency HQ, Prehen, Monday 17 April from 6pm-9pm
• Mellon Country Inn, Omagh, Tuesday 18 April from 6pm-9pm
• Jackson’s Hotel, Ballybofey, Monday 24 April from 6pm-9pm
• Canal Court Hotel, Newry, Tuesday 25 April from 6pm-9pm

Alternatively, those interested in having their say on these strategy documents can do so in their own time by completing the survey which can be found on Loughs Agency’s website.

Sharon McMahon, Loughs Agency chief executive said: “This public consultation will allow us to ensure all views are taken into consideration as we aim to deliver an outcome-orientated approach to fisheries and angling improvement.

“The feedback obtained from this process will help in the development of a clear strategic pathway, ensuring that these resources are improved for all.

“I would like to thank the agency staff who have contributed to developing these documents with a focus on knowledge, stewardship and sustainability. This work will help in the delivery of meaningful changes to fisheries and angling in Foyle and Carlingford.”

The draft documents as well as a link to the survey can also be found on the Consultations section of the Loughs Agency website.

Loughs Agency’s 'Water Warriors' events took place this week in the Foyle and Carlingford catchment areas.

The events, which form part of the Agency’s Foyle & Carlingford Ambassador Programmes, attracted hundreds of post-primary pupils to partake in a 'fully immersive' educational experience, emphasising learning about the importance of conserving and protecting our natural environments and aquatic life.

Angela Dobbins, Deputy Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, also visited the Foyle event.

Approximately 600 attended the Foyle event on 22^nd November at the Millennium Forum, Derry, with pupils attending from the following schools:

• Foyle College, Derry
• St Joseph’s Boys’ School, Derry
• Thornhill College, Derry
• Oakgrove Integrated College, Derry
• St Columb’s College, Derry
• Gaelcholáiste Doire
• St Cecilia’s College, Derry
• Ardnashee School, Derry
• Strabane Academy
• Knockavoe School, Strabane
• Omagh Academy
• Drumragh Integrated College, Omagh
• Carndonagh Community School
• Limavady High School
• Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore

On the last Saturday in August, it was the turn of the Juniors of Carlingford Lough Yacht Club to race in their own regatta, along with visitors from across the Lough at Carlingford Sailing Club.

Carlingford Lough YC is situated on the north shore of the Lough at Killowen in Co Down at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and CSC is in Carlingford town on the south side in County Louth with a backdrop of Slieve Foye.

Conditions were kind to the 15 strong fleet with sunshine.

The top three in the prize list of the Junior fleet were all ILCA 6s, with first David Fegan, second Maya O’Neill and third Fiachra McCormick. In the Novice division, it was Jack Ives first and Emma Gibbons second in Toppers.

Carlingford Lough competitors racing

Results are below

A group of 16 young people came together last month for a five-day programme exploring the natural resources of the Carlingford catchment.

The Loughs Agency’s Carlingford Ambassador programme aims to connect young people to the waterways in their local area through discovering, conserving and protecting native flora and fauna.

The young people, who are residents from all over the catchment, gathered on the first day and immediately gelled together after a morning of icebreakers.

Through presentations and conversations, they learned about the role of the Loughs Agency and its importance in the protection and conservation of local ecosystems and biodiversity.

Camlough Lake in Co Armagh was the destination for day two. For many, it was their first time holding a fishing rod. Angling coaches provided excellent tuition and valuable tips and techniques, particularly on implementing best practices for catch and release.

This was a fun and positive day with lots of fish being caught and released by all the ambassadors — an outstanding achievement and confidence boost for many.

Day three was spent among the magnificent oak trees of Fairy Glen in Rostrevor, Co Down on the banks of the Kilbroney River. Fishery inspector David Clarke and the Carlingford team demonstrated how they carry out electrofishing surveys, building awareness of the different fish species found in their local rivers.

Carlingford Ambassadors took part in a coastal clean-up along the shore of Carlingford Lough | Credit: Loughs Agency

Ambassadors had the opportunity to learn about the role of a fishery officer, with some members of the group mentioning that this interested them as a possible career path.

The remainder of the day was spent collecting and identifying invertebrate species found in local rivers and completing a citizen survey to help indicate the river’s overall water quality.

On day four, the ambassadors explored the intertidal zone of Carlingford Lough. They were amazed to discover marine life under seaweeds and rocks — from shore crabs, blennies and mussels to breadcrumb sponges, dog whelk eggs and anemones.

Ambassadors also learned how to identify marine critters and, most importantly, to gently and safely handle them, minimising disturbance and always leaving seaweeds and rocks as they were found.

After the rockpool explorations, they led a coastal clean-up collecting litter while recording what was found. Litter items consisted of aquaculture debris (rubber bands and zip ties), soft plastics, pieces of glass and much more.

On the final day, poor weather conditions meant paddleboarding had to be abandoned. Instead, the group went to SkyPark, Ireland’s largest adventure park in Carlingford, Co Louth. The ambassadors took on the challenges, overcoming considerable fears in tackling the heights, jumps and zip lines, all while cheering each other on in what marked a brilliant way to finish the week.

Throughout the programme, the Carlingford Ambassadors have embraced all the activities and challenged themselves, while also learning about their local natural environment and what they can do to help protect and conserve it, the Loughs Agency says.

Four coastal locations around the island of Ireland are in the running to be named Ireland’s best place to holiday this year, with the winner to be announced this August Bank Holiday weekend.
 
Carlingford in Co Louth on the shores of Carlingford Lough joins Achill Island in Co Mayo, Inishbofin in Co Galway and Portrush and the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland in the list of five finalists for the Irish Times Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022 contest.

For more details and to find out the winner, see the Irish Times website HERE.

Clogherhead and Kilkeel RNLI were requested to launch their all-weather and inshore lifeboats this afternoon after a windsurfer was reported missing in Carlingford Lough.

The lifeboats were requested to launch just before 2pm following an initial report that a person was missing in the water off Killowen Point. The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 from Dublin was also tasked along with Kilkeel Coastguard and Greenore Coast Guard.

There was a Force Seven westerly wind at the time with moderate to rough seas.

Arriving on scene, Clogherhead RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat under Coxswain Declan Clinton and with four crew onboard, began a search on request from the mouth of Carlingford Lough up towards Greenore and Greencastle. During the search, Kilkeel RNLI’s inshore lifeboat crew located a sailboard.

Meanwhile, the windsurfer managed to swim safely to shore on the north side of Carlingford and subsequently alerted the emergency services that he was safe. The casualty had got into difficulty when he was knocked off his sailboard. Due to the tides in the lough at the time, the sailboard was taken away faster than the casualty could swim to it, and he made the decision to swim to shore instead. On the shore, Kilkeel Coastguard assessed the casualty to ensure he was safe and well.

Speaking following the call out, Clogherhead RNLI mechanic Padraig Rath said: ‘The windsurfer did all the right things when he found himself in difficulty and we were delighted to hear he made it to shore safely. This was a multi-agency response today and we would like to commend our colleagues in the various other agencies as well as our own volunteers for their inter-agency teamwork.

‘We would encourage windsurfers to always carry a means of calling for help and to consider wearing a personal locator beacon especially if windsurfing alone. Always tell someone else where you are going and when you are due back. Always wear a personal floatation device and never sail out further than you can swim back.’

The Loughs Agency reminds anglers of the annual close season, which prohibits angling over the winter months to help protect salmon and sea trout from disturbance when spawning.

The Foyle Area and Carlingford Area (Close Seasons for Angling) Regulations prohibit fishing for salmon and sea trout over the winter, with fishing due to resume in early 2022.

The annual close season for salmon and sea trout began last Thursday 21 October in the Foyle catchment, and starts Monday 1 November in the Carlingford catchment.

As closing dates vary slightly across the catchments, Loughs Agency encourages anglers to check season dates for each river on the Loughs Agency website and social media platforms, as well as with fishery owners to ensure they are up to date on local restrictions.

The State of the Salmon report published recently by the international lead on salmon management, the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), highlights the worrying and continuous decline in the populations of the Atlantic salmon.

NASCO states: “It now takes about double the number of eggs to produce one adult (compared to 1990s) that will return to that same river to spawn – an indication of the multiple pressures facing the species throughout its complex life cycle.”

Lough Agency chief executive Sharon McMahon said: “The annual close season is an important time of year. Reducing disturbances on fish when they are spawning and at their most vulnerable helps protect stocks for the future.

“We recognise that angling is not the sole cause of stock decline, but by observing the close season, anglers are ‘playing their part’ in boosting the long-term resilience and sustainability of iconic fish species.”

John McCartney, director of conservation and protection at the Loughs Agency, added: “We all must take a forward-thinking approach based on the latest scientific guidance that balances responsible angling and sustainability.”

As the game fishing season ends for 2021, anglers are reminded to update their catch return and fishing effort on the Loughs Agency elicence website.

Anglers who wish to fish during the winter months are permitted to catch coarse fish such as perch, roach and bream, for which a valid coarse fishing licence is required.

During the close season, Loughs Agency fishery officers patrol riverbanks to prevent illegal fishing and protect fisheries. Anglers found fishing out of season will be prosecuted through the courts.

The Loughs Agency encourages members of the public to make direct and prompt illegal fishing reports either through the 24-hour response line at +44 28 7134 2100 or through the WaterWatch reporting tool.

Carlingford Sailing Club, in conjunction with Dublin University Sailing Club, hosted the IUSA Eastern Team Racing Championship on the weekend of 23rd/24th of October, with 24 teams from nine universities, 144 competitors in total fighting it out to see who would be crowned champions after a 19-month delay in competitions. It was worth waiting for as the combined energy of the competitors and volunteers pulled off one of the most spectacular team racing events witnessed on these waters for some considerable time.

This was one of the biggest sporting events run on the water in 2021, and probably the biggest on Carlingford Lough since the fabled Oyster Festival series.

The Carlingford Sailing Club organisation, spearheaded by Commodore Áine Gorman, Sailing Secretary Ross McEntegart, and Committee Member Diarmuid Gorman, supported by the club members, was a spectacular success. This is a continuation of the strong growth that has taken root in the club over the last 18 months. In particular, the membership volunteers came from all categories, from junior/youth to adult and family. Carlingford Sailing Clubs fleet of ribs and support boats was supplemented by the generous loan of ribs from The Lough's agency (driven by Dave Clarke of the LA), Barnarde and Gerard Kilgallon, and James Ives, tenders from Carlingford Swimmers and NUI Galway, as well as the pontoon for excess changeovers from Carlingford Adventure Centre. The IUSA, their umpires, and supporting staff, again spread across generations, hit the ground running and dove-tailed with the CSC organisation so that the event ran without a hitch to the finals on the Sunday afternoon.

The planning for the event started in 2020, but the set up on the water commenced on Friday afternoon as the committee boat was launched, and ribs and support boats were made ready to be parked in the Marina to counter any problems with low tides. The clubhouse was made ready to provide competitors with butties, burgers and refreshments over the weekend, and the competitor boats arrived to be set up in the dinghy park. IUSA organisers and umpires met with CSC to walk over the plans, and then we were ready for the start on Saturday. The weather forecast worryingly, for the Saturday was Force 5, gusting to 7 which would risk equipment damage.

On the Saturday morning, it was clear, thanks to the shelter of the Cooley Peninsula, that the conditions were ideal with a steady Force 3 wind. CSC volunteers were ready cooking breakfast butties at 8am, and the competitors arrived to get their boats ready. The event had to be run under Covid 19 restrictions, with limits on changing facilities. From the first arrivals it was clear that all the participants were keen to comply, and this was the case through the full duration of the event. Chief Umpire Eunice Kennedy gave the fleet briefing at 9 am, accompanied by DUSC Captain Kate Lyttle.

Then it was all systems go, at a blistering pace, with Umpire ribs, safety boat and ferries on the water at 9.30, the committee boat, course, and finish boat in position at 10 am, ready for the first race which started at 10.30am. The competitors, who were waiting to be ferried out for their races congregated at the end of the pier, many of them sitting on the wall which provided a grandstand view of the racing, with up to 3 matches ongoing at any one time. Down at the steps, where the ferries were shuttling competitors back and forth, the rest of the students congregated, most chatting, some sleeping, some readying themselves for the challenge on the water. Music was playing, there was serious competition, but there was also a bit of a celebration as competitors and friends were re-united after over a year's distance.

Ross McEntegart CSC, ferried competitors

The ferries kept moved competitors without delay, crews changed over, matches were close fought, the umpires criss-crossed the matches in ribs driven by CSC members, handing out rule decisions. On the water, there was much flag waving to signal penalties or compliance with rules by umpires, shouting of messages across boats to co-ordinate their teams, and manoeuvring of competitors to gain team advantage, followed intently by the crowd on the harbour wall as they worked out how their comrades and competitors were faring against each other as the day went on. The wind freshened at about 2 pm and there were a few capsizes, but there was no disruption to the sequence of matches which continued unabated. By 5.30pm 73 out of the 84 round robin matches had been sailed, the progress had been above expectations, as normally only about 60 matches are sailed on the first day. The IUSA team put this down to the extremely slick operation by CSC on the water, and, in particular, the efficiency of the ferry service which had kept crew changeover times to an absolute minimum. The competitors went away happy, expectant of another day's wonderful sailing, and we all knew that the event was already a roaring success.

Ruth Browne, Áine Gorman, Deirdre Williams, Lara DuPlessis, Denise and Duncan Foster take a break while the action is on the water

Sunday came, and the weather held. The sun even came out to add sparkle to the champagne sailing. The round robin was concluded enabling the Quarter, Semi, and Finals to proceed for the Platinum, Gold and Silver Fleets from lunchtime onwards. There was a major shock in the Platinum Fleet when 8th seed TCD3 knocked out 1st seed UCC1. However, they in turn were knocked out by UCD1 in their semi-final, who went on to beat TCD1 in a best of 5 final 3-1.

The final results were, Platinum: UCD 1, Gold: UCD 3, Silver: UL 1

In the fleet divisions, TCD3 were promoted to Platinum, UCD4 were promoted to Gold, UCC2 were relegated to Gold, and NUIG2 were relegated to Silver.

The umpires and the IUSA team were full of praise for the event organisation and expressed their wish that they could come back to Carlingford Sailing Club again. Kate Lyttle Captain of Dublin University Sailing Club commented "On behalf of Trinity Sailing and the Irish University Sailing Association I want to thank the team at Carlingford Sailing Club for their help in running a fantastic event. The team at Carlingford Sailing Club were extremely accommodating. We had a full round robin of 84 races and completed quarters, semis, and finals for all three fleets. The event was a great success and enjoyed by all."

This event could not have happened without a considerable amount of voluntary effort. They were:

Carlingford SC

• Umpire Drivers – Pat McCormick, Jim Garvey, Gerard Kilgallon, Miriam Donnelly, Áine Gorman, and Justin Blake
• Safety and Mark Laying – Francis Donnelly, Diarmuid Gorman, Ross McEntegart, and Fiachra McCormick
• Ferries – Dave Clarke (Loughs Agency), Ruth Browne, Terry Lenehan, Torin Fleming, Shane Mulligan, Maxi Sochor, Fiachra McCormick
• Clubhouse/Facilities – Áine Gorman, Barnarde Kilgallon, Donal McCormick, Miriam Donnelly, Peter Bastible, Eddie Conway, Deirdre Williams, Lara Du Plessis, Brenda McGoey, Denise Foster, Gearóid O'Sullivan

CSC Commodore Áine Gorman at the helm as competitors get ready to sail

DUSC/IUSA

• Umpires – Eunice Kennedy, Dave Sheehan, Ailbe Millerick
• DUSC Captain Kate Lyttle 
• DUSC Events Secretary: Emily Arrowsmith 
• DUSC Sailing Secretary: Issy Larkin 
• USA President: Niamh Doran
• IUSA Vice President: Johnny Durcan
• Race Officers: Sandy Aplin and Ciaran Finnegan
• Finish boat: Sarah MacFeely and Rachel Carr
• Race Office: Toby Hudson Fowler
• Beachmaster: Robbie Dix

The summer season sees Carlingford Lough Ferry kicking off with the launch of its passenger 'cruise' schedule.

As Dundalk Democrat writes, last week dates were released for their June Sunset cruises, which commences this Saturday June 12th and tickets are already being snapped up.

Carlingford Lough is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and is at its most beautiful as the sun sets over the Cooley Peninsula and the majestic Mourne Mountains.

These new sunset lough cruises are specifically designed to offer customers the opportunity to take a safe and socially distanced cruise on the iconic Carlingford Lough.

While onboard (Aisling Gabrielle), passengers will enjoy a fascinating audio tour, that will offer insights into the myths and legends of this majestic Lough, its formation as a glacial fjord, and its abundance of wildlife and bird life, in addition to live music and entertainment.

Carlingford Lough Ferry launched it’s passenger cruise service, ‘Carlingford Lough Cruises’ in 2019, and these passenger cruises on the Lough have since proved extremely popular with the number of cruises increasing annually.

This summer, they are extending their range of cruises once again and offering a host of new cruise experiences.

Their popular Lough & Lighthouse cruises return throughout July and August, with June featuring a new Sunset inner Lough cruise to start the summer season of cruises.

For more details on other themed cruises and prices click here.