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Displaying items by tag: trails

#INLAND WATERWAYS - A new mobile app that guides visitors around the trails of Lough Derg has gone live, the Clare Champion reports.

More than 20 trails are included in the app, from walking to cycling, driving, cruising and canoeing.

The app - developed in partnership between Shannon Development and US firm EveryTrail - uses Google Maps and the GPS system in smartphones to pinpoint trails near the user's location.

Users can download route descriptions, images and notes, get directions to the starting point and follow the the pre-plotted course.

The Lough Derg Trails app is available for iPhone and Android devices.

The Clare Champion has more on the story HERE.

Published in Inland Waterways
#KAYAKING - Northern Ireland's new North Coast Sea Kayak Trail is set to feature on BBC TV this weekend, OutdoorNI reports.
Earlier this month, Ellie Harrison from BBC's Countryfile programme paddled the trail with local guide Robin Ruddock and also visited the Port Moon Bothy, an old cottage refurbished as a rest stop for kayakers on the trail.
"The North Coast Sea Kayak Trail will offer a completely unique way to explore the Causeway Coast and the converted bothy at Port Moon is fast becoming the most talked about and indeed most spectacular accommodation in Ireland,” said CanoeNI.
The new trail joins a host of coastal canoe routes launched this year by CanoeNI, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
Catch the North Coast Sea Kayak Trail on Countryfile this Sunday 27 November at 6.25pm on BBC One Northern Ireland.

#KAYAKING - Northern Ireland's new North Coast Sea Kayak Trail is set to feature on BBC TV this weekend, OutdoorNI reports.

Earlier this month, Ellie Harrison from BBC's Countryfile programme paddled the trail with local guide Robin Ruddock and also visited the Port Moon Bothy, an old cottage refurbished as a rest stop for kayakers on the trail.

"The North Coast Sea Kayak Trail will offer a completely unique way to explore the Causeway Coast and the converted bothy at Port Moon is fast becoming the most talked about and indeed most spectacular accommodation in Ireland,” said CanoeNI.

The new trail joins a host of coastal canoe routes launched this year by CanoeNI, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Catch the North Coast Sea Kayak Trail on Countryfile this Sunday 27 November at 6.25pm on BBC One Northern Ireland.

Published in Kayaking
No less than nine free guided canoeing events will be taking place across Northern Ireland this Sunday 2 October to celebrate the fourth annual National Trails Day.
According to Northern Ireland's Outdoor Adventure Blog, all the events will be guided by qualified canoeing instructors, with all canoe rental and safety equipment provided free of charge.
So there's never been a better time to get a paddle in your hands and take to Northern Ireland's wealth of waterways.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the new Foyle Canoe Trail will be among those where novices can get a taste of what Northern Ireland's canals and rivers have to offer.
OutdoorNI has more about the free guided canoe trails available HERE.

No less than nine free guided canoeing events will be taking place across Northern Ireland this Sunday 2 October to celebrate the fourth annual National Trails Day.

According to Northern Ireland's Outdoor Adventure Blog, all the events will be guided by qualified canoeing instructors, with all canoe rental and safety equipment provided free of charge. 

So there's never been a better time to get a paddle in your hands and take to Northern Ireland's wealth of waterways.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the new Foyle Canoe Trail will be among those where novices can get a taste of what Northern Ireland's canals and rivers have to offer.

OutdoorNI.com has more about the free guided canoe trails available HERE.

Published in Canoeing
This week Northern Ireland welcomes the launch of two new coastal canoe trails.
The new Foyle Canoe Trail stretches for 33 miles from Lifford in Co Donegal to Moville on the Inishowen peninsula at Lough Foyle, passing through Derry on the way, with plenty of wild and official campsites along the route.
Meanwhile, the South East Coast Canoe Trail is a sea kayaker's dream – 50 miles of rocky bays and sandy beaches past the Mourne and Cooley mountain ranges from Strangford village to Newry.
According to OutdoorNI.com, the trails were developed by the Countryside Access and Activities Network (CAAN), the Loughs Agency and Down and Derry District Councils, add to the five inland canoe trails already in place.
CAAN development officer Kathryn Callaghan commented: "Both these trails offer a golden opportunity for us all to explore two picturesque corners of Northern Ireland from a unique perspective.”
Waterproof guides for both trails are available free from from local tourist information centres or online from www.canoeni.com.
The coastal trails are the first of four to be launched in 2011. Later this year the North Coast Canoe Trail will take in the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, while the East Coast Canoe Trail will pass the renowned Glens of Antrim, Belfast Lough and the Ards peninsula.

This week Northern Ireland welcomes the launch of two new coastal canoe trails.

The new Foyle Canoe Trail stretches for 33 miles from Lifford in Co Donegal to Moville on the Inishowen peninsula at Lough Foyle, passing through Derry on the way, with plenty of wild and official campsites along the route.

Meanwhile, the South East Coast Canoe Trail is a sea kayaker's dream – 50 miles of rocky bays and sandy beaches past the Mourne and Cooley mountain ranges from Strangford village to Newry.

According to OutdoorNI.com, the trails were developed by the Countryside Access and Activities Network (CAAN), the Loughs Agency and Down and Derry District Councils, add to the five inland canoe trails already in place.

CAAN development officer Kathryn Callaghan commented: "Both these trails offer a golden opportunity for us all to explore two picturesque corners of Northern Ireland from a unique perspective.”

Waterproof guides for both trails are available free from from local tourist information centres or online from www.canoeni.com.

The coastal trails are the first of four to be launched in 2011. Later this year the North Coast Canoe Trail will take in the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, while the East Coast Canoe Trail will pass the renowned Glens of Antrim, Belfast Lough and the Ards peninsula.

Published in Canoeing

Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

© Afloat 2020