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Displaying items by tag: Culture Night

#CutlureNight - Among the numerous events of Culture Night 2017 there are those with a distinct maritime theme. A notable event taking place on the night (Friday 22 Sept) is the annual Harvest Moon celebration at Hook Head Lighthouse, Co. Wexford.

So come along to this second year of the autumnal event and enjoy watching the sunset and harvest moon rise over Hook Peninsula beneath the protective beam of the world’s oldest intact operational lighthouse.

A special late opening from 6pm will take place at the Lighthouse Visitor Centre, where you are invited to come along and find a spot on the straw bales around the fire-pits on the lighthouse lawns and watch nature at its best during the autumn equinox.

Why not also enjoy some treats from the Hook Lighthouse Barbeque and some Hook Pilsner. Take a sample of the brand new Hook beers and a harvest brew from Arthurstown Brewing Company which have all been locally brewed from the harvesting of grown malted barley.

Also at this beautiful coasting setting will be Musicians among them Brendan Keane playing some songs from his forthcoming album, 'Dreaming in Parallel'. Keane has opened, in a solo acoustic capacity, for some of Ireland, and the world's, biggest acts including Status Quo, Rod Stewart, the Christians, multiple Grammy-winner, Albert Lee, Mundy, Jack L and Juliet Turner.

There's also a photographers competition as part of the celebration event. So anyone who wishes to take part can have their image considered for the competition. To do so email your image along with contact details to [email protected] by 5pm on the Sunday, 25 September. 

For much more on Culture Night in general click here and for the Harvest Moon at the Hook Lighthouse visit: www.hookheritage.ie/

 

Published in Lighthouses

The Kingstown to Queenstown Yacht Race or 'K2Q', previously the Fastnet 450

The Organising Authority ("OA") are ISORA & SCORA in association with The National Yacht Club & The Royal Cork Yacht Club.

The Kingstown to Queenstown Race (K2Q Race) is a 260-mile offshore race that will start in Dun Laoghaire (formerly Kingstown), around the famous Fastnet Rock and finish in Cork Harbour at Cobh (formerly Queenstown).

The  K2Q race follows from the successful inaugural 'Fastnet 450 Race' that ran in 2020 when Ireland was in the middle of the COVID Pandemic. It was run by the National Yacht Club, and the Royal cork Yacht Club were both celebrating significant anniversaries. The clubs combined forces to mark the 150th anniversary of the National Yacht Club and the 300th (Tricentenary) of the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Of course, this race has some deeper roots. In 1860 the first-ever ocean yacht race on Irish Waters was held from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (now Cobh).

It is reported that the winner of the race was paid a prize of £15 at the time, and all competing boats got a bursary of 10/6 each. The first race winner was a Schooner Kingfisher owned by Cooper Penrose Esq. The race was held on July 14th 1860, and had sixteen boats racing.

In 2022, the winning boat will be awarded the first prize of a cheque for €15 mounted and framed and a Trophy provided by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world.

The 2022 race will differ from the original course because it will be via the Fastnet Rock, so it is a c. 260m race, a race distance approved by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club as an AZAB qualifier. 

A link to an Afloat article written by WM Nixon for some history on this original race is here.

The aim is to develop the race similarly to the Dun Laoghaire–Dingle Race that runs in alternate years. 

Fastnet 450 in 2020

The South Coast of Ireland Racing Association, in association with the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay and the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork, staged the first edition of this race from Dun Laoghaire to Cork Harbour via the Fastnet Rock on August 22nd 2020.

The IRC race started in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday, August 22nd 2020. It passed the Muglin, Tuscar, Conningbeg and Fastnet Lighthouses to Starboard before returning to Cork Harbour and passing the Cork Buoy to Port, finishing when Roches's Point bears due East. The course was specifically designed to be of sufficient length to qualify skippers and crew for the RORC Fastnet Race 2021.

At A Glance – K2Q (Kingstown to Queenstown) Race 2024

The third edition of this 260-nautical mile race starts from the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay on July 12th 2024 finishes in Cork Harbour.

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