Ida Kiernan's election as Commodore of the National Yacht Club on the 25 March 2000 marked a firm shattering of the glass ceiling that limited the role of women in sailing.

Only in the late 1970s were women admitted to full membership of Yacht Clubs – despite many making considerable contributions to the Clubs and sport long before that.

Ida was the first Commodore of a 'Category One' Club – generally defined as one with large premises, full-time staff and over 1,000 members – in Ireland, the UK, and maybe the world.

But her trailblazing in sailing started long before the Millennium year.

In her twenties, she "shelved her safe and comfortable nine to five job in the civil service to make her living at the mercy of the truculent sea", as an article in the Evening Herald in July 1977 described the founding of her Dun Laoghaire Sailing School. Up to this point, Glenans provided summer sailing schools in the South and West of Ireland – but no school was open to the general public in Dublin.

Ida Kiernan was a member of the National Yacht Club for over 50 years

Her base was the Coal Harbour – where her fleet grew to twelve Mirrors and a few 420s and Herons. She had tremendous organisational and marketing flair – launching her annual programme in the Burlington Hotel one year and working closely with principals of the numerous local schools.

Ida ran the school successfully for several years until Alister Rumball took it over and grew it into today's highly successful Irish National Sailing School (INSS).

Ida was a member of the National Yacht Club for over 50 years and was an expert sailor – especially in Mermaid class, and helped train many of the Club's Junior sailors.

Author Donal O'Sullivan described her most famous pupil: "This is Cathy MacAleavey, born in Mexico, who was brought by her mother to Ireland when her father died unexpectedly."

Cathy was the first Irishwoman (with Aishling Byrne) to sail in the Olympics (Seoul, 1988), while her daughter, in turn, was the first Irish woman sailor to win an Olympic medal (Silver at Rio 2016).

In a tribute to Ida Kiernan, DBSC held a minutes silence before the start of its Wednesday Water Wag Race. The DBSC Race Committee Boat Freebird flew 'I' and 'K' flags hoisted fully before dipping to half-mast Photo: DBSC

Ida was born and educated in Dun Laoghaire and started her career in the Revenue Commissioners. When she left state service to set up the Sailing School, she also developed an expertise in Marketing and Organisation. She acted as a professional support for a number of trade organisations. Highly innovative and efficient, she worked closely with CTT, The Export Board.

Most notably, following the 1988 Lockerbie Pan Am 747 Bomb, American buyers were not coming to Europe, so she organised for the Federation of Jewellery Manufacturers of Ireland (FJMI) to Showcase their products in New York. That Group Trade Mission & Exhibition continued successfully for many years. She also acted for a number of Irish clothing and fashion houses in a similar way.

After serving as Commodore of the National Yacht Club, she volunteered incessantly and effectively in many roles. She was on the Dublin Bay Sailing Club Committee Boat Mac Lir weekly during the season. She organised, with Jackie Flynn, the Club Bridge Society, and each Christmas assembled the team which ran a significant charity fashion show in the Club.

She was out on Mac Lir three weeks ago and then went into hospital but was terminally ill at that stage.

Many tributes have poured in from the sailing and commercial worlds, where her fearless, innovative contributions will be sorely missed.

Ida is survived by her brothers Michael and Gerard, and sister-in-law Angela.

MMcC

Read the DBSC tribute to Ida here