Guinness World Record holder Shane McLoughlin will attempt his 8th challenge by pulling a 1,000-tonne fully laden Ocean Challenger tug at the Castletownbere Seafood Festival in West Cork on Monday.
The Co Monaghan Paralympic athlete set a new Guinness World Record in another fishery harbour earlier this year when he pulled a 120 tonne passenger ferry, Saoirse na Farraige,a distance of five metres off Ros-a-Mhíl in Co Galway last February.
His attempt in Castletownbere takes place at 4.30pm on Monday, among a packed programme of events including an RNLI flag day and watersports activities – weather permitting.
A children’s knot tying workshop and a seafood paella demonstration were among many events taking place over the August bank holiday weekend, with the highlight being the Skipper of the Year contest which was won by Noel O’Sullivan.
Supported by local businesses, it involved a number of challenges, which included:
- Net Mending sponsored by Swan Net Gundry’s
- Line Throwing sponsored by Twomey’s Bar
- Wire Splicing sponsored by O’Shea Family
- Fish Filleting sponsored by Castletownbere Fisherman’s Co Op
- Survival Suit sponsored by Sheehan's Fishing
The fishermen’s charity Lost At Sea Tragedies (LAST) had a stand at the contest, and the local RNLI station was also fundraising over the weekend.
LAST aims to assist and educate the Irish fishing industry to help prevent future catastrophes while offering support and guidance to affected families.
The seafood festival runs for the entire first week of August in Castletownbere, and full details are here
