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#IrishSport - Ireland's national bodies for angling, canoeing and swimming have moved into their new home on the National Sports Campus.

The new Irish Sport HQ in Blanchardstown, west Dublin was officially opened by Taoiseach Enda Kenny on Wednesday 29 May.

Among the 19 sporting bodies that have followed the FAI in relocating their headquarters to the new centre are the Angling Council of Ireland, Swim Ireland and Canoeing Ireland.

Opening the facility, the Taoiseach said: "I'm delighted that significant progress has been made in the development of the National Sport Campus over the past 12 months.

"The opening of the Irish Sport HQ and the arrival of 19 national governing bodies is a major step in the development of the campus. Today's milestone will also help foster the sense of community and co-operation which I know already exists in Irish sport."

Minister for Sport Leo Varadkar also expressed his delight at being present for the opening of the Irish Sport HQ.

"The campus is now well on the way to being a national training centre for sport," he said. "It shows what can be achieved when you work on a realistic scale, within realistic budgets, in partnership with the sporting bodies."

Published in News Update

#TITANIC - This Saturday 26 May, Blanchardstown Library presents a series of talks and discussions on the history of the Titanic.

In her talk 'How the Titanic Touched My Family', author Martina Devlin tells the story of her grandmother's uncle Tom O'Brien, a farm labourer from Co Limerick who made plans to emigrate to America on board the ill-fated ship, but didn't tell his family he was taking someone with him - leading to a secret that was hushed up for generations.

Stephen Cameron will also be discussing his book Titanic - Belfast's Own, which looks at the ship from the perspective of those who helped to build it and "bring the dream to life".

Meanwhile, Patrick Fitzgerald of the Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park gives his talk, 'A Window on Emigration', that accompanies the park's exhibition highlighting the stories of Irish emigrants who embarked for a new life in the New World on board the Titanic.

And Ed Coughlan of the Irish Titanic Historical Society will present his talk 'Titanic - A Voyage Into History', giving an overview of the Titanic story.

Registration is at 10.45am on the day, with the first talk starting at 11am. The event is free but booking is required on 01 8905563.

Published in Titanic
Tagged under
Top surfers are headed to Ireland's most unlikely surfing festival this weekend in Dublin.
The Evening Herald reports that landlocked suburb of Blanchardstown has been transformed into a South Pacific-style beach for the surf event, designed to promote Ireland's global surfing charms among the Irish themselves.
Pro surfers will compete on a wave machine for the 53 Degrees North Open Surf Championship, but the same waves will also be open to beginners and younger surfing wannabes.
Herald.ie has more in the story HERE.

Top surfers are headed to Ireland's most unlikely surfing festival this weekend in Dublin.

The Evening Herald reports that landlocked suburb of Blanchardstown has been transformed into a South Pacific-style beach for the surf event, designed to promote Ireland's global surfing charms among the Irish themselves.

Pro surfers will compete on a wave machine for the 53 Degrees North Open Surf Championship, but the same waves will also be open to beginners and younger surfing wannabes.

Herald.ie has more in the story HERE.

Published in Surfing

The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual offshore yacht racing event with an increasingly international exposure attracting super maxi yachts and entries from around tne world. It is hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately 630 nautical miles (1,170 km).

The 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race starts in Sydney Harbour at 1pm (AEDT) on Monday 26 December.

This is the 77th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart. The inaugural race was conducted in 1945 and has run every year since, apart from 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

88 boats started the 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart, with 50 finishing.

The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - FAQs

The number of Sydney Hobart Yacht Races held by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia since 1945 is 75

6,257 completed the Sydney Hobart Yacht race, 1036 retired or were disqualified)

About 60,061 sailors have competed in the Sydney Hobart Race between 1945 and 2019

Largest fleets: 371 starters in the 50th race in 1994 (309 finished); 154 starters in 1987 (146 finished); 179 starters in 1985 (145 finished); 151 starters in 1984 (46 finished); 173 started in 1983 (128 finished); 159 started in 1981 (143 finished); 147 started in 1979 (142 finished); 157 started in 2019 (154 finished)

116 in 2004 (59 finished); 117 in 2014 (103 finished); 157 in 2019 (154 finished)

Nine starters in the inaugural Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in 1945

In 2015 and 2017 there were 27, including the 12 Clipper yachts (11 in 2017). In the record entry of 371 yachts in the 50th in 1994, there were 24 internationals

Rani, Captain John Illingworth RN (UK). Design: Barber 35’ cutter. Line and handicap winner

157 starters, 154 finishers (3 retirements)

IRC Overall: Ichi Ban, a TP52 owned by Matt Allen, NSW. Last year’s line honours winner: Comanche, Verdier Yacht Design and VPLP (FRA) owned by Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant, in 1 day 18 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds. Just 1hour 58min 32secs separated the five super maxis at the finish 

1 day 9 hours 15 minutes and 24 seconds, set in 2017 by LDV Comanche after Wild Oats XI was penalised one hour in port/starboard incident for a finish time of 1d 9h 48m 50s

The oldest ever sailor was Syd Fischer (88 years, 2015).

As a baby, Raud O'Brien did his first of some six Sydney Hobarts on his parent's Wraith of Odin (sic). As a veteran at three, Raud broke his arm when he fell off the companionway steps whilst feeding biscuits to the crew on watch Sophie Tasker sailed the 1978 race as a four-year-old on her father’s yacht Siska, which was not an official starter due to not meeting requirements of the CYCA. Sophie raced to Hobart in 1979, 1982 and 1983.

Quite a number of teenage boys and girls have sailed with their fathers and mothers, including Tasmanian Ken Gourlay’s 14-year-old son who sailed on Kismet in 1957. A 12-year-old boy, Travis Foley, sailed in the fatal 1998 race aboard Aspect Computing, which won PHS overall.

In 1978, the Brooker family sailed aboard their yacht Touchwood – parents Doug and Val and their children, Peter (13), Jacqueline (10), Kathryne (8) and Donald (6). Since 1999, the CYCA has set an age limit of 18 for competitors

Jane (‘Jenny’) Tate, from Hobart, sailed with her husband Horrie aboard Active in the 1946 Race, as did Dagmar O’Brien with her husband, Dr Brian (‘Mick’) O’Brien aboard Connella. Unfortunately, Connella was forced to retire in Bass Strait, but Active made it to the finish. The Jane Tate Memorial Trophy is presented each year to the first female skipper to finish the race

In 2019, Bill Barry-Cotter brought Katwinchar, built in 1904, back to the start line. She had competed with a previous owner in 1951. It is believed she is the oldest yacht to compete. According to CYCA life member and historian Alan Campbell, more than 31 yachts built before 1938 have competed in the race, including line honours winners Morna/Kurrewa IV (the same boat, renamed) and Astor, which were built in the 1920s.

Bruce Farr/Farr Yacht Design (NZL/USA) – can claim 20 overall wins from 1976 (with Piccolo) up to and including 2015 (with Balance)

Screw Loose (1979) – LOA 9.2m (30ft); Zeus II (1981) LOA 9.2m

TKlinger, NSW (1978) – LOA 8.23m (27ft)

Wild Oats XI (2012) – LOA 30.48m (100ft). Wild Oats XI had previously held the record in 2005 when she was 30m (98ft)

©Afloat 2020