Tomorrow sees the official opening ceremony of Ireland's first visitor centre dedicated to the history of emigration.

The National Centre for Emigration History in New Ross, Co Wexford, which incorporates the Irish America Hall of Fame, will be opened by Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadar, joined by famous Irish-American Michael Flatley. 

Located on the quay side of the River Barrow next to the popular tall ship Dunbrody, which commemorates the Great Famine, the €2.6 million interative centre features a state-of-the-art exhibition on the story of Irish emigration, plus a genealogical resource for visitors hoping to trace their Irish heritage.

Marine Academy students from Plymouth in the UK are riding high on the crest of a wave - taking part in the 2011 Tall Ships Race.
Eighteen of the St Budeaux School's 14-19 year olds are involved in the international event which started in Waterford, Ireland and includes ports of call at Greenock, Scotland, Lerwick in the Shetland Isles and Stavanger in Norway before finally dropping anchor at Halmstad in Sweden at the beginning of August.
The 18 students successfully completed a rigorous selection procedure, which included an interview with Cremyll Sailing crew and a member of the marine science department at Plymouth University.
They were also given an insight into the realities of sailing by local round-the-world yachtsman Conrad Humphreys  and had to demonstrate their enthusiasm and commitment on a three-day sail-training course during their last school holiday before finally becoming crew for a section of the race on the tall ship Moosk.
The first six sailed from Plymouth to Waterford where six more Marine Academy students will take over and race in the first leg from Waterford to Greenock. Once in Greenock, the crew will change again and the final six students will sail to Lerwick.
They join hundreds of other young people crewing ships from Russia, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Colombia, Spain and France.
The event tests the students' endurance and  new found sailing skills. But it's not all hard work, they also have the chance to join in crew parties and parades through each of the host towns.
Judging by the young sailors messages on Facebook  they're having a swell time. One Marine Academy student, Jack Howells, aged 14, from Beacon Park posted:  "I just want to thank Cremyll Sailing for the opportunity of a life time, Waterford was amazing."
And student Lewis Harrison, aged 15,  from Keyham (actually on board Moosk) said: "It's absolutely amazing! Breathtaking! We are sitting on the boat and there are thousands of people here - fireworks, horns tooting and bands playing. We are all much better mates than when we started out and even though most of us were sick through the Celtic Sea, the best bit has definitely been the sailing. There are ships from Spain and Norway next to us."
Peter Morris, manager, Cremyll Sailing said: "The Tall Ships is a great adventure. The atmosphere is electric and completely orientated to young people."
Helen Mathieson, academy principal, is delighted. She said: "The Tall Ships event is about 360 degree education - personal, social and leadership. It is empowering in its ethos and experience. The participation of our students demonstrates our commitment to the marine specialism - which is about understanding the vast range of careers, which make up this large and diverse sector, locally, nationally and internationally. "
Conrad Humphreys added: "I'm really pleased that together with the Marine Academy Plymouth we managed to secure these bursary places for these young people to have the chance to take part in the Tall Ships Race. This opportunity will provide them with a very rich experience on the sea, where they will develop team skills, confidence and trusting friendships. Our hope is that they become ocean ambassadors for the city of Plymouth and inspire others to take on the challenge."
Progress of Moosk and further information about the Tall Ships event can be found HERE

The Celtic Mist, the new flagship of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, was berthed in Waterford city for the Tall Ships weekend writes Shay Fennelly.  Gifted to the IWDG in May 2011 by the family of a former Irish Prime Minister, Charles Haughey, who declared Irish waters a whale and dolphin sanctuary in 1991.

Celtic Mist left Waterford on Sunday morning in glorious sunshine on passage down the River Suir for the Tall Ships Parade of Sail off Dunmore East watched by thousands of people from the river bank at Passage east, Duncannon and Dunmore East.

Ireland's only entry in the 2011 Tall Ships race from Waterford to Greenock Irish Whale and Dolphin Groups's research vessel Celtic Mist in the Tall Ships Parade of Sail off Dunmore East in Waterford. Photo: Shay Fennelly/Aquaphoto

The Tall Ships fleet was reviewed by Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service Commodore Mark Mellet and Sean Flood Sail Training Ireland (Board) and a Goodwill Ambassador for Sail Training International past the LE Aoife. Over 1200 young people, many who have never been to sea before, are onboard the 50 tall Ships sailing to Greenock.

On board Celtic Mist are Captain Fiacc Brolchain, Gary Davis, Eithne Griffith, Deirdre Slevin, Conor Ryan and trainees Siobhan Ardener (19) from Killarney, Co Kerry, and Keith Cleere (19) from New Ross, Co Wexford.

The race started slowly at 15.00hrs, five miles south of the Hook Lighthouse in 10 knots of wind and blue skies and headed for the Irish Sea to Scotland.

Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service, Commodore Mark Mellet (left) and Sean Flood Sail Training Ireland (Board) and a Goodwill Ambassador for Sail Training International on board LE Aoife reviewing the Tall Ships fleet as they passed off Dunmore East, County Waterford. Photo: Shay Fennelly/Aquaphoto

The Jeanie Johnston will need €100,000 to be made seaworthy again, it has emerged.

The three-masted barque - which not long ago sailed across the Atlantic - was missed at the weekend's Tall Ships festival, which attracted half a million visitors to Waterford.

But as the Sunday Independent reports, the ship is currently a stationary tourist attraction at berth in Dublin with her sails in storage.

Hopes are high, however, that the replica famine ship will be made ready as an ocean-going vessel in time for the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway next summer, not to mention the Tall Ships Races in Dublin next August.

"At the moment we are basically putting all the money coming in from the interactive tours, which have been very successful, back into the boat," said ship manager John O'Neill. "We are hopeful we will get the financial assistance we need to get the vessel back out to sea".

It's official - the Tall Ships Races will be coming to Dublin in August next year!

As the Evening Herald reports, the successful four-day festival in Waterford this past weekend will be repeated in the capital from 23-26 August 2012, with up to 100 tall ships expected to sail up the mouth of the Liffey.

As keen readers of afloat.ie will already know, news of the Dublin event was published here back in March.

The event is hoped to attract more than a million visitors to the city, topping the 500,000 spectators who thronged Waterford from last Thursday to Sunday.

Young sailing trainees from Dublin will also have the opportunity of a lifetime to work on board the vessels.

View Waterford's Parade of Sail Photo Gallery Here

In Cork Harbour 'Mid-Summer Madness' regatta attracted 40 Boats. We have the photos. There was a Fun Time for Cruisers at Cove Sailing Club's 'At Home' Regatta.

Galway's Martin Breen is June's Sailor of the Month and the Waterford Tall Ships Parade of Sail Photos are here.

Reasons to be cheerful? You bet. Click here to read how Dublin Bay sailors celebrate these wins.

More of Gary O'Mahony's images of the Tall Ships fleet leaving Waterford.

View Waterford's Parade of Sail Photo Gallery Here

Thousands bade farewell to the 45 tall ships departing Waterford this afternoon. Afloat Photographer Gary O'Mahony captured the scene. Scroll down for the photos.

View the full Waterford Parade of Sail Photo Gallery Here

Scenes of the tallships moored alongside the north and south quays and the surrounding festivities are captured by Gary O'Mahony. SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS.

The Columbian Navy's Sailing Training Ship ARC Gloria. Photo: Jehan Ashmore

This is the second year in which the city has been the host port of the Tall Ships Race and the prestigious event is to return for a third time. The next occasion has not been confirmed but it would be several years away according to Sail Training International, the organisers of the famous race.

View Waterford's Parade of Sail Photo Gallery Here

As the Tall Ship STS Lord Nelson nears Carnsore Point off Wexford this evening the barque will be one of the many vessels participating in the Waterford Talls Ships Races Festival, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Joining Lord Nelson are three other UK entrants, they are the Jean de la Lune, Pelican of London and Royalist now celebrating her 40th anniversary. Together these tallships belong to the 'A' class vessels, the largest of the tallships. The impressive array of A class vessels includes four ships alone from The Netherlands with the Astrid, Eendracht, Europa and Wylde Swan, a schooner built in 1920.

From Norway is the fully rigged tallship Christian Radich and Sorlandet. The Poles are coming with their Pogoria. Neighbouring Russia are sending their impressive 108m long Mir which has 26 sails and has a 200-strong crew though the 1987 built vessel can be sailed with just 30. The final A class entrant is from outside Europe, the Columbian 1,300 tonnes Gloria, a three-master of over 60 metres long.

In addition to this exciting line-up are the 'B' and 'C' class which in total brings 45 tallships of all shapes and sizes to the quays of the River Suir. The crystal city will be host to over 1,000 trainess and over 400 professional crew who will take part in the colourful 'Crew Parade' held on Friday. For a full list of tallships and accompanying photos go to www.waterfordtallshipsrace.ie/the-race/the-tall-ships/

The spectacle of the festival will culminate in the early hours of Sunday when the fleet departs the city and heads downriver with a 'Parade of Sail' in the estuary of Waterford Harbour. As the tallships pass offshore of Dunmore East, this will mark the start of the first race-leg to Greenock.

The famous race is organised by Sail Training International (STI) a charity established to harness sail training to develop and educate young people, regardless of nationality, culture, religion, gender or social background.

The STI can trace its roots with the creation of the Sail Training International Race Committee which organised the first race of sail training tall ships in 1956. Their website is www.sailtraininginternational.org/