Displaying items by tag: Spinal Injuries Ireland

9th June 2022

New Hoist at Dun Laoghaire Marina Gives Wheelchair Users Easy Access to Boats

Spinal Injuries Ireland and Dun Laoghaire Marina on Dublin Bay have announced the installation of a new Oxford Dipper Hoist to allow wheelchair users to easily access boats.

Wheelchair user, Jenny Needham, is the Administration Manager at the Marina and she welcomes the hoist as “it is bringing accessibility to the harbour”. The marina also has a fully accessible self-contained lavatory and shower which is immediately accessible from the forecourt.

Paal Janson, General Manager of Dun Laoghaire Marina says “promoting and facilitating accessible boating has long been an important cause for Dun Laoghaire Marina. Disability shouldn’t be a barrier to getting out on the water and we are keen to facilitate that ambition. We are pleased to work with Spinal Injuries Ireland to make access for all a reality.”

Spinal Injuries Ireland have a RIB, Niamh, berthed in the marina and this is a popular element of their Let’s Go Activity Programme. People who have suffered a spinal cord injury can take a trip up the Liffey with family or friends and maybe a spin around Dalkey Island, weather and tide permitting, before enjoying tasty fish and chips from the East Pier. This type of experience can show someone who has experienced such a life-changing injury that there is fun to be had and give them confidence to take on new challenges and set new goals.

Fiona Bolger, CEO of SII, states “SII’s powerboat trips in Dublin Bay are one of our most popular activities. Often the trip in Dublin Bay is the first time a newly injured person and their family go on an excursion together and the feedback is very positive. We could not provide this service if it was not for Dun Laoghaire Marina, MGM Boats and our team of loyal volunteers.’

The purchase of the new hoist was partly funded by HSE National Lottery Grant, a Community Activity Grant from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and funding from Dun Laoghaire Marina.

Spinal Injuries Ireland would also like to thank Paal Janson and the team at Dun Laoghaire Marina for supporting the programme and Gerry Salmon of MGM Boats for his generous sponsorship of the fuel.

Published in Dun Laoghaire Harbour News

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27th September 2017

Sailing Paralympian Hosts Black Tie Ball in Aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland

John Twomey, with crew, at the helm of his Sonar keelboat

John Twomey, Ireland’s most decorated Paralympian athlete, to host exclusive black-tie ball in Cork in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland.

The Cork Jazz Ball in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland is set to take place at the Clayton Silver Springs Hotel in Cork on Saturday 28th October 2017.

The event will be a black-tie affair and will feature a prosecco reception, a four-course meal with wine, prizes, music and dancing until the early hours.

Well-known jazz group, The Swing Cats, will also appear on the night and play music from their fantastic repertoire of songs.

John Twomey, organiser of the event along with a committee of volunteers, is Ireland’s most decorated Paralympian athlete and has competed in a total of 11 Paralympic Games since 1984.

He was also the official flag bearer for Ireland at last year’s Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

John is an avid sailor and is a member of the Kinsale Yacht Club where he completes all his training for the Paralympics Games.

John explained that he decided to organise this upcoming ball in aid of Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) as he saw first-hand the important work SII carry out in his local community.

Currently, Spinal Injuries Ireland provides support to 214 people and their families in Cork and over 1,800 people nationwide. SII provides a range of services to people living with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) including its Community Connect service whereby a Community Outreach Officer visits clients in their homes to offer active support and goal setting along with providing up to date information on applying for grants.”

He also explained that SII provides a Peer Mentoring service which links volunteer peer support mentors with people living with spinal cord injuries in their local area.

“This is an amazing service as it links people with new spinal cord injuries with people who are further along in their injury to advise them and provide an additional support network that they can access at any time.”

Lastly, SII provides a Family Support service which provides support to family members directly. This is a separate service that SII provide in addition to offering support to the person with a spinal cord injury.

John said that he is excited about the upcoming ball in aid Spinal Injuries Ireland and added: “The proceeds from this ball will provide much-needed funding to Spinal Injuries Ireland so that they can continue to provide essential services for people living with spinal cord injuries in Cork.

“It is so important that people living with SCIs continue to have access to the services that Spinal Injuries Ireland provide within the community. It is vital for people living with disabilities in Cork that these services not only continue but expand on a much larger level.”

All money raised on the night will go towards helping SII deliver increased services to clients and families living with spinal cord injuries in Co. Cork.

The price for a table of 10 people at the Cork Jazz Ball in aid of SII is €900 per table or €90 per person.

Published in Olympic

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7th October 2016

Spinal Injuries Ireland Seeks Support For Charity Work; Including RIB Trips on Dublin Bay

The Spinal Injuries Ireland RIB on a trip out from Dun Laoghaire

As part of its annual fundraising campaign, Spinal Injuries Ireland is seeking support from the sailing and boating community on its 'Colour me Friday' campaign day today.

Spinal Injuries Ireland is the only support service for people who have sustained a spinal injury and it provides a pathway of services for patients and their families from onset of injury to inclusion in their local community.

One of these successful pathways is SPII's 'Active Me' programme, an actvity that brings patients out on the SPII RIB on Dublin Bay.

SII relies on fundraising for 61% of its income. To contribute towards the campaign text CORD to 50300 to donate €4 to SII.

Color Me Friday2

Published in RIBs

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10th April 2014

Spinal Injuries Ireland Needs Your Help On The Water This Summer

#Help - Spinal Injuries Ireland takes patients from the National Rehabilitation Hospital on Rochestown Avenue out on their RIB in Dun Laoghaire and fishing and kayaking on their Pioneer Multi in Blessington.

For summer 2014, the charity needs your assistance so it can continue to offer its free on-the-water programme to patients who are traumatised having sustained a recent spinal cord injury.

If you're in Dun Laoghaire, can you give some of your time? Spinal Injuries Ireland is looking for volunteers to assist the Cox on Monday afternoons and Wednesday evenings during the summer months. Full training will be provided.

If you're in Blessington, do you have a second-hand engine you could give, or can you donate towards a new engine? The Pioneer Multi has a drop-down stern which allows for wheeling wheelchairs on to the boat, which is used for both fishing and kayaking, but its outboard 40hp long-shaft electrical start engine needs to be replaced, at a cost of at least €3,000 for a second-hand engine, or €7,000 or a new one.

If you can help with either request please contact Jen ay 01 235 5317 or email [email protected].

The water activities that Spinal Injuries Ireland offers are only one element of its support and services to people who have sustained a recent spinal cord injury. These trips offer a welcome relief for patients who are undergoing intensive therapy programmes in the NRH.

The freedom of getting out on the water has a profound positive impact for patients, many of whom will never walk again.

Published in News Update

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.