Our story last week, about how Gary Mac Mahon of the restored trading ketch Ilen of Limerick has launched a unique ship’s model-making competition to express the Ilen spirit, has rung a bell in Ballinasloe in County Galway, at the headquarters of the international outdoor footwear and clothing company Dubarry of Ireland
The Ilen competition offers a prize of a €150 Amazon Gift Voucher for children (or children and their families) who can create a model which best captures the spirit of Ilen and her original crew with a simplified miniature of the ship based on a very re-purposed Tetra Pak carton, the other materials involved being hopefully available in any contemporary family home.
The idea is to provide the kind of imagination and ingenuity-testing challenge that will help us all get through the National Lockdown. And when the idea was revealed in Afloat.ie last week, Michael Walsh of Dubarry quickly responded: “What a great idea. I’d very much appreciate it if you would pass on to Gary Mac Mahon that Dubarry would very happily pitch in with a pair of Dubarry Boots or Deck Shoes for the winner”.
Now Dubarry of Ireland is Official Partners in the Ilen Project Model Competition, which makes the already good prize into a very worthwhile proposition. So folks young and old, once you’ve finished browsing the Dubarry range to find the Dubarry boot or deck-shoe of your choice, let’s get back to work on those models – the closing date is May 22nd.