The Ilen is the last of Ireland’s traditional wooden sailing ships.

Who designed the Ilen?

The Ilen was designed by Conor O’Brien, the first Irish man to circumnavigate the world.

Where does the name Ilen get her name?

Ilen is named for the West Cork River which flows to the sea at Baltimore, her home port.

The Ilen was built by Baltimore Sea Fisheries School, West Cork in 1926. Tom Moynihan was foreman.

What is Ilen built from?

Ilen's wood construction is of oak ribs and planks of larch.

What are the dimensions of the lIen?

As-built initially, she is 56 feet in length overall with a beam of 14 feet and a displacement of 45 tonnes.

How did the Ilen get from Baltimore to the Falkland Islands in 1926?

Conor O’Brien set sail in August 1926 with two Cadogan cousins from Cape Clear in West Cork, arriving at Port Stanley in January 1927 and handed it over to the new owners.

How much did the Ilen cost in 1926?

The Ilen was delivered to the Falkland Islands Company, in exchange for £1,500.

What roles has Ilen performed in her lifetime?

Ilen served for over 70 years as a cargo ship and a ferry in the Falkland Islands, enduring and enjoying the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties, and Screaming Sixties. She stayed in service until the early 1990s.

Who from Ireland rediscovered the Ilen in the Falkland Islands?

Limerick sailor Gary McMahon and his team located Ilen. MacMahon started looking for her in 1996 and went out to the Falklands and struck a deal with the owner to bring her back to Ireland.

What condition was Ilen in when she was found in the Falkland Islands?

After a lifetime of hard work in the Falklands, Ilen required a ground-up rebuild.

How did the Ilen come back to Ireland?

A Russian cargo ship transported her back on a 12,000-mile trip from the Southern Oceans to Dublin. The Ilen was discharged at the Port of Dublin 1997, after an absence from Ireland of 70 years.

Who restored the Ilen?

It was a collaboration between the Ilen Project in Limerick and Hegarty’s Boatyard in Old Court, near Skibbereen. Much of the heavy lifting, of frames, planking, deadwood & backbone, knees, floors, shelves and stringers, deck beams, and carlins, was done in Hegarty’s. The generally lighter work of preparing sole, bulkheads, deck‐houses fixed furniture, fixtures & fittings, deck fittings, machinery, systems, tanks, spar making and rigging is being done at the Ilen boat building school in Limerick.

How long did it take to restore Ilen?

Ten years. The boat was much the worse for wear when it returned to West Cork in May 1998, and it remained dormant for ten years before the start of a decade-long restoration.

What is the role of the Ilen today?

Ilen now serves as a community floating classroom and cargo vessel – visiting 23 ports in 2019 and making a transatlantic crossing to Greenland as part of a relationship-building project to link youth in Limerick City with youth in Nuuk, west Greenland.

What is so good about Ilen’s relatively small size as a sailing cargo ship?

At a mere 56ft, Ilen is capable of visiting most of the small harbours of Ireland.

Displaying items by tag: Dorney

20th October 2019

Shandon Man Dorney Third at Head of the Charles in Boston

#Rowing: Jack Dorney (18) finished third in the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston today. The Shandon man, defending his title in the men’s youth singles, was beaten by the winner, Nicholas Aronow, and second-placed Isaiah Harrison.

In the men’s senior master eights (average age 50 plus), an Irish Masters Boat Club crew made up of rowers from around Ireland took fourth. Ex Nemo won, while the second-placed Upper Yarra crew featured former Australian greats Duncan Free and James Tomkins as the stern pair.

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28th October 2018

O'Donovan and O'Driscoll Win at Ireland Trial

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan finished fifth overall in the single sculls at the Armada Cup, and Sanita Puspure third in the Gold Cup in Philadelphia, a race that was part of the Head of the Schuylkill event.

At the Ireland trial at the National Rowing Centre, Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan won the men’s pair on Sunday, with David O’Malley and Shane Mulvaney second. O'Driscoll and O'Donovan did not compete on the Saturday.

Jack Dorney of Shandon won both the junior single sculls and the junior double, with Castleconnell’s Rory O’Neill. Molly Curry had equivalent wins: she teamed up with Lauren O’Brien – also of Castleconnell – on the Sunday.

UCD’s men’s senior eight were fastest at the Castleconnell Head of the River, and Enniskillen junior crews also shone.

Ireland Trial, National Rowing Centre (Provisional Results; winners) Saturday

Men

Pair - Senior: UCD (S Mulvaney, D O’Malley). Under-23: UCD (S O’Connell, A Goff).

Single - Senior: Shandon (A Harrington). Under-23: UCC (R Byrne)

Women

Pair: UCC, Skibbereen (A Keogh, E Hegarty). Under-23: Neptune, UCD (C Feerick, E Lambe). Jun: Cork Boat Club (C O’Sullivan, J Duggan).

Single – Sen: Killorglin (M Dukarska). Lightweight: Skibbereen (D Walsh). Under-23 Lightweight: Skibbereen (L Heaphy). Junior: Coleraine GS (M Curry).

Sunday

Men

Four – Under-23: O’Connell, Goff, Keating, Whittle. Jun 18: Gallagher, Daly, Butler, Murphy

Pair: M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll

Double – Sen: Haugh, Crowley. Lightweight: J McCarthy, F McCarthy. Lwt U-23: Sutton, Gaffney Jun 18: Dorney, O’Neill.

Single – Sen: Byrne. U-23: Bann (Christie). Lightweight: Sutton.

Women

Four – Under-23: Hanlon, Casey, Lambe, Feerick. Jun 18: O’Sullivan, Duggan, Tyther, O’Donoghue.

Pair – Hegarty, Keogh. Jun 18: McGrath, Gannon

Double – Sen: Dukarska, Crowley. Lightweight: Walsh, Casey. Jun 18: Curry, L O’Brien.

Single – Lightweight: Legresley. U-23: Heaphy. Jun 18: Gilmore.

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14th October 2018

Shandon Excel at Cork Head of the River

Jack Dorney, the fastest sculler at Cork Head of the River.

#Rowing: Shandon amassed a big set of wins at the Cork Head of the River at the Marina on Saturday. Their men’s senior quadruple, competing in the fourth head, set the fastest time of 12 minutes 3.4 seconds, while their men’s senior eight were just .6 of a second slower. They competed in head one and were the second-fastest crew overall. Jack Dorney was the fastest single sculler.

Cork Boat Club's women reeled off a set of wins. The fastest women’s crew was their club two eight, while Grace Collins of the same club was the fastest women’s single sculler.

Cork Head of the River, The Marina, Saturday (Selected Results)

Overall: 1 Shandon men’s senior quadruple 12 minutes 3.4 seconds (Head Four), 2 Shandon men’s senior eight 12 mins 4 secs (Head One), 3 Cork men’s inter eight 12:17.3 (H1).

Men

Eight – Senior: Shandon 12:04.0. Inter: Cork 12.17.3. Club Two: Shandon 13.13.

Four – Sen: Shandon 12:37. Inter, coxed: Shandon 13:55.3. Club Two, coxed: Waterford 15:41.6. Jun 18A, coxed: Shandon 14:13.3.

Pair – Sen: Cork A 13:44.1. Jun 18A: Fermoy 14:28.9. Jun 16, coxed: Presentation (Rolling Head) 14:24.6. Masters, coxed: Shandon (b) 15:17.4.

Sculling – Quadruple – Sen: Shandon 12:03.4. Inter: Shandon 12:36.2. Jun 18A: Lee B 12:53.1. Masters, coxed: Shandon A (a) Rolling Head 15:24.8

Double – Club Two: Shandon 15:27.5. Jun 18A: Cork 13:41.3.

Single – Sen: 1 Shandon (J Dorney, sen, H2) 15:18.8. Inter: Cork (C O’Sullivan) 15:44.7. Club Two: Lee (P Hearty) 18:11.1. Jun 18A: Lee (A Sheehan, H2) 15:30.2. Jun 16: Kenmare (T Kelly) 15:48.7. Masters: Shandon (H Merz, d; Rolling Head) 15:25.7.

Women

Eight – Club Two: Cork 14:28.5. Pair - Sen: Cork 16:47.2. Jun 18: Cork A 16:08.

Four – Club Two, coxed: Cork A 15:04.9. Masters, coxed: Cork (d) 16:38.4.

Sculling – Quadruple – Inter: Cork 15:27.3. Jun 18A: Shandon A 15:23.1. Jun 16, coxed: Lee 16:19.2. Masters, coxed: Graiguenamanagh (b) 17:15.2.

Double – Inter: Cork A 15:11. Jun 18A: Lee A 15:37.3.

Single – Inter: Cork (G Collins) 16:13.4. Club Two: Shandon (J Legresley) 16:01.5. Novice: Lee (O Commins) 17:35.9. Jun 18A: Kenmare (E Crowley) 15:38.7. Jun 16: Shandon (J Forde) 15:55.9. Masters: Shandon (J Legresley; b) 17:49.8 (Rolling Hd)

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29th September 2018

Dorney and Lynch top Junior Rankings at All Ireland Open and Youth Regatta

Jack Dorney of Shandon won the junior 18 single sculls at the Irish Open and All Ireland Junior Regatta at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. His nearest rival was James O’Donovan of Castleconnell. Both represented Ireland this season and both are junior again for the 2019 season.

Aoife Lynch of Lee was the top junior woman, just ahead of Lauren O’Brien of Castleconnell.

The best women’s open pair of the day was the UCC/Skibbereen combination of Tara Hanlon and Niamh Casey.

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9th June 2018

Commercial and Shandon Shine in the Sun at Metro Regatta

Rowing: Commercial won the Division One coxed and coxless fours and the Division One pairs (through intermediates Charlie Cunningham and Lorcain Cameron), while 17-year-old Jack Dorney took the men’s Division One single sculls at the refixed Metro regatta at Blessington today.

The day could hardly have been better for rowing, but the entry was thin because of clashes with exams and other events. Young competitors shone: the women’s Division One pair A Final was made up entirely of junior 18 crews, with Castleconnell the clear winners; the New Ross’s junior 18 crew of Shona Tierney and Lara Brown were the top women’s double scull and Tristan Orlic of Neptune, who is 16, won Division Two of the men’s single single sculls.

Metropolitan Regatta, Blessington, Saturday

Men

Eight – Div Two: Neptune (club two) 5:40.496.

Four – Div One: Commercial A (sen) 5:36.26. Four, coxed – Div One: 1 Commercial (sen) 5:55.01, 2 Shandon (jun 18A) 5:55.99, 3 Commercial (inter) 5:56.41; 5 UCD (club one) 6:02.82.

Pair – Div One: Commercial (inter) 6:07.65, 2 Commercial (sen) 6:14.6. B Final: 2 Castleconnell 6:25.78; 4 Belfast RC (club one) 6:43.92.

Sculling, Single – Div One: Shandon (J Dorney; jun 18A) 6:34.78, 2 St Michael’s (D O’Connor; sen) 6:37.81. B Final: Three Castles (T McKnight; inter) 6:47.52; 5 Commercial (J Casey; club one) 7:11.88. Div Two: Neptune (T Orlic; jun 16) 6:47. 76, 2 Clonmel (O’Donnell; club two) 6:49.48, 3 St Michael’s (O’Gorman; jun 18B) 7:00.84

Women

Four, coxed – Div Two: Neptune (club two) 6:56.77.

Sculling, Quadruple – Div Two, coxed: Commercial (jun 16) 6:51.87, 2 Neptune (club two) 6:54.06, 3 Fermoy (nov) 6:54.57; 6 Commercial (jun 18B) 7:49.09.

Double – Div One: New Ross (jun 18A) 6:43.13; 3 Neptune (club one) 6:48.66; 4 St Michael’s (sen) 7:05.97. Div Two: Carlow (jun 16) 7:11.58, 2 Neptune (club two) 7:36.47.

Single – Div One: 1 Castleconnell (jun 18) 7:14.24.

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10th October 2017

Dorney and Cremen Top Rankings at Cork Sculling Ladder Trial

Jack Dorney is presented with his prize by Pat Hickey.

#Rowing: Jack Dorney of Shandon Boat Club was the fastest at the Cork Sculling Ladder time trial at the Marina. More than 170 single scullers participated on Sunday in the 46th running of the event, which is sponsored by Argos Fire and Safety Ltd and BioAugmentation Systems Ltd. Dorney won in a time of seven minutes and 7.2 seconds. Three other Shandon scullers filled the next three spots: Alex Byrne, Stephen O’Sullivan and Eoin Gaffney.

Margaret Cremen, who won last last year, was again the fastest woman – the Lee Rowing Club competitor finished 10th overall; Cork Boat Club’s Lisa Dilleen was the next fastest woman. Conditions on the river were calm.

The 2017-2018 Cork Sculling Ladder continues until April 1^st.

Cork Sculling Ladder, Time Trial, October 8^th. Selected Results: