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.

University Championships

13th April 2018

Trinity Rowers Win Thrilling Eights Final at University Championships

Fintan McCarthy won the senior single sculls at the University Championships.

#Rowing: Trinity won the men’s senior eights at the University Championships of Ireland at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. The race had a thrilling finish: Trinity led by less than a length, but UCD finished strongly and almost caught them. NUIG won the women’s senior eight much more comfortably, from Trinity.

The overall winners were NUIG, who also won the Bank of Ireland Trophy for women. The men’s award, the Wylie Cup, went to Trinity.

Fintan McCarthy of UCC won the senior single sculls from Andrew Goff of UCD and Selma Bounane of UCC topped the rankings in the women’s senior single.

University Championships of Ireland, National Rowing Centre (Selected Results)

Men

Eights – Senior: 1 Trinity, 2 UCD, 3 UCC. Inter: 1 Trinity, 2 UCD, 3 UCC. Club: 1 Trinity, 2 NUIG, 3 UCC. Novice: 1 UCD A, 2 Trinity A, 3 Queen’s A.

Four – Sen: UCD. Inter, coxed: Trinity. Club, coxed: UCC.

Pair – Sen: UCD.

Sculling, Quadruple, coxed – Novice: University of Limerick. Double – Inter: Queen’s. Single - Sen: UCC (F McCarthy). Inter: Univ of Limerick (K Mannix)

Women

Eights – Senior: 1 NUIG, 2 Trinity A, 3 Trinity B. Inter: 1 NUIG, 2 Trinity A, 3 Queen’s. Club: 1 NUIG, 2 Queen’s, 3 UCD A. Novice: 1 UCD, 2 Queen’s A, 3 Queen’s B.

Four – Sen: NUIG. Inter, coxed: NUIG A. Club, coxed: NUIG A.

Pair – Sen: UCC.

Sculling, Quadruple – Nov: Queen’s B. Double – Inter: NUIG. Single – Sen: UCC (Bounane). Inter: UCC (L Heaphy).

Overall Winners: NUIG. Wylie Cup for Men: Trinity. Bank of Ireland Trophy for Women: NUIG.

Published in Rowing

Tagged under

7th April 2017

Trinity Best Overall at University Championships as UCD Take Wylie Cup

Shane Mulvaney of the victorious UCD senior eight.

#Rowing: Trinity came out on top at the Irish University Rowing Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. The combined points tally of Dublin University Boat Club and Dublin University Ladies Boat Club was 68 points. UCD’s total was 51 and NUIG’s 43.

The Wylie Cup, calculated on results in the men’s eights, went to UCD, who won the senior eight convincingly from Trinity. NUIG are the Bank of Ireland champions, though UCD won the senior eights.

Stephen O’Connor of UCC beat Patrick Moreau of Trinity in the senior single sculls final, though Andrew Goff of UCD was faster in winning the intermediate title.

Irish University Championships, National Rowing Centre, Friday (Selected Results)

Overall: 1 Trinity (DUBC and DULBC) 68 points, 2 UCD 51, 3 NUIG 43. Wylie Cup (Senior Men, based on results in eights): UCD. Bank of Ireland Cup (Senior Women, eights): NUIG.

Men

Eight – Senior: 1 UCD 6:12.06, 2 Trinity 6:17.82, 3 NUIG 6:26.67. Club: NUIG 6:28.85. Intermediate: UCD 6:17.73. Novice: Queen’s 6:29.09.

Four – Sen: Trinity 7:12.30. Inter, coxed: Dublin IT 7:04.65. Club, coxed: NUIG 7:10.88.

Pair – Sen: Trinity 7:22.44.

Sculling, Quadruple – Nov, coxed: Queen’s A 7:37.40.

Double – Inter: UCC 7:28.18.

Single – Sen: UCC (S O’Connor) 7:58.23. Inter: UCD (A Goff) 7:47.90.

Women

Eight – Senior: 1 UCD 7:06.78, 2 NUIG 7:14.70, 3 Trinity A 7:20.66. Inter: NUIG 7:11.87.

Club: NUIG 7:12.84. Novice: NUIG 7:26.53.

Four – Sen: UCD 7:36.88. Inter, coxed: UCC 8:13.49. Club, coxed: Queen’s 8:12.59.

Pair – Sen: UCD 8:20.97.

Sculling, Quadruple – Nov, coxed: Queen’s 9:08.74.

Double – Inter: Trinity 8:35.31.

Single – Inter: UUC (K Shirlow) 8:46.18.

Published in Rowing

Tagged under

8th April 2016

Doyle the Top Single Sculler at University Championships

Philip Doyle, the top single sculler at the University Championships of Ireland today.

#Rowing: Philip Doyle of Queen’s University won the senior single sculls final at the Irish University Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. UCD had an emphatic win over NUIG in the men’s senior pair, while UCC won the senior four. Trinity won the women’s senior four with less than a length to spare over UCD.

Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __09:00_____ Race no. ___1_____ Event ____Mens Senior 1x_____
Final
Distance

1st
QUBBC (Doyle)
21⁄2L
2nd
Belfast Met (McKeown)
1⁄2L

3rd
QUBBC (Beck)

11⁄2L

4th
UCDBC (Hughes)

1⁄2L

5th
DUBC (Corcoran)

Distance
6th
CORK IT (Merz)

Number to qualify for final ______________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __09:10______ Race no. _2_______ Event ____W Inter 1x_________
Final
Distance

1st
UCC (Bouanane)

5L

2nd
QUBLBC (Blundell)
4L
3rd
UCCRC (O'Sullivan)

11⁄2L

4th
DULBC (Foley)
11⁄2L
5th
QUBLBC (Brown)

2L

6th
NUIM (Byrne)

Number to qualify for final ______________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __09:40____ Race no. ___5_____ Event __Mens Intermediate 1x__ _____
Final
Distance
1st
Cork IT (Hennessy)
31⁄2L
2nd
UCDBC (Goff)
Distance
3rd
I.T. Blanchardstown (Gahan)
Distance
4th
QUBBC (Taylor)
5th
DUBC (Hough) DNS
DNS
6th
Number to qualify for final ______________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __10:00______ Race no. _7_______ Event ____Womens Club 4+______
Heat 1
Distance
1st
QUBLBC
11⁄2L
2nd
DULBC A
Distance
3rd
ULRC
Distance
4th
DULBC C
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final _____3_________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __10:10____ Race no. ___8_____ Event __Womens Club 4+__ _____
Heat 2
Distance
1st
UCCRC
1⁄2L
2nd
DULBC B
Distance
3rd
Dublin IT
4th
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final ____2__________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __10:20 ______ Race no. _9_______ Event ____Mens Novice 8+___
Heat 1
Distance
1st
UCDBC A
4L
2nd
NUIG
2L
3rd
DUBC C
2L
4th
QUBBC B
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final _____3_________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __10:30____ Race no. ___10_____ Event __Mens Novice 8+ _____
Heat 2
Distance
1st
DUBC A
3L
2nd
DUBC B
1L
3rd
QUBBC A
Distance
4th
ULRC
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final ____3__________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __10:40 ______ Race no. _11_______ Event __Womens Intermediate 2x___
Final
Distance
1st
DULBC A
2L
2nd
UCCRC
11⁄2L
3rd
QUBLBC
1⁄2L
4th
DULBC B
6L
5th
NUIG
6th
Number to qualify for final ______________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __10:50____ Race no. ___12_____ Event __Mens Senior 2-_____
Final
Distance
1st
UCDBC
6L
2nd
NUIG
6L
3rd
DUBC A
4L
4th
QUBBC
1L
5th
DIT RC
6th
Number to qualify for final ______________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: _ _11:00_____ Race no. ___13_____ Event __Womens Senior 2-___
Final
Distance
1st
DULBC
31⁄2L
2nd
QUBLBC
3rd
4th
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final ______________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: _ _11:10_____ Race no. ___14_____ Event __Womens Novice 8+__
Final
Distance
1st
UCDBC
21⁄2L
2nd
DULBC A
4L
3rd
QUBLBC
1ft
4th
DULBC B
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final ______________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: _ _11:20_____ Race no. ___15_____ Event __Womens Novice 4x+-___
Final
Distance
1st
Dublin IT A
Distance
2nd
ULRC
Distance
3rd
NUIG
5L
4th
Dublin IT B
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final _____________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: _ _11:50_____ Race no. ___17_____ Event __Mens Senior 4-
Final
Distance
1st
UCCRC
Canvas
2nd
DUBC
1L
3rd
UCDBC
4th
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final _____________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: _ _12:00_____ Race no. ___18_____ Event __Mens Club 8+_____
Final
Distance
1st
NUIG
11⁄4L
2nd
D.I.T RC
1⁄2L
3rd
QUBBC
1⁄2L
4th
UCCRC
1L
5th
DUBC A
6th
Number to qualify for final _____________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __12:10_____ Race no. ___19_____ Event __Womens Club 8+_____
Final
Distance
1st
QUBLBC
21⁄2L
2nd
UCDBC
2L
3rd
ULRC
11⁄2L
4th
UCCRC
2L
5th
DULBC A
Distance
6th
DULBC B
Number to qualify for final _____________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __12:20_____ Race no. ___20_____ Event __Womens Senior 4-_____
Final
Distance
1st
DULBC A
3⁄4L
2nd
UCDBC
Distance
3rd
DULBC C
2L
4th
DULBC B
5th
6th
Number to qualify for final _____________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __12:40_____ Race no. ___22_____ Event __Mens Novice 8+_____
Final
Distance


1st
DUBC A


21⁄2L
2nd
UCDBC

21⁄2L

3rd
QUBBC

1/3 L
4th

DUBC B

Distance

5th
NUIG
1L

6th
DUBC C

Number to qualify for final _____________
Irish University Rowing Championships 2016 Results
Time: __13:00_____ Race no. ___24_____ Event __Womens Club 4+_____
Final
Distance

1st
DULBC A


1⁄2 canvas
2nd
QUBLBC

6L

3rd
DULBC B
2L
4th
ULRC

21⁄2L

5th
UCCRC
6th


Number to qualify for final _____________

Published in Rowing

Tagged under

11th April 2014

Trinity Win Senior Eights But UCD Take Wylie and BoI Trophies

#ROWING: UCD took the Wylie Cup for men and the Bank of Ireland Cup for women at the University Championships of Ireland at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. Under the new rules two wins in eights across the grades of Novice, Intermediate, Club and Senior grades sufficed. UCD won the men’s Novice and Club eights and the Novice and Intermediate in women’s eights.

It was, however, a particularly good day for Trinity. They bested UCD in both the senior men’s and women’s eights and won the overall points classification.

University Championships of Ireland, National Rowing Centre (Selected Results)

Men

Wylie Cup: UCD

Eight – Senior: 1 Trinity, 2 NUIG, 3 UCD. Club: 1 UCD A, 2 Trinity, 3 Queen's. Intermediate: 1 NUIG, 2 Trinity, 3 UCD A. Novice: 1 UCD A, 2 Trinity A, 3 Queen’s A.

Four – Club, coxed: UCD A.

Pair – Senior: UCC.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: UCC. Novice: Queen’s. Double – Intermediate: Cork IT. Single – Senior: 1 Univ of Limerick (M O’Donovan). - Intermediate: UCC (S O’Connor).

Women

Bank of Ireland Cup: UCD

Eight – Senior: 1 Trinity B, 2 UCD, 3 Trinity A. Club: 1 NUIG, 2 Queen's, 3 Trinity. Intermediate: 1 UCD, 2 NUIG, 3 Trinity. Novice: 1 UCD, 2 Queen’s A, 3 Trinity B.

Four – Senior: Trinity B. Club, coxed: NUIG. Intermediate, coxed: UCC.

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice, coxed: NUIG. Double – Intermediate: Trinity B.

Single – Intermediate: Trinity (S Dolan).

Overall Points Winners: Trinity.

Published in Rowing

Tagged under

24th May 2013

UCD's Men and Women Take Irish University Honours

#UNIVERSITY ROWING: UCD took the Wylie Cup for men and the Bank of Ireland Cup for women at the rescheduled Irish University Championships at Blessington Lakes tonight. Trinity won the novice eight categories for both women and men, but UCD won both intermediate and senior eights races. In senior men’s eights, NUIG took second, while UCD vanquished their only rivals, Trinity, in the women’s senior eights.

The weather had forced the postponement of the Championships originally and winds were again a factor tonight, with all but these six races stripped from the programme.

Published in Rowing

Tagged under