Historic Boats
Lough Neagh Stages the Atlantic Challenge, an International Contest of Seamanship
19th July 2018 Historic Boats 11 International teams will make Antrim their home for the International Contest of Seamanship tomorrow. As Afloat.ie reported previously in March, 200 young people from USA, Russia, St Petersburg, Belgium, Ghent, GB, Ireland, Quebec, France, Denmark, Canada and Northern Ireland…
Anthony O’Leary’s 50ft 'Northele' Brings Rare & Classic Style to Crosshaven
18th July 2018 Historic Boats If you were putting together a pub quiz about classic yachts, “Who was Sandy Balfour?” would be a very handy question to get the elementary section going writes W M Nixon. Dyed-in-the-wool classics aficionados would roll their eyes in amusement…
Naomh Éanna: Former CIÉ Ferry Cargoship to be Turned into €6.6m Luxury Hotel
6th July 2018 Historic Boats #HistoricBoats - Former ferry cargoship that CIÉ serviced the Aran Islands will writes The Irish Times become home to luxury five-star accommodation berthed at Dublin’s Custom House Quay as its owners plan a significant investment. The Naomh Eanna, acquired by…
There's only four weeks to go until the 2018 Glandore Classic Summer School (21/22 July) which promises to be another excellent event writes organiser Cormac O'Carroll. We hosted the first Summer school in 1992 and this event has been running biennially…
There’s an informal international network of wooden boat adherents - both classic and traditional - which has found in Ireland an increasingly useful source of recognised designs of intriguing boat types to provide many building challenges for skilled craftsmen and…
Today's Crosshaven Traditional Sail pursuit race attracted all types of plus keelboats for a harbour pursuit race, just part of this weekend's line up of attractions in Cork Harbour this weekend. Today's start, at 2pm off ‘the Grassy,’ is a traditional sail race starting point…
Heritage Steamship in the UK Awarded 2018 Regional Flagship for National Historic Fleet
9th June 2018 Historic Boats #HistoricBoats - Volunteers on the UK heritage steamship, SS Shieldhall, are celebrating having received one of the highest accolades from a national organisation. The Southampton-based vessel has been chosen as the 2018 regional flagship for the National Historic Fleet. (Click…
Historic ketch Ilen Motors Down the Ilen River for Her Celebratory Launch (VIDEO)
5th June 2018 Ilen A video, by Paul Fuller, features the restored historic ketch Ilen motoring down the Ilen River towards Baltimore for her celebratory launch last week at the Wooden Boat Festival in the West Cork town. Conor O'Brien's famous traditional vessel, that has been faithfully…
On Saturday I was at the relaunch of the Ilen at the Wooden Boats Festival in Baltimore, West Cork. It was a special occasion, one of emotion and memories, but also pride in what determined people can achieve. I have…
Historic Restored Ketch Ilen Returns to Baltimore, Her Birthplace of 92 years Ago
29th May 2018 Ilen In 1926, Tom Moynihan and his shipwrights on the waterfront in Baltimore built the 56ft ketch trading Ilen to Conor O’Brien's designs at their boatyard in the heart of the West Cork fishing village writes WM Nixon. However, Baltimore nowadays…
The hard-working boat building team behind the restoration of the historic ketch Ilen in West Cork have successfully launched the 1926–built vessel in time for this weekend's Wooden Boat Festival at Baltimore. As Afloat.ie reported earlier this week, the final touches were being…
Boost for Bantry Boats in Stellar Evening of Poetry & Song at the National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire on June 6th
22nd May 2018 Historic Boats Poetry with a seafaring flavour by Theo Dorgan, Paddy Bushe, Mick Delap and the late Richard Murphy will bring a distinctive nautical mood to an evening of absorbing interest at the National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire next month in…
New–Look Historic Irish Ketch Ilen Will Speak Volumes of her Developing Educational Role
22nd May 2018 Ilen The restoration of the 56ft 1926-built ketch Ilen by Liam Hegarty and Fachtna O’Sullivan and their team in the boatyard at Oldcourt near Baltimore in West Cork, working in concert with the Gary Mac Mahon-directed Ilen Boat-Building School in Limerick,…
The final touches are being put to the Ilen at Hegarty’s boatyard in Oldcourt, Skibbereen, prior to her going down the Ilen River this week, heading for Baltimore. There, on Saturday afternoon, at the Wooden Boats Festival, will be her first…
A ceremony took place at the Old Head of Kinsale in Cork at the weekend to commemorate the sinking of the Lusitania and its 1,191 victims 103 years ago. The ocean liner was torpedoed at 2.10pm on 7 May 1915…
Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival (May 25th-27th) Has Historic Ketch Ilen as Flagship
8th May 2018 Ilen The 1926-built 56ft Conor O’Brien ketch Ilen, painstakingly restored in a visionary joint operation by the Gary MacMahon-directed Ilen Boat Building School in Limerick working in concert with master shipwrights Liam Hegarty and Fachtna O’Sullivan at Oldcourt Boatyard near Baltimore,…
