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Displaying items by tag: NSAD

#Angling - Sean Kyne, Minister with Responsibility for the inland fisheries sector, has welcomed Inland Fisheries Ireland’s intention to take on five new ‘Fisheries Projects Animators’.

These new recruits will assist community organisations nationwide in realising ambitious angling projects and conservation initiatives for the coming year.

“I have secured the additional funding for IFI to enable this recruitment which will build IFI’s capacity to support the many excellent community-based organisations engaged with our inland fisheries and sea angling resource who are delivering projects under the National Strategy for Angling Development,” said Minister Kyne.

“This is a key deliverable under the development strategy to supplement the excellent work IFI are doing in administering the investment scheme by offering assistance to community project promoters. These new temporary posts will harness the potential already in the sector to deliver on development projects.”

The inland fisheries resource is worth €836 million to the Irish economy annually and supports upwards of 11,000 jobs, often in rural and peripheral communities.

Inland Fisheries Ireland says it wants to grow the angling sector’s socio-economic contribution by an additional €60 million annually, by ensuring that Ireland’s fish stocks and angling infrastructure are protected and enhanced into the future.

Last year, 50 angling development projects around Ireland were awarded with funding to the value of €500,000 in total under Inland Fisheries Ireland’s 2016 Capital Works Fund. The successful applicants for 2018’s funding will be announced next week.

Suzanne Campion, head of business development with Inland Fisheries Ireland, said of the project animators plan: “We are delighted the minister has approved the funding for these roles. They will be exciting but challenging positions, requiring experience and expertise across a range of criteria, and will be geographically located based on the demands of the numerous projects seeking assistance and input.

“We will be looking for enthusiastic and driven candidates for this dynamic team that will enable stakeholders to deliver on projects and build capacity across the recreational fisheries sector.”

Published in Angling

#Angling - Denis Naughten, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, has officially launched two new angling developments by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) at Emlaghroyan in Roscommon and ‘The Mudflats’ at Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim.

A new match angling stretch has been provided at Emlaghroyan, on the River Suck in Roscommon, with upgraded car parking and drive-to-peg facilities.

This development involved upgrading existing roadways and the construction of new access roadway.

Ten new match angling pegs have been provided, with a capacity for further extension.

The Suck Valley Angling Hub were recently granted additional funds through the National Strategy for Angling Development (NSAD) to extend the match venue to further promote tourism angling and facilitate match competitions in the Roscommon/East Galway area.

Together with recently unveiled developments on the River Suck at Lough Acalla, the total investment in the River Suck project was €87,000.

In Leitrim, another major 2017 development project has been completed with an investment of €103,000, providing new facilities at ‘The Mudflats’ on the main River Shannon at Carrick-on-Shannon.

The new floating angling stand is accompanied by improved roadways and parking, upgraded toilet facilities and a new slipway.

This is another important match angling venue, used widely for international match angling events such as the World Pairs and the Carrick Angling Festival.

Speaking in Carrick-On-Shannon after the ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday (Friday 1 December), Minister Naughten said: “I am delighted to mark the official opening of these developments today. Both were completed under the National Strategy for Angling Development (NSAD) and greatly enhance the angling infrastructure in both counties. They will provide a boost to angling tourism potential in the region, which in turn should increase visitor numbers.

“Furthermore, these projects would not be possible without the cooperation, agreement and vision of the respective landowners and I would like to thank all those involved for their contribution to these developments.”

More applications from the region are currently going through the NSAD assessment process, and aim to enhance the angling infrastructure in the upper Shannon areas as well as promote participation in angling.

Two weeks ago Minister Naughten unveiled new angling infrastructure in Galway and Athlone, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Published in Angling

#Angling - Minister for Natural Resources Joe McHugh has today (Monday 30 November) launched the public consultation on the National Strategy for Angling Development (NSAD).

Prepared by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the NSAD is the first comprehensive national framework for the development of Ireland's angling resource.

It is intended that the strategy will deliver a wide-ranging set of investments, innovations and promotions over the coming years.

This will ensure that Ireland's fish stocks and angling infrastructure are protected and enhanced for both their economic value and their recreational benefit to the communities and visitors they serve across the country.

“This strategy is necessary and timely to protect our wonderful inland fisheries and sea angling resources in their own right but also to safeguard and grow further the 11,350 jobs supported and €836 million contributed annually to Ireland’s economy by recreational angling," said Minister McHugh.

“These jobs and economic activity occur primarily in rural and peripheral areas of the country. The strategy supports the Government’s rural development, tourism and social inclusion objectives, and I urge all stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.”

IFI chief executive Dr Ciaran Byrne thanked all those who took part in the initial consultation process. “The inputs from stakeholders have been invaluable to Inland Fisheries Ireland in the preparation of the National Strategy for Angling Development. We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders in progressing the strategy.”

In accordance with Article 13(1)(b) of the European Communities (Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 435), as amended by the European Communities (Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes)(Amendment) Regulations 2011, Inland Fisheries Ireland has prepared:

  • A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Environmental Screening Report of the likely significant effects on the environment of implementing the Strategy, in accordance with Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment as transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes) Regulations 2004 as amended.
  • A Habitats Directive Screening Statement for Appropriate Assessment (AA), pursuant to Article 6 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora as transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011.

The NSAD screening reports and supporting documents are available for viewing and downloading HERE; from IFI, 3044 Lake Drive, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24, D24 Y265; or at IFI offices countrywide (please see www.fisheriesireland.ie for addresses and maps).

Written submissions or observations should be sent to [email protected] or NSAD Consultation, 3044 Lake Drive, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24, D24 Y265 and must be received no later than Monday 4 January 2016.

For more information visit www.fisheriesireland.ie.

Published in Angling

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

©Afloat 2020

Irish Sailing Performance Head Quarters

Irish Sailing's base for the exclusive use of its own teams are located on the grounds of the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The Irish Sailing Performance HQ houses the senior Irish sailing teams such as Olympic Silver Medalist Annalise Murphy

The HQ plans were announced in May 2018 and opened in March 2019.

The HQ comprises a number of three converted shipping containers and a floating slipway and pontoon

The HQ aim is to improve both training and educational opportunities for them, thereby creating systematic medal potential.

The Performance HQ is entirely mobile and has space for briefings and athlete education, a gym, gear storage and a boat maintenance area.

The athlete briefing room can then be shipped directly to international competitions such as the Olympics Regatta and provide a base for athletes overseas.