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Displaying items by tag: Shannon Erne Waterway

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels that the winter mooring period will end this Easter Sunday, 31 March, on the Shannon Navigation and Shannon-Erne Waterway.

Shannon Navigation Bye-law No. 17(3) will apply from 31 March, such that vessels should not berth in the same harbour for longer than the statutory period of five consecutive days nor more than a total of seven days in any one month.

Services were reconnected to Waterways Ireland harbours and jetties from Friday 15 March, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of all craft on the Shannon-Erne Waterway that repair works will be taking place at Roscarban Bridge in Co Leitrim from Wednesday 14 February until mid-March.

During these works, a mechanical platform will be hung from the side of the bridge by mechanical plant, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

The navigable channel will remain open, but boaters are asked to comply with safety signage and heed all instructions from safety personnel who will be in the area.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that all 16 locks on the Shannon-Erne Waterway will be out of service from Friday 22 December to Monday 1 January inclusive.

No lock passage by boat will be possible during this period before normal service resumes at 9am on Tuesday 2 January, says the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the service block at Ballyconnell is currently closed due for extensive refurbishing works.

The service blocks at Aghalane and Haughton’s Shore, Ballinamore, Keshcarrigan and Leitrim village remain open, as do all land-based and water-based blueway trails associated with the waterway.

Waterways Ireland says it regrets any inconvenience that this may cause and thanks its customers for their cooperation in this matter.

Further information may be had during normal business hours by contacting Waterways Ireland’s Carrick-on-Shannon office at 071 9650 562.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland is planning to commence extensive refurbishment works to Ballyconnell service block on the Shannon-Erne Waterway on Monday 27 November, with works scheduled to last approximately four months.

During this time the service block will be closed to the public, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways.

Alternative service block facilities managed by Waterways Ireland can be found along the Shannon-Erne Waterway at Haughton’s Shore in Co Leitrim and Aghalane, Co Fermanagh.

For further details on the closure, contact the Waterways Ireland Regional Offices on 0719650787 or email [email protected].

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters that the winter mooring period for public harbours on the Shannon Navigation and Shannon-Erne Waterway will commence on Wednesday 1 November and will end on 31 March next year.

Masters wishing to avail of winter mooring are required to pay the winter mooring fee of €63.50 prior to 1 November. Online registration must be made on the Waterways Ireland website.

The steps in the winter mooring process are as follows:

  1. Apply online for winter mooring at a specific harbour.
  2. Receive email approval/rejection/alternative location of application.
  3. Follow link on approval email when received to pay winter mooring fee online.

Masters are reminded that Bye-Law 17, the ‘five consecutive days/seven days in one month’ rule, continues to apply for masters not availing of winter mooring.

Waterways Ireland will be disconnecting its electricity supply points and water supply at public moorings for the winter period (November–March). Both services will be reinstated prior to the commencement of the 2024 boating season.

Owners should note that vessels are moored in public harbours at the owners risk at all times and may be directed to other harbours as operational exigencies require.

In other news, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways advises that two green conical aids to navigation — No 1248 upstream of Parteen Weir and No 500 upstream of Lanesboro Bridge — are currently off station. Mariners are requested to exercise care when navigating in these area.

Meanwhile, in Dromod Harbour in Co Leitrim the pump-out station is now fully operational.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels that Locks 9 to 14 on the Shannon-Erne Waterway will be out of service on Thursday 5 October from 9.30am to 4pm due to a planned ESB power outage.

No lock passage by boat will be possible during this period, but it is expected that normal service will resume at 4pm, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland is concluding its jetty upgrade works in Leitrim village, and advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon-Erne Waterway of the following:

  • The public jetty fronting the Marina Apartments in Leitrim village will reopen for mooring this Friday 29 September.
  • The public jetty and car park at the service block in Leitrim village will be closed on Thursday 28 September to facilitate demobilisation of floating plant and equipment.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says it regrets any inconvenience that this may cause and thanks its customers for their cooperation in this matter.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland is commencing upgrading works to a jetty in Leitrim village, and advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon-Erne Waterway that this will result in the following temporary closures:

  • The public jetty fronting the Marina Apartments in Leitrim village will be closed for mooring from Thursday 14 to Friday 29 September.
  • The public jetty at the service block in Leitrim village is closed for mooring from Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 September.
  • The car park in Leitrim village will be closed on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 September to accommodate mobilisation of floating plant and equipment.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says it regrets any inconvenience that this may cause and thanks its customers for their cooperation in this matter.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels and water users on the Shannon-Erne Waterway that Inland Fisheries Ireland will be conducting a fish stock survey on Lough Garadice in Co Leitrim next week between Monday 4 and Thursday 7 September.

All nets will be clearly marked by orange buoys marked “IFI Survey”, adds the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways.

Masters of vessels and all water users should proceed with additional caution when operating on Lough Garadice during this period.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon-Erne Waterway that tree trimming and hedge cutting will be carried out at various locations during the autumn/winter period from September 2023 to February 2024.

During this operation, floating pontoons will be located on the water with mechanical plant operating. Mechanical plant will also be in operation along the banks of the waterway.

Masters will be advised by Waterways Ireland staff when making a passage and the co-operation of masters is requested at this time.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says it regrets any inconvenience caused to its customers.

Published in Inland Waterways
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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