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Displaying items by tag: Children's Book

#DunLaoghaireBook - “You’d Be filled With wonder, The Story of Dun Laoghaire Harbour! is the title of a new publication to celebrate last year's Bicentenary of Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The harbour which began construction in 1817, has caught the imagination of writers, playwrights and poets for two centuries. Countless books have been written recalling the stories of shipwrecks, storms and forgotten heroes to all, but children.

The Blackrock Education Centre, supported by Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, has created a children’s book as a legacy to the future custodians, sailors and visitors to the harbour.

To mark the enormous impact of Dun Laoghaire Harbour which has had on the local area the first children’s book about the harbour is now in bookshops . The unique book was written by local historian Dr Seamus Cannon with support from Grainne O Malley and Colin Scudds.

The book was designed by Eliane Pearce as a series of 15 bite sized stories highlighting key events in the harbour’s history. Tales of heroism, genius, celebration, tragedy and how the harbour began with a tragic double shipwreck and became the largest construction project of its time in Ireland.

Dún Laoghaire Harbour was witness to some of the great historical events of the past two centuries and these moments are captured in vivid colour with remarkable illustrations.

The book will ignite the imagination of school children along with curious adults and tourists alike. Available for €9.00 in local bookstores and alternatively to acquire online click here.

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.