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Displaying items by tag: Open House Dublin

#OPEN HOUSE- The National Maritime Museum of Ireland is to participate in the Open House Dublin weekend in early October, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The former Old Mariners Church was built between the years 1838-1867 for the Church of Ireland, though the architect is unknown. Its construction involved granite rock quarried from Dalkey Hill.

In June of this year the museum was reopened following several years of extensive renovations and a subtle refurbishment which was carried out to ensure its impressive collection can be showcased.

Among the exhibits is a model of the RMS Leinster which was torpedoed off the Kish during WWI with the loss of 500 people. A notable display is an optic from the Baily Lighthouse on Howth Peninsula. It was installed in 1902 and removed in 1972 when the lighthouse was modernised. Also on view is a uniform of Captain Robert Halpin, who was master of the Great Eastern which laid the first successful telegraph cable across the Atlantic from Ireland to the US.

The museum is located on Haigh Terrace, off George's St. Upper, the main street in Dun Laoghaire. Facilities include a coffee dock, a Wi-Fi hotspot and museum shop. Most of the museum is wheelchair accessible.

No booking is required and opening times on Sunday 7th October are 12noon-4.30pm. For information and links to other buildings in the Open House Dublin programme click HERE

Published in Dublin Bay

#OPEN SPACE – Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn T.D. and Seán O'Laoire, are to present boat-based guided tours of Dublin's Docklands, as part of Open House Dublin weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The three afternoon tours are to be held on Sunday 7th October. According to the organisers, the 'lively' architectural tours are to explore the urban quarter of the Docklands as seen from the water on board the excursion boat Liffey Voyager.

Quinn who was a former leader of the Labour Party, also lectured architecture in UCD, having qualified with a Bachelor of Architecture and he holds a Higher Diploma in Ekistics, the science of human settlements.

For embarkation points, departure times, and how to book spaces (limited spaces) of the tours sponsored by Liffey River Cruises, click HERE. All tours are provided on a first-come first-served basis and have disabled access.

Published in Boating Fixtures

#OPEN HOUSE- The Commissioners of Irish Lights headquarters in Dun Laoghaire Harbour is to be made open to the public with tours on Sunday (7 October) as part of the annual Open House Weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The iconic landmark building which incoporates innovative technological features is located on the waterfront within the harbour, and in which integrates seamlessly into its marine environment.  The Commissioners are a General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) that is responsible for all aids to navigation around the coast of Ireland.

To enable the authority to carry out these functions, the building has an administration block and adjoining marine workshop depot. Adjacent to the facility is a berth where the ILV Granuaile (2000/2,625grt) can moor alongside to load and unload these aids to navigation. The tours will provide a fascinating insight into the work of the commissioners.

For further details and how to book a tour, plus a list of other buildings available to access and more click this LINK.

Open House Dublin is an initiative of The Irish Architecture Foundation which has an established network and track record in delivering major projects primarily aimed at developing audiences for architecture in Ireland. The foundation is also involved in raising the profile of Irish architecture abroad.

Published in Lighthouses

#SAIL-TOUR– Under a ticket lottery scheme there is an opportunity to view the architecture along the Dun Laoghaire coastline by taking a tour on board Go Sailing's 54ft luxury yacht, as part of the annual Open House Dublin weekend (5-7 October), writes Jehan Ashmore.

The tour is scheduled to depart the marina in Dun Laoghaire Harbour at 1.45pm on Saturday (6th October). By taking to the water, the 2hrs 15mins cruise, will provide a completely different perspective of the built environment and overall views along the scenic southern coastline of Dublin Bay.

Due to consistently high demand, the limited places available on the tour are to be distributed via a lottery system, for details as to how to apply they can be found by clicking this LINK.

Published in Dublin Bay
As part of this year's Open House Dublin event, the striking headquarters of the Commissioners of Irish Lights building in Dún Laoghaire Harbour will be open to the public tomorrow, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The iconic coastal landmark building built by Scott Tallon Walker Architects in 2008, consists of two-interconnected buildings that house offices and a marine depot. They utilise many eco-friendly and innovative technologies to ensure sustainable building design and energy efficiency.

Regular guided tours will provide a fascinating insight into the work of the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL). The tours (first-come basis) are also available for disabled access and they start from 12 noon to 5pm, noting the last tour is 4.30pm. Location: Harbour Road, Dún Laoghaire.

Like most of the tours and events in Open House Dublin, there is no pre-booking required. Entry is FREE and on a first-come basis. For more information about what to expect from your tour or event, check the How It Works by clicking HERE.

CIL operate the 79m aids-to-navigation tender ILV Granuaile which is based at her homeport of Dun Laoghaire. The 2,625grt tender was built by the Dutch Damen Shipyard group in Galati, Romania. She was then towed to The Netherlands where further outfitting work was conducted. She entered service in 2000 and she is the third tender to be named after the Mayo pirate queen.

Occasionally ILV Granuaile can be seen moored alongside the berth adjacant to the marine depot accessed through Dun Laoghaire Marina, though she mostly calls to the harbour's western bight area, using her DP (dynamic-positioning) mode. Her design is ideally suited for buoy and chain work, search and rescue, salvage and recovery, towing, hydrographic applications, and ROV work.

She is shallow drafted at 4.4m and has heavy lifting equipment including a 20 tonne aft-mounted crane with an outreach of 20m. Accommodation is for a crew of 16 in addition there are cabins for a further 10 persons.

Published in Lighthouses
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The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with well over 14,000 boats built.

The class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and parts of north-eastern USA, and the GP14 can be used for both racing and cruising. 

Designed by Jack Holt in 1949, with the assistance of the Dovey Yacht Club in Aberdyfi. The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14-foot dinghy which could be sailed or rowed, capable of also being powered effectively by a small outboard motor, able to be towed behind a small family car and able to be launched and recovered reasonably easily, and stable enough to be able to lie to moorings or anchor when required. Racing soon followed, initially with some degree of opposition from Yachting World, who had commissioned the design, and the boat soon turned out to be an outstanding racing design also.

The boat was initially designed with a main and small jib as a comfortable family dinghy. In a design philosophy that is both practical and highly redolent of social attitudes of the day the intention was that she should accommodate a family comprising parents plus two children, and specifically that the jib should be modest enough for "Mum" or older children to handle, while she should perform well enough to give "Dad" some excitement when not taking the family out. While this rig is still available, and can be useful when using the boat to teach sailing, or for family sailing, and has some popularity for cruising, the boat is more commonly seen with the full modern rig of a mainsail, genoa and spinnaker. Australian boats also routinely use trapezes.

GP14 Ireland Event Dates 2023

  • O'Tiarnaigh (Apr 22-23) Blessington Sailing Club
  • Ulsters (May 20-21) East Antrim Boat Club
  • Munsters (Jun 17-18) Tralee Bay Sailing Club
  • Leinsters (Jul 7-9) Dun Laoghaire Regatta
  • SOYC (Aug 19-20) Rush Sailing Club
  • Nationals (Sep 1-3) Sutton Dinghy Club
  • Hot Toddy (Sep 30-Oct 1) Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

 

At A Glance – GP14 Dinghy Specifications

Crew 2
Draft 1,200 mm (47 in)
Hull weight 132.9 kg
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m
Spinnaker area 8.4 m2
Upwind sail area 12.85 m2

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