Displaying items by tag: M.V. Cill Airne

8th January 2012

A Tale of Two Sisters: Cobh’s Former Liner Tenders

#LINER TENDERS – As Dubliners and visitors alike enjoy the facilities of Cill Airne, the River Liffey's floating restaurant and bar venue, her sister, Canima is in complete contrast, as she rusts away on the far side of the Atlantic, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Camina was originally launched as Blarna along with Cill Airne from the Liffey Dockyard in the early 1960's as passenger tenders serving the trans-Atlantic liners out of Cobh for the Cork Harbour Commissioners. The 1,000 passenger capacity sisters, each around 500 gross tonnes, were the last vessels to be built using riveted hull constructed methods in Europe.

With the collapse of the liner trade and proliferation of the jetliner in the early 1970's, they had served short careers in Cobh. Blarna was sold to North American interests while Cill Airne remained in Irish waters. She was sold to the Cork Institute of Technology for radar and navigation training on the River Lee and Cork Harbour.

By 2003 Cill Airne's days were numbered as she became obsolete when high-tech simulators formed part of the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) in Ringaskiddy.

She was sold to Dublin investors in 2006 having completed an extensive restoration project at Hegarty's Boatyard in West Cork. She reflects her liner era heritage with art-deco fittings, wood panelling and timber decks throughout, for more click HERE.

As for Blarna, she later served in Bermuda which lasted until 1988. To read more on what her former captain from the Bermudian career has to say on her fate in Canada, where there are plans to secure her future as reported on the RoyalGazette, click HERE.

Published in Cruise Liners

Tagged under

Up Close and Personal: New Boat Tours of Dublin Port

The public will have greater access to see shipping activity in the Port of Dublin, when a new boat-based tour of the country's busiest port starts tomorrow, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Titled the River Liffey & Port Tour, the 45-minute excursion is a partnership between Sea Safari Tours and the Dublin Port Company. Tours will operate from the pontoon where the M.V. Cill Airne floating river-restaurant and bar venue is berthed at the North Wall Quay. Cill Airne was built in the Liffey Dockyard nearly fifty years ago, where she forms part of the tours audio commentary covering the history and the present day.

In addition to cruising this stretch of the River Liffey alongside the 'Docklands' quarter, the tour RIB boat will pass downriver through the East-Link toll bridge where visitors will get closer views of the variety of vessels and calling cruise liners from other ports throughout the world.

There will be five daily tours beginning at 10.00am, 12.00pm, 2.00pm, 4.00pm and 6.00pm.Tickets cost €15.00 for adults, €12.50 for students and the charge for senior citizens and children is €10.00.

In addition Sea Safari operate a 'River Liffey' only tour, a Dublin Bay 'North' and 'South' tours which visit Howth Head, Baily Lighthouse, Ireland's Eye and to Dalkey Island and Killiney Bay, where both bay tours provide a chance to spot local marine wildlife of seals, porpoises and sea birds.

Published in Dublin Port

Competitions

The most significant events for the Half Ton Class has been the annual Half Ton Cup which was sailed under the IOR rules until 1993. More recently this has been replaced with the Half Ton Classics Cup. The venue of the event moved from continent to continent with over-representation on French or British ports. In later years the event is held biennially. Initially, it was proposed to hold events in Ireland, Britain and France by rotation. However, it was the Belgians who took the ball and ran with it. The Class is now managed from Belgium.