Former Irish Navy Vice Admiral Mark Mellett will be the keynote speaker at this year's Kennedy Summer School in New Ross Co. Wexford. The event, which is billed as 'A Festival of Irish and American History, Politics and Culture', will host over 60 guest speakers, including football legend Martin O’Neill and a husband and wife political duo, Democratic political consultant James Carville and Republican political consultant Mary Matalin.

Mellett, who was Ireland’s highest-ranking military officer, will discuss his career and life, as well as the strategic implications of the war in Ukraine, Ireland’s neutrality, and the effect of climate breakdown on global security. He will be interviewed by Dr Stacey L. Connaughton of Purdue University, an expert in military leadership.

As regular Afloat readers know, Mellett was distinguished with the French Government of 'Commandeur de la légion d'honneur', France's highest honorary decoration to foreigners, in May 2023. 

In the same month, Irish Mainport Holdings, a Cork marine services company, appointed Mellett as its Strategic Director. 

In July, he was appointed Chair of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).

The Kennedy Summer School, which is run in association with the Office of Public Works, New Ross District Council, Wexford County Council, Boston College, Purdue University, and Failte Ireland, will also host panel discussions and debates on topics such as the 50th anniversary of Ireland's membership in the European Union and celebrity politics.

He spoke to Afloat about some of the issues he has dealt with – from the Defence Forces' response to the Covid-19 pandemic to diversity and inclusion in the military in a Wavelenths interview with Lorna Siggins in August 2021 here and on his role in MARA in July 2023 here.

For those interested in attending the Kennedy Summer School, tickets and further details can be found at www.kennedysummerschool.ie or by calling St. Michael’s Theatre on 051 421255.

Irish Mainport Holdings, Cork marine services company, has appointed the former Head of the Defences Forces, retired Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett, as its Strategic Director.

"With over 40 years working in the Maritime Sector, Mark will bring new knowledge and fresh insights for offshore renewable energy, sustainable development potential and governance," the company says.

Meanwhile, as Afloat reported previously, the French Government will bestow on Mellett the 'Commandeur de la légion d'honneur', France's highest honorary decoration to foreigners, this Sunday at a ceremony in Collins Barracks, Dublin, followed by a reception at the French Embassy.

In other Irish Mainport Holdings news, the marine company held a naming ceremony at a shipyard in Turkey this week from where their new tug Celtic Treaty is to join the fleet of one of their subsidiaries.

Former Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett of the Irish Naval Service, who retired as head of the Defence Forces in September 2021, has been saluted by Kinsale Yacht Club at the weekend for his distinguished award from the French Government of 'Commandeur de la légion d'honneur', France's highest honorary decoration to foreigners. 

Mellet received notification of the French award last August.

The physical honour will be bestowed on him on 14th May at a ceremony in Collins Barracks, Dublin, followed by a reception at the French Embassy.

Mellet received the Kinsale recognition at a packed West Cork clubhouse – where he is already an honorary member – at the KYC Axiom Spring Series Prizegiving.

Mellett became head of the Defence Forces in September 2015; he was the first Navy officer to take the post.

The Mayo man, who learned to sail at Rosmoney and around Clew Bay’s islands, has served several times overseas with the UN and has a PhD in ocean governance.

He is passionate about the sea and its potential, and about its future in an era of climate change. He has spoken in several recent issues about climate breakdown as our greatest threat and climate justice as a major global issue.

He spoke to Afloat about some of the issues he has dealt with – from the Defence Forces' response to the Covid-19 pandemic to diversity and inclusion in the military in a Wavelenths interview with Lorna Siggins in August 2021 here

The Russian military exercises which had been due to take place within Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ) raise some serious questions, according to former Defence Forces chief of staff Mark Mellett.

Mellett believes the Russian Federation’s original plan was intended to “unsettle the EU”, while showing an “utter disregard for Irish sovereign rights”, for Irish defence forces, the rights of fishers and protection of the environment.

He said the exercises' timing, with severe tension over Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine, was no accident.

"Mellett believes the Russian Federation’s original plan was intended to “unsettle the EU”

Maritime lawyer Prof Clive Symmons has said the government was wrong to state initially that it was powerless to prevent Russia holding exercises within the EEZ.

Symmons said the UN Law of the Sea Convention is a “grey area” when it comes to military exercises – as distinct from the right of innocent passage on the high seas, which is defined.

Map showing the area (in red) where Russia planned to conduct military manoeuvres

However, he pointed out there are provisions for a state to protect its economic resources within an EEZ.

The initial Russian plan some 240 km off the south coast– which was dropped after intervention by the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation and correspondence between Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and the Russian defence minister – was “unprecedented”, Mellett observed.

Speaking to Wavelengths on the issues raised, Mellett said that “greater complementarity” is required between the EU and Nato, which recognises member-state sovereignty. He also spoke about what this means for Ireland’s policy of neutrality.

You can listen to Wavelengths HERE

When Vice-Admiral Mark Mellett became head of our Defence Forces in September 2015, he was the first Navy officer to take the post.

The Mayo man, who learned to sail at Rosmoney and around Clew Bay’s islands, has served several times overseas with the UN and has a PhD in ocean governance. He is passionate about the sea and its potential, and about its future in an era of climate change. He has spoken in several recent issues about climate breakdown as our greatest threat, and climate justice as a major global issue.

Vice Admiral Mellett is due to retire in September, and will be succeeded by former Air Corps search and rescue pilot Major General Sean Clancy.

He spoke to Afloat about some of the issues he has dealt with – from the Defence Forces response to the Covid-19 pandemic to diversity and inclusion in the military.

LÉ James Joyce (P62) one of the Irish Navy's offshore patrol vessels

“Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance,” he explains, emphasising the benefits to an organisation of diversity and “disruptive” thinking.

He also spoke about the ongoing issue of pay and retention within the Defence Forces.

“When I look at the quality and the loyalty and the dedication of our women and men within the Defence Forces, you could never pay them too much,” the outgoing chief of staff says.”They are extraordinary servants of the State...

Vice Admiral Mellett spoke about his future plans, and remembered how emotional he felt about looking in at the Mayo coast from the sea and not having a decent berth for a ship on his home coast.

The development of offshore renewable energy may be a gamechanger for west coast ports like Rossaveal and further north, he predicted.

I first asked him about that famous arrest at sea which he received a distinguished service medal for in 1994 – the capture the previous year of the drug-running ketch Brime.

Listen to Wavelengths HERE

#Maritime - Ireland has been "sea-blind" for decades and needs a "strong maritime constituency" to make the most of our significant ocean and coastal resources, according to the nation's highest ranking naval officer.

Rear Admiral Mark Mellett DSM was speaking at the launch of a new book celebrating 25 years of RTÉ Radio's Seascapes programme at the National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire last Monday 1 December.

Citing Ireland's mostly maritime jurisdiction - "three times the size of Germany, one million square kilometres, 92% of which is underwater... with trillions of euros of yet-to-be-found hydrocarbon and mineral resources" - he lamented that the nation had taken so long to embrace the sea.

"Over many decades, in my own view, in particular since the foundation of the State, we've been sea-blind. We haven't recognised our maritime heritage to the level that we should," said the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.

"And that's why it's important that institutions like the Maritime Museum of Ireland have stood us in good stead by re-establishing our constituency, and more recently I'm delighted that Government from the centre, through Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, is driving that maritime constituency."

In particular, Admiral Mellett hailed "initiatives like the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster... [that] aim to establish at least 3,000 jobs in the maritime sector" in the coming years.

"But good governance needs a strong maritime constituency," he added. "And it needs champions... But more than that, it needs thought leaders, thought leaders like Tom MacSweeney, thought leaders like Lorna Siggins [Irish Times Marine Corr – Ed] and thought leaders like Marcus Connaughton, people who define and set the agenda in the maritime."

WM Nixon has much more on the Sailing By book launch in his latest blog entry HERE.