Displaying items by tag: Brendan Connor

27th November 2023

Brendan Connor RIP

It is with the deepest regret that we record the death of Brendan Connor of Howth, who was Howth Yacht Club’s most senior member, having joined what was then Howth Motor Yacht Club as a Junior Member in 1947. In time he was to give long service as one of its most highly-regarded voluntary officers, working with calm and quiet efficiency as the Honorary Secretary during the sometimes turbulent years when the club was emerging from its two constituent smaller clubs, to become what was eventually the largest sailing club in Ireland, complete with its own marina complex and a thriving and successful sailing fleet.

He’d shown his maritime enthusiasm by serving as a cadet officer in the Merchant Marine. Then he went into the family business in Dublin, and as computers began to make their mark, he proved an effective pioneer in understanding them and using them to best advantage.

This stood him in good stead when he agreed to be co-ordinator of the Connor-Malcolm-Nixon trio, which produced the award-winning history of Howth Yacht Club for its Centenary in 1995, with Afloat.ie’s W M Nixon producing the words, and the tireless Ian Malcolm of the Howth 17s proving to be a very effective at sourcing the 550 photos used. Thanks to Brennie Connor’s calm yet strong leadership, the book appeared precisely on time for the actual Centenary date of Saturday, November 18th 1995.

His own choices in boat ownership reflected his natural seafaring good sense, which had started with crewing in an IDRA 14. He first came to notice as owner-skipper of the Folkboat Dysca, at a time when the Folkboat Class was a real force in the Irish Sea. As she was the first boat to have been built by the legendary Jeremy Rogers of Lymington, Dysca was one of the most elegant boats in the fleet, but at just 25ft LOA she had her comfort limitations for someone advancing into middle age, so he moved up to the eminently sensible Mark 1 Arpege Leemara.

But Brennie Connor’s sailing interests weren’t restricted to his own boats, and as an experienced cruising nan (he’d been elected to the Irish Cruising Club in 1980) he was a popular guest shipmate on other craft, many of them larger vessels based in the Mediterranean, whose best cruising areas he got to know very well.

Back home, he and his late wife Frankie were parents whose children were married in time to make him both a grandfather and great-grandfather, all of which he took calmly in his classic unflurried style. He brought a beneficial interest to everything in which he was interested, and the Howth sailing scene of today owes much to his quiet and determined sense of purpose, and his unfailing good humour.

Our heartfelt sympathies are with his extended family and his very many friends.

WMN

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

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