
Tom MacSweeney
Tom MacSweeney writes a weekly column for Afloat.ie. He also presents the radio programme Maritime Ireland on radio stations around Ireland.

Anchovies, Blue Tuna, Sardines & Marine Tourism; Do State Agencies Talk to Each Other?
21st January 2021 Tom MacSweeney
"Someone needs to bang the table and bang heads together. Do State agencies talk to each other?" That blunt statement caused me to think a lot this week when I am still disappointed at official attitudes towards the marine sector.…

Boats are Excluded From State COVID Support Because They are Mobile
14th January 2021 Tom MacSweeney
It seems logical, boats move, but that is their business. The Department of Finance takes a different view. It has told boat operators that this mobility excludes them from being given the supports offered to businesses which are landbound –…

What would our island nation be like if we did not have thriving coastal communities? How much awareness is there amongst government politicians and the mandarins of the civil service that there is a considerable level of fear and concern…

Irish Sailing President Urges Joint Approach Between Clubs & Association to Grow the Sport
30th December 2020 Tom MacSweeney
Sailing should be marketed in the widest way possible to the public to increase participation. Clubs and the national association can do this together to emphasise its accessibility, the President of Irish Sailing, the national association, has told Afloat. In…

The "sleeping giant" of the marine sector is how the marine tourism and leisure sector has been described. It may well be, despite how hard the Covid pandemic has hit it this year. The last socio-economic study of "Ireland's Ocean…

Coincidence is amazing, even if it's hard to believe. This week I'm inclined to credibility after Foreign Affairs, and Defence Minister Simon Coveney espoused the importance of the Naval Reserve when announcing the Government decision to establish a Commission "to…

Monkstown Bay Sailing Club's Resurgence in Cork Harbour: Podcast with Commodore Sandy Rimmington
9th December 2020 Tom MacSweeney
Despite the impact of the pandemic Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour has had a resurgence of numbers in dinghy league racing. So outgoing Commodore Ciaran McSweeney told club members as he completed his two-year term in office. New…

The pandemic could provide an opportunity for sailing. That is an interesting view and comes from Irish Sailing's Regional Development Officer, Gail MacAllister. "There is such a massive interest in being outdoors because of the imposition of the Covid restrictions,…

Progress on Restoring the Vintage Cork Harbour Yacht 'Lady Min' in Ballydehob
10th November 2020 Tom MacSweeney
"The Lady Min is pretty special, and she performs really well…." The world was a great place to be when the Lady Min was an idea, and there was a 'can do' attitude in West Cork. Simon O'Keeffe is carrying…

The annual national seafarers' remembrance ceremony in Dublin has been cancelled. The City Quay Seafarers Memorial Service Organising Committee, consisting of the Maritime Institute of Ireland, Stella Maris Seafarers Centre and Dublin Port Company, announced that, due to the current…

One of the most difficult, controversial and upsetting marine environment stories I have reported in my time as a marine correspondent concerns seals. I've seen them rehabilitated by a sanctuary and marvelled at the work put into healing injured, sick…

Living With No Sailing Needs Encouragement: Listen to Anthony Keane of Glenstal Abbey & Liam Hegarty of Oldcourt
29th October 2020 Tom MacSweeney
As boatyards fill up, with more boats being hauled for their Winter hibernation, talking to owners I've heard disappointment, doubt about the future, mixed with hope and a need for encouragement. Disappointment amongst the racing sector, with the October League…

There are choices in how to respond to maritime difficulties. With skies darkening, wind and sea rising, the mind focuses on the immediate response to ensure that your yacht can manage what is going to hit it. I've raced in…

The Russian Tall Ship, Sedov, has reported a successful transit the full length of the legendary Northern Sea Route. After departing from Vladivostok, Russia in mid-August, the Sedov completed the east-west passage passing the southern tip of the Novaya Zemlya…

Things Are Not All Bad - More People Have Come into Sailing in Cork Harbour
14th October 2020 Tom MacSweeney
Despite a year of "cancellations and disappointments" there have been more people sailing this Summer in Cork Harbour, with families racing together, more young sailors taking to cruisers and a growth of interest in dinghy sailing. That is the positive,…

A farmer from County Meath representing Ireland in sailing at the Olympics. That is what Tom Dolan would like to do, in France in 2024, when sailing at the Games is based in Marseille. The Olympic classes then are intended…

Fishing Penalty Points: "Apoplectic" Industry Attacks Taoiseach & Marine Minister for "Contemptuous" Attitude
2nd October 2020 Fishing
The Taoiseach and Minister for the Marine have been described as "dismissive, contemptuous and glib" in their treatment of the fishing industry in moving "dastardly legislation," against fishermen by the country's four fish producer organisations. The Irish South and West…

The Dáil heard a Sinn Fein motion this week in an attempt to reject the new penalty points system the Government wants to introduce for the fishing industry. A Statutory Instrument to introduce the system was signed by Taoiseach Micheál…

"The Killala Coast Guard Unit is operational and available in the event of a call-out, but is 'off-the-board' for boat search-and-rescue." That statement was made by the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, whose Department is responsible for the Coast Guard,…

Seafarers Stranded on Ships Worldwide Could Affect Global Supply Chain
30th September 2020 Ports & Shipping
A serious emerging problem which could affect essential food and other supplies is not being dealt with according to the biggest shipping companies in the world. The International Chamber of Shipping has asked the United Nations to intervene after releasing…