Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A Northern Ireland fisherman who landed a blue lobster last week says it was a “one in two million” shot, as Belfast Live reports. Stuart Brown made the marine wildlife discovery of his lifetime on Friday (3 February) while hauling…

A post-mortem investigation will be performed on the body of a fisherman who drowned on Saturday evening (February 4th) off the coast of Donegal. The man, who was in his late 30s, fell overboard from a boat off the northwest coast…

A country park doesn’t readily come to mind as a venue for a weekend of St.Ayles Skiff racing, but Delamont lies on the shores of Strangford Lough near Killyleagh and has proved an ideal base for this activity in the…

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launching its recruitment drive to hire 36 seasonal fisheries officers for 2023. Subject to funding, the six-month posts are divided across seven River Basin Districts, covering 15 counties, with recruitment getting underway immediately. Seasonal fisheries…

Flying Fifteen sailor John MacAree was part of a major fundraising effort in aid of Wicklow RNLI by the members of Swim Smooth Ireland, who presented a cheque for more than €10,000 at the weekend. The swimming club’s big charity…

Deep-water quay works have begun this week at Ros an Mhíl Fishery Harbour Centre in Co Galway, just weeks after the contractor was announced for the €30 million project. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the new Ros an Mhíl development…

It has taken a while for regular success in ocean rowing to come Ireland’s way, but 2022 saw a massive leap forward with Galway Bay’s Karen Weekes and Damien Browne each completing the crossing, Karen east-west in April, and Damien…

The first and second legs of this year’s Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey (IAMS 2022) will be carried out from Saturday 11 February to Tuesday 7 March. Surveys will be conducted to the West, Southwest and South Coasts of Ireland…

Caroline Bocquel has been named CEO of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland's Seafood Development Agency. Marine Minister McConalogue welcomed the selection of the new CEO and said, "I am delighted to announce that Caroline Bocquel has been named as BIM's…

Cork Harbour's Ocean to City race is taking entries from February 15th for its 19th annual event on June 3rd. Over 500 people participated in last year’s event, which returned after a two-year break due to Covid-19. The all-inclusive rowing…

The All In A Row Liffey Challenge was held in early December on the capital’s River Liffey with the challenge for the rowers to smash a 1,000km target in eight hours. Fifty skiffs, kayaks, canoes, dragon boats and currachs were…

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, today announced the allocation of €37.3m for capital projects in 2023 in Ireland’s six state-owned Fishery Harbour Centres at Killybegs, Ros an Mhíl, An Daingean, Castletownbere, Dunmore East and Howth…

Lagan Materials Ltd in Bweeng, Mallow, Co Cork, now trading as Breedon Ireland, were convicted and fined €3,000 at Mallow District Court on Monday 9 January following a prosecution taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). The defendants did not appear before…

A German-registered Spanish vessel which was involved in a confrontation off the Scottish coast over two years ago has been detained by the Naval Service off the southwest coast. The 26m Pesorsa Dos was detained last Saturday (January 21) by…

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launched the tender process to appoint a consultant engineer to prepare an options report for fish passage improvement works at the Annacotty Weir on the lower Mulkear River outside Limerick. IFI is leading the Annacotty…

The National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) has warmly welcomed its recognition as an EU seafood producer organisation (PO). The sanction by Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue was hailed by NIFA chair Michael Desmond. Desmond said it came after a “long battle”…