#Diving - The Irish Times' Lorna Siggins profiles the Irish Underwater Council (CFT) as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The organisation has certainly come a long way since founder member Michael Moriarty first plunged into the depths with little more than a dry suit and some rubber breathing hoses for air.
Of course technology would revolutionise the pastime, with the development of the diving regulator and later the rebreather system, which made diving much safer and allowed divers to explore beneath the surface better than ever before.
Such developments also provoked big changes in the way Ireland values its national heritage.
Today it's hard to believe that now endangered shellfish were picked on a whim, or that the National Museum considered the numerous wrecks from the Spanish Armada were "not of historical significance".
The Irish Times has much more on the story HERE.
