#DOCKLANDS – The Waterways Ireland Docklands Summer Festival 2012, bathed in gorgeous sunshine was a highly fun and exciting family event with over 100,000 people in attendance over the two days. The festival ran over Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th May and took place in the Docklands around the Grand Canal Basin.

Sponsored by Waterways Ireland and organised by members of Docklands Business Forum(DBF), the 2012 festival follows on from its inaugural success in 2011. Speaking at the launch, John Martin Chief Executive Waterways Ireland said "The Waterways Ireland Docklands Summer Festival highlighted the superb resources that the waterways provide within Dublin City Centre. All the organised events encouraged the public and those who work and live around the Docklands to participate in waterway activities and enjoy the fun and frolics off the water."

Last year over 50,000 people visited the festival. This year the organisers added even more events to ensure a bigger and better family day out. 100's of people watched the dragon races and thrilling wakeboarding demonstrations by the Irish Wakeboarding team and some even tried walking on water in a 'Waterroller!'. The Viking's from Dublinia invaded the Waterways Ireland Visitor Centre, running free children's crafts workshops, demonstrating Viking crafts, playing Viking games. All the workshops were fully subscribed. The Irish Navy has queues both days for visits to the L.E. Aoife on Sir John Rogersons Quay for the weekend.

The DBF in conjunction with Irish Village Markets provided face painting, balloon modelling and kiddies amusements. The performers from the World Street Performance Champions were also there and Irish Village Markets served up delicious foods from around the world. Visitors will also enjoyed food from a wide range of local suppliers including Il Valentino, Ely Restaurant and Herb Street.

As a special promotion local water sports experts, Surfdock, ran "come and try it" sessions. For those who fancy trying the exciting new sport of stand up paddling or have a go at kayaking the half-hour classes running over both days provided a great opportunity and were fully booked.

The local shops and businesses sold rubber ducks for a duck race in aid of cancer research charity Biobank Ireland and had a great turn out both days.

#MARITIMEFESTIVALS – Rosses Point in County Sligo is hosting its third International Shanty and Seafaring Festival from the 15th – 17th June 2012.The launch of the festival takes place on Thursday 31st of May in the Yeats County Hotel, Rosses Point.

“The festival is a celebration of the long maritime tradition of Rosses Point and Sligo area” stated Willie Murphy, chairperson of the festival committee.

 “Shanties were working songs used on board sailing ships.  The songs were mostly sung when the job involved several crew members  working in rhythm together.With many international and local groups performing “songs of the sea” this festival helps to preserve the seafaring tradition here in Rosses Point.

The Festival is run in aid of the RNLI which provides a 24 hour lifeboat search and rescue service across the West Coast for our seafaring population. Proceeds from “Songs for the Lifeboat” concert in the Church of Ireland on Friday 15th and the Main Festival Concert in the Yeats Country Hotel on Saturday 16th will go to the RNLI" added Mr. Murphy.

This week Seascapes the Maritime programme on RTE Radio 1 will broadcast an interesting piece on the festival.  The story of the Norwegian Barque Narayana wrecked on the back of Coney Island in the mid 1800’s and its connection to the Norwegian group Riggerloftets who are performing at this years festival.  The programme will be aired on Friday night 1st June at 10.30 pm.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race finale in Galway are appealing for 2,000 volunteers to help make the stopover a rousing success.

The eight-day festival of the marine, sport, arts and culture, entertainment and food to celebrate the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race competitors as they cross the finish line is expected to attract as many as 700,000 visitors to the City of the Tribes from 30 June to 8 July.

Let's Do It Galway are looking for students, retirees and "anyone in the Galway community" willing to commit from two to nine days during the week to take part in what they describe as "a great way to make new friends and boost career prospects while boosting Galway and Ireland in the eyes of the world".

All volunteers will be invited to a special 'wrap-up gala', and organisers also promise prizes and surprises along the way.

Information sessions will take place throughout April and May in and around Galway, and applicants will be matched to roles in early June.

The Galway Independent has more on the story HERE.

#TITANIC - Belfast's Titanic Festival is set for 31 March to 22 April, with lectures, concerts, plays, city tours and exhibitions among the events lined up to recognise the centenary.

The centrepiece will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Titanic Monument at Belfast City Hall, in remembrance of the 112 Ulster natives who died when the ill-fated ship went down on 12 April 1912.

Visitors to the city during the festival can take part in various walking tours, both solo - using a portable 'Node Explorer' available from the Belfast Tourist Bureau - and escorted, with most having the memorial as their starting point.

The National's Kevin Pilley follows one tour guide, former soldier Pat, on his two-hour Titanic-themed tour around the city.

Pat has a specific connection to the TItanic, as his grandfather Danny died in the tragedy - but little does he know Pilley's own connection to that fateful day.

The National has more on the story HERE.

#SEA SHANTY – Minneapolis maritime musician Bob Walser is on the crest of a wave with an appearance at Scotland's biggest maritime heritage festival.

Living thousands of miles from the nearest ocean and slap bang in the landlocked Midwest of the United States, Bob Walser is probably the least likely champion of maritime music that you could ever expect to come across. But the musician and scholar fell hook, line and sinker for the melodies of the sea while on a visit to the east coast of North America – a visit which signalled the start of a love story that has endured for more than 30 years.

Bob has travelled all over the world to share his passion for sea shanties and maritime traditions, and this summer will jet across the Atlantic to perform at Scotland's biggest maritime heritage festival. He will take centre stage at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, which attracts in excess of 16,000 people to the shores of the picturesque seaside town of Portsoy on the Aberdeenshire's northern coast. During the Festival he will be recreating Scottish work songs which have not been performed since the early 1900s, giving audiences a unique opportunity to see a lost tradition return to life.

The festival brings together a large collection of heritage vessels from far and wide, and has an extensive programme of activities on the quayside of the historic 17th century Portsoy harbour. Visitors can learn how to use freshly caught seafood at a series of cookery demonstrations, see craftsman create wooden boats by hand, and discover traditional crafts such as knitting and weaving. However, one of the most popular land-based attractions is the arts programme which features musicians, dancers and performers from all over the world.

Bob has previously performed at the Festival and cannot wait to return to Scotland for this year's event, which takes place on June 23 and 24. He adds, "I last visited in 2009 and loved it. I have very fond memories of great people, gorgeous boats and warm hospitality. They have this wonderful local fish called an Arbroath Smokie – I would travel some distance for another chance to taste one!"

Bob (58) plays a number of different instruments, including the button accordion, concertina, guitar and banjo. It was while on a visit to the east coast that he first heard the energetic rhythms of nautical music and loved it to much that he settled for a time in Connecticut, crafting a career as a shantyman at Mystic Seaport – one of the largest maritime museums in the USA. In addition to this role he has presented folklore music and dance programmes at schools across the USA, and can often be found leading songs at the Dubliner in St Paul, Minnesota, at the First Monday Shanty Sing. Bob earned his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. His research has been published in many journals, and he has also released three CDs of maritime music.

He said: "The landlocked Midwest is as far from the sea that you can get in North America. When I went to the east coast and heard maritime music, I fell in love with it and have been singing it ever since. I've made all or part of my living from maritime music since 1979.

"Despite now living back in Minneapolis the advent of the internet has meant that it is not hard at all to keep alive the passion that I have for these traditions. When I moved back in 1985 I brought with me loads of books and records: I still collect them but these days digital archives on the internet are amazing. It's harder to find places to perform the stuff in the Midwest, but I've continued to tour and record so I still have - or create - opportunities to work with these glorious traditions.

"What I enjoy most about this type of music is participation. This is good stuff for anyone to get stuck in to and have a good sing. There is humour, energy, and all kinds of emotions and I love connecting with audiences through music and dance. Singing together is a magical experience that is, for me, endlessly fascinating and challenging: every experience is unique."

Bob has carried out extensive research into the origins and traditions of sea shanties and has discovered that it has the ability to cross boundaries. That, he says, is the reason why he feels so at home on stage anywhere in the world.

"Sailors spring from the same stock: in tall ship sailing days - and possibly today as well - sailors were a footloose lot and moved from ship to ship, port to port, so crews often included sailors from various countries, speaking various languages and bringing various musical experiences and traditions. Shanties were tools of the trade - the best ones worked on any vessel regardless of its home port.

"Historically, shanties were a 19th century phenomenon, but they continue today to have astonishing power and popularity. There are thousands of people singing them not only in Scotland and the US, but in the Netherlands, all over Scandinavia and - to a mind-boggling extent - in Poland!"

Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Traditional Boat Festival puts a strong emphasis on boatbuilding and restoration in an effort to keep alive the skills that have been passed down through generations. The event has been a stalwart supporter of the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project – a unique initiative which encourages communities across Scotland to come together to build their own wooden rowing boats – St Ayle's Skiffs – and race them against crews from rival towns and villages. Skiff racing was commonplace in coastal communities in the early part of the 20th century, and thanks to the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project is undergoing a resurgence in popularity. The Festival will play host to the biggest ever St Ayle's Skiff rowing regatta and Bob will be working with the crews on a special project.

He explained: "This year I'm working with the coastal rowing clubs to bring to life an ancient and unique worksong tradition from the Firth of Forth area of Scotland. We'll be re-creating songs that were sung by oyster fishermen many years ago but which fell into disuse a century ago. My research has included work with these songs which are absolutely unique and fascinating - unlike any other maritime songs I've ever heard."

The 2012 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Traditional programme is being continually developed. To keep up to date with the latest additions to the event, be sure to keep in touch through the Festival website www.scottishtraditionalboatfestival.org.uk and through Facebook and Twitter – search for @STBFestival.  Day and weekend tickets will shortly be available for purchase for the Festival. An adult day ticket costs £8, children aged five to 18 and concessions are £5. Adult weekend tickets are priced at £12 and children and concessions at £8. There are also family tickets available which allow entry for two adults and three children for £25 for a day ticket and £35 for a weekend.  Children under five go free and there is no charge for parking.

Bob Walser, a leading authority on maritime music and sea shanties from Minneapolis, USA

#TALL SHIPS - Eighteen vessels are on the entry list for the 2012 Tall Ships Races which are set to conclude in Dublin Port next August.

The list is dominated by British entries, with all nine UK tall ships expected to sail the third and final leg from A Coruña in northern Spain to Dublin.

Tall ships from Russia, Poland, France, Ecuador, Bulgaria, Latvia, Estonia and Belgium will also be in the fray when Ireland's capital hosts the final port of call for the 2012 races, presented by Szczecin in Poland and organised by Sail Training International - a charity established to harness sail training to develop and educate young people regardless of nationality, culture, religion, gender or social background.

The first leg of the 2012 races kicks off in Saint-Malo, France on 7 July with ships racing to Lisbon in Portugal (till 21 July); Cádiz in southern Spain (21-28 July) and A Coruña (28 July-12 August) before the final leg.

Dublin will be hosting the Tall Ships Races for the first time since 1998. Earlier this year Eamonn O’Reilly, CEO of Dublin Port Company, said he was “delighted to welcome the Tall Ships Races to Dublin Port" in 2012.

Since the announcement the port has already played host to the British tall ship Tenacious and the Norwegian vessel S/S Statsraad Lehmkuhl.

From Thursday 23 to Sunday 26 August 2012 as many as 100 ships are expected to arrive in the port and Docklands area for an event that includes a four-day festival programme of music, food and fashion showcases, markets, street theatre, water sport and water-based activities. 

The weekend will also feature activities unique to the races including a crew parade, prize-giving event and a parade of sail.

Are you looking to get involved in Dublin's hosting of the Tall Ships Races? Check out the following links:

Become a trainee www.dublintallships.ie/trainees/

Take part as a volunteer www.dublintallships.ie/volunteers/

For further information see www.dublintallships.ie or e-mail [email protected]

Entry List for the Tall Ships Races 2012:

Akela (Russia)

Black Diamond Of Durham (UK)

Dar Mlodziezy (Poland)

Etoile Polaire (France)

Guayas (Ecuador)

Johanna Lucretia (UK)

John Laing (UK)

Kaliakra (Bulgaria)

Lord Nelson (UK)

Maybe (UK)

Moosk (UK)

Pelican Of London (UK)

Pogoria (Poland)

Rona II (UK)

Spaniel (Latvia)

St Iv (Estonia)

Thermopylae Clipper (UK)

Tomidi (Belgium)

Learner surfers were more than welcome at the fourth annual seaside festival in Tramore, Co Waterford last weekend.

The Irish Independent reports that Tramore beach is popular with surfing novices who want to develop their skills before tackling the bigger waves on the west coast.

And the hundreds who turned out to give surfing a try are surely a testament to that.

"We're very accessible with the new road, it's a fantastic place to learn," said surf school instructor Martin Cullinane.
Tramore is the "best place in the country to learn" according to festival organiser Linda Tuohy.

The weekend also featured a number of events recognising the Waterford town's relationship with the coastal environment.

Son of oyster farmers Hugo and Judith Vajk of Caledonian Oysters, Angus won the Loch Fyne Scottish Oyster Opening Championships in Glasgow last month, beating a dozen other competitors including his father!

"I have been opening oysters since before I could walk," he quipped, as he accepted a prize plate from Virginia Sumsion, Marketing and Events Director of Loch Fyne Oysters. "I am thrilled to have won, and excited about going to the world championships, but it will be daunting being up against so many experts. I will be putting in a lot of speed practice this week!"

Part of his prize was a trip to Galway to enjoy the annual international oyster and seafood festival, but Angus had to wait for the organisers of the world competition to confirm that his opening time of 4 minutes 5 seconds for 30 oysters was good enough to allow him to compete there.

"Angus was a worthy winner and we are delighted to sponsor his entry in the worlds. We hope he will do well and bring the cup back home!" said Virginia Sumsion.

Seafood Scotland, which helped to organise the Scottish competition at the Glasgow Riverside Festival, also wishes Angus the very best of luck. "This is the first time ever that the world oyster opening championship has had a Scottish competitor, so it is an honour for Angus to fly the flag for his country," said Marketing Manger Clare Dixon.

Shannon Boat Builder Jimmy Furey will be a special guest at the Dromineer Literary Festival at the end of the month. The appearance conicides with a screening of David Shaw-Smith's landmark documentary series
'Hands' featuring the Shannon-one-Design Boatbuilder.

The eighth annual Dromineer Literary Festival will take place from Thursday September 29 to Sunday October 2 at Lough Derg Yacht Club in Dromineer village.

At 8pm, Thursday night September 29, Dermot Healy, Kerry Hardie and Catherine Phil McCarthy will give a poetry reading at 8pm, Lough Derg Yacht Club, and on Saturday night, October 1, The Poetry Divas will perform at The Whiskey Still pub in the village.

The Meet the Authors event attracts huge audiences each year, and we are delighted that Jennifer Johnston and John MacKenna will be reading and in discussion on Saturday night, October 1, at 8pm at Lough Derg Yacht Club. We encourage our audience to read these authors to increase their enjoyment of the event.

A performance presented by the renowned Nenagh Players to close the weekend is of CS Lewis' A Grief Observed. This one man show, adapted and performed by Ronan Dodd, will take place from 8pm, Sunday night, October 2. A Grief Observed was written by Lewis after the death of his wife, Joy Gresham, from cancer in 1960.

The Sunday afternoon event afloat aboard the passenger vessel The Spirit of Killaloe, is entitled The Living Lake. Scientists Rick Boelens and Dan Minchin will give a talk on the hidden depths of Lough Derg; its biodiversity and environmental heritage. Places are strictly limited, to ensure a place, please contact Eleanor at emhooker@ eircom.net

This year, for the first time, the festival will feature film. A Short Movie written and directed by George Hooker, and produced by Sorcha MacKenna, students at DIT, will be premiered at 3pm on Saturday afternoon October 1 at Lough Derg Yacht Club. Filmed on location in Dromineer in June 2010, the short movie stars Nenagh Players actors, the late Stephen Toohey (with the kind blessings of his family), Niamh Hogan and Olly Griffin. All welcome. Admission is free.

Also on Saturday October 1, David Shaw-Smith will give a talk on his landmark documentary series 'Hands' Boatbuilder with Shannon-one-Design Boatbuilder Jimmy Furey attending as our special guest. Other films in the Hands series will be screened at Neddy's Cottage in the village, thoughout the weekend.

Committee is pleased to announce the 2011 festival programme.  Highlights include authors Jennifer Johnston, Dermot Healy, John MacKenna, and Vincent McDonnell, Poets Kerrie Hardie, Catherine Phil McCarthy and The Poetry Divas, a Short Movie by young filmmakers from Dublin Institute of Technology and more.

POETRY READINGS
Thursday 29 September, 8pm Lough Derg Yacht Club (Adm - €5)
– Dromineer Festival Poetry with Dermot Healy, Kerrie Hardie and Catherine Phil McCarthy
Saturday 1 October, The Whiskey Still, Dromineer Village
– 10.30pm The Poetry Divas will perform their poetry in The Whiskey Still pub

OFFICIAL OPENING
Friday 30 September, 7.30pm, Lough Derg Yacht Club
– Offical Opening with Dr. Ed Walsh.
– Competition Results & Readings

MEET THE AUTHORS
Saturday 1 October, 8-10pm, Lough Derg Yacht Club
– Meet the Authors with Jennifer Johnston and John MacKenna (Adm €12/€10)
–
FILM -SCREENINGS
Saturday 1 October, Lough Derg Yacht Club
– 3-4pm Short Film Premiere by Media Arts Students, DIT, Dublin.  Written & Directed by George Hooker. Directed by Sorcha MacKenna (Free Adm)
– 4-5.30pm Hands Boatbuilder.  Talk by David Shaw-Smith, followed by screening of his landmark documentary.  Special guest Jimmy Furey. (Adm - €5)

AFLOAT ON LOUGH DERG
Sunday 2 October, Sunday Afternoon Afloat
– The Living Lake, a talk by scientists Rick Boelens & Dan Minchin aboard The Spirit of Killaloe (Adm €12/€10)

DRAMA - Festival Finale
Sunday 2 October, 8pm, Lough Derg Yacht Club,
– The Nenagh Players present Ronan Dodd 'A Grief Observed'

The Jeanie Johnston will need €100,000 to be made seaworthy again, it has emerged.

The three-masted barque - which not long ago sailed across the Atlantic - was missed at the weekend's Tall Ships festival, which attracted half a million visitors to Waterford.

But as the Sunday Independent reports, the ship is currently a stationary tourist attraction at berth in Dublin with her sails in storage.

Hopes are high, however, that the replica famine ship will be made ready as an ocean-going vessel in time for the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway next summer, not to mention the Tall Ships Races in Dublin next August.

"At the moment we are basically putting all the money coming in from the interactive tours, which have been very successful, back into the boat," said ship manager John O'Neill. "We are hopeful we will get the financial assistance we need to get the vessel back out to sea".