Tom MacSweeney
The organisation, which has launched two hundred small sailing boats to cross the Atlantic Ocean, fostering interest in the sea and developing cultural links amongst nations, intends to develop the project further following a particularly positive response from a coastal…
Sailing is in a very healthy state the President of Irish Sailing told the organisation’s annual general meeting in the Royal Cork Yacht Club at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour. “We’re growing the membership and participation on the water in Ireland…
What Will Be The Effects on Watersports of Government Plans for Marine Protection?
14th February 2024 Tom MacSweeney
“It is not good enough to designate parts of the marine environment as conservation areas without talking to the people, groups and businesses which use and depend on an area for their livelihoods and recreation.” That comment from the Campaign…
New Marine Institute CEO Looks Forward to Realising Opportunities The Oceans Present
8th January 2024 Tom MacSweeney
The new Chief Executive of the State marine research agency, Dr Rick Officer, takes up duty this morning, (Monday, January 8). He has been Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the Atlantic Technological University, established in April 2022 when three…
Royal Cork Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble: From a Wreck in Greece to Irish Boat of the Year with Young Sailors
21st December 2023 Tom MacSweeney
Dave Dwyer’s success with Swuzzlebubble comes from a determination to acquire the classic Farr-designed half-tonner, which had been a wreck in Greece. He comes from a Cork family that has a four-generation sailing history. Dave Dwyer’s Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble competing…
Marine leisure facilities will be included, including the possibility of a new marina on the north-east coast, because there is room for one in the Bremore Port development at Drogheda. Dr. Joe Hiney, a director at Bremore Port and an…
After 50 years, there is a major change in sailmaking at Crosshaven, Cork Harbour’s dominant sailing centre..Outside the village, the loft associated with the legendary Des McWilliams and family is no longer a sailmaking centre. Barry Hayes and his wife,…
There is a growing feeling in the fishing industry that there is a lack of coordination between various Government Departments in developing marine, specially designated protected areas. This has been particularly highlighted by the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, which has claimed that the…
Noel Campbell, Assistant Keeper at the National Museum of Country Life in Turlough Park, Castlebar, is leading the development of a boat gallery to preserve the history and culture of Irish traditional vessels. Turlough Park is about eight miles from…
“Offshore sailing is a mechanical sport, and it is an intellectual sport. More than using physical abilities and power, you can use your head to get the boat to work for you.” That piece of advice could, it seems to…
Legislating for Houseboats on Canals Near Dublin Will Be a Hot Topic
1st September 2023 Tom MacSweeney
There are nearly 17,000 boats on the inland waterways, of which 9,000 are registered on the Shannon, 7,000 on the Erne, and 600 boats on the canals. New bye-laws to control usage of the waterways are being prepared, which will…
Solo Sailor Tom Dolan is Recharging For The Next Leg of the Figaro Race
31st August 2023 Tom MacSweeney
Solo sailor Tom Dolan was fairly tired when I talked to him at Kinsale Yacht Club after he had finished second in the first leg of this year’s Figaro Race, sailing Smurfit Kappa into Kinsale with a 14-minute advantage over…
The intergovernmental marine science organisation which advises the European Commission on fisheries regulations has been told by the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation that it has got its data wrong in recommending major fishing closures. The Killybegs Organisation has challenged the International…
Jakub Ziemkiewicz is Building His Own Racing Yacht in Cork Harbour to Race the Mini Globe
22nd June 2023 Tom MacSweeney
Jakub Ziemkiewicz tells me he was “born to sail but forced to work.” He is working as I talk to him - on the yacht he is building in a shed at Aghada in the northeast corner of Cork Harbour…
Mini Boats Are Different But Convey a Message to the Next Marine Generation
15th June 2023 Tom MacSweeney
Captain Jacek Berenek of the container ship, ‘Independent Horizon,’ on its regular monthly call to the Port of Cork’s Deepwater Berth at Ringaskiddy, explained to the pupils of Barryroe National School from West Cork where he would launch their mini-boat…
The Government’s promise of consultation and involvement of the fishing industry in the development of offshore wind farms is not being delivered on according to South East Coast fishermen, who claim that consultation and discussion, which was promised, has turned…
