Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The Managing Director of one of the biggest fishermen’s co-operatives in the country has criticised French fishermen who have tried to impose a boycott on the sales of imported fish. The Scottish fishing industry has also made complaints. “They like…

I’m wondering why Government officials, the civil servants, don’t listen to advice from people who know more than they do about the maritime sphere….. Two issues which cause concern are the contradictory attitude of the Department of the Marine which,…

Hello, Tom MacSweeney here, and thank you for tuning in to the MacSWEENEY PODCAST. As a marine correspondent I’m fortunate to meet great people who do amazing things… One of them is Frank Kowalski, the Managing Director of Safehaven Marine…

Hello and you’re very welcome to my weekly Podcast…. where this week I have been talking to a sailor with great courage….So listen to the Podcast below which takes you onto the deck of a 39-foot yacht at Crosshaven in Cork…

On my PODCAST this week I am dealing with three particular subjects – the Government’s lack of interest in the United Nations honouring of seafarers this Sunday; concern in coastal communities from where there are claims that senior officials in…

Hello and you’re welcome to my weekly podcast on Afloat, based on my This Island Nation radio programme. While debate continues – and so do efforts – to get another Tall Ship for Ireland – that would provide sail training…

Welcome to my new series of MacSweeney Podcasts on Afloat, in which I’ll be reporting on sailing and all to do with the culture, history, tradition and development of maritime Ireland. These short Podcasts, about five minutes duration, will partner the…

A ”Truism” is defined as a self-evident truth. That underlines the accuracy of the descriptive saying “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” and the application nof it to the attitude of the Irish Government towards seafarers. Every day Ireland’s ports are depended upon by the…

Once a fortnight I sit in the studios of the Community Radio Station in Youghal, to present and produce This Island Nation, which I describe as "the maritime programme reporting on marine culture, history and tradition, bringing together the community…

In an exclusive interview for my weekly This Island Nation podcast, the Chairman of Cork Port says that it is moving “from a city port to a sea port.” Listen to John Mullins as he outlines why the port company…

This week, as always, you’ll get the best and the unusual maritime stories on This Island Nation with Afloat.ie. So click on this link below now, because podcasts are meant to be listened to and when you listen, you are…

It’s launching time at Castlepoint Boatyard at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour where I keep SCRIBBLER II. That’s my Sigma 33, named rather appropriately for a journalist/scribe, as I’ve been told. The first SCRIBBLER was a Ruffian 23, much sailed and…

The Chief Executive of the State agency responsible for promoting water safety has been telling me about an interesting piece of research which his organisation carried out over the past two months. The purpose of this research on water safety…

The Bangor and Donaghadee RNLI lifeboats launched last week following a ‘Mayday’ call. It was a hoax. Someone decided to make a false call and those two lifeboat crews in Northern Ireland started a search for what was reported to…

On May 4, 1917 the American Navy arrived in force in Cork Harbour. Five thousand sailors with the task of protecting the southern waters off Ireland from German submarines. The United States had entered the First World War in support…

The members of the Drascombe Association celebrated 50 years of their boat in Belfast at the weekend. Five thousand Drascombes have been built and their owners enjoy sailing them. That was the message of the Secretary of the Irish branch…