Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Maritime History Conference

#Conference - 'A Safe Place for Ships': Cork, Ireland, Europe and the Sea is the title of a two-day maritime history conference to be held on 28-29 November in University College Cork.

The free admission conference which requires no registration is to be hosted in UCC's main campus in the Electrical Engineering Building (L‐1). The opening hours are: Friday (1:30pm – 8pm) and on the Saturday (10am – 6pm).

To download a repeat of the conference details which includes a painting of a paddle-steamer heading upriver on the River Lee in Cork city quays, click HERE.

Ireland is an island nation, with a rich maritime heritage and the conference will explore its sea-going past and culture, along with that of its European neighbours.

Among the topics to be discussed are the Vikings, piracy, the Spanish Armada, international trade, the Napoleonic War at sea, island nations, emigration, port cities, Lusitania and WWI submarine warfare.

Speakers include: Prof Eric Grove (Liverpool Hope Univ.); Prof Donnchadh Ó Corráin (UCC); Prof Michelà D'Angelo (Univ. of Messina); Dr Simon Mercieca (Univ. of Malta); Prof Claire Connolly (UCC); Prof Jürgen Elvert (Univ. of Cologne); Dr Susan Flavin (Trinity College Dublin); Dr Connie Kelleher (Nat. Monuments Service/UCC).

Conference was organised by Dr Hiram Morgan ([email protected]) and Dr John Borgonovo ([email protected]), School of History, University College Cork.

Funding for the Cork conference is from the Irish Research Council's New Foundations Scheme with assistance from the Port of Cork Company.

 

Published in Boating Fixtures

National Watersports Campus, Dun Laoghaire

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Stakeholders combined forces in 2019 to promote a project to improve the Harbour’s infrastructure resulting in improved access, job creation and greater tourism potential. 

A grant application to government made by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCoCo) assisted by stakeholders was successful with the announcement of a €400k feasibility study grant from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) in January 2020.

It meant plans for the €8m National Watersports Campus at Dun Laoghaire Harbour got the green light from Government and came a step closer to reality.

The project recognises deficits in the current set up in the harbour, proposing the construction of an all-tide publicly-accessible slipway (none currently in the Greater Dublin Area) as well as a marine services facility, providing a much-needed home for the supporting industry. 

The campus also seeks to provide a marketing framework to make boating more accessible to the general public.

The benefits of such an increase might be obvious for the Dun Laoghaire waterfront but there are other spin-offs for the harbour town in the creation of the sort of jobs that cannot be shipped abroad.

Centre for Community Watersports activity and public slipway

  • High-Performance coaching centre
  • Flexible Event Space for hosting national and international events
  • Multipurpose Building
  • Campus Marketing and Promotional Centre
  • Accommodation for Irish Sailing and Irish Underwater Council
  • Shared NGB Facility
  • Education Centre for schools, community groups and clubs
  • Proposed site – Carlisle Pier

Watersports Campus FAQs

Similar to the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, the watersports campus will provide quality, public, recreational and high-performance facilities for the many watersports participants. The Campus will considerably enhance the services currently provided by more than 30 clubs and activity centres to over 50,000 annual users of the harbour.

The passing of control of the harbour to DLRCC, the public appetite for a community benefitting project and the capital funding for sports infrastructure in the Project 2040 National Plan have aligned to create an opportunity to deliver this proposal.

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) and the Irish Sailing Association (Irish Sailing) are the project leads, endorsed by the National Governing Bodies of other Irish watersports and clubs and activity providers.

The National Sports Policy, published in 2018, established the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) to provide Exchequer support for sports facility projects. In some cases, these may be projects where the primary objective will be to increase active participation in sport. In other cases, these may be venues where the focus is more related to high-performance sport.

Government has allocated at least €100m over the term to 2027 to successful applicant projects.

The Watersports Campus was one of seven successful applicants for Stream 1 funding allowing planning to commence on the project design and feasibility. €442,000 has been granted in this phase.

NThe project will provide for a municipally-owned public access facility to include a small craft slipway that is accessible at all stages of the tide (currently none in public ownership in the greater Dublin area), storage and lock-up resources, watersports event management space, a high-performance centre and NGB accommodation.

The project aims to enhance the profile of Dun Laoghaire as a major international venue for maritime events, shows and conferences. Establish Dun Laoghaire as the 'go-to place' for anything marine – generating revenues Create employment in the county - attract businesses, visitors and events. Grow the market for watersports Promote the services of activity providers to the public. Complement the plan to develop Dun Laoghaire as a 'destination.'

As of January 1 2021, The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has approved the applicant project and DLRCC are expected to appoint a team to further advance the project.

©Afloat 2020