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MacDara Conroy

MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

One of potentially hundreds of dead fish in the Crumlin River following the confirmed incident
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is investigating a confirmed fish kill near Crumlin in Co Antrim, as BBC News reports. It follows reports of an alleged slurry spill in the Crumlin River upstream of the town close to Lough…
Upside down: Ineos Britannia capsizes in Mallorca on Wednesday 8 February
INEOS Britannia have suffered a setback in their America’s Cup preparations after their T6 test boat capsized twice and caught fire on the water in Mallorca on Wednesday afternoon (8 February). According to Marine Industry News, the boat got loose…
Clarisse Crémer by her Vendée Globe IMOCA with the branding of her now former sponsor Banque Populaire
Vendée Globe competitor Clarisse Crémer says she is “in shock” after being dropped by her main sponsor just weeks after having a baby. According to Marine Industry News, the record-setter was let go by Banque Populaire in the wake of…
Aerial view of Royal Malta Yacht Club
The host club of the Rolex Middle Sea Race has been forced to relocate its operations into shipping containers after it was evicted from its premises. As the Times of Malta reports, talks to delay a court-ordered eviction or find…
File image of the old bridge in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary
A new canoeing and kayaking club for Carrick-on-Suir has secured start-up funding that will allow it to set up a premises in the Co Tipperary town. As Tipperary Live reports, Carrick-on-Suir Paddlers held its first AGM on Wednesday 11 January…
Aerial view of Tory Island off the Donegal mainland
Two fishermen were rescued on Monday morning (16 January) after their vessel sank off Tory Island in Co Donegal. A multi-agency rescue operation was launched after a Mayday signal from the 36-foot crabbing boat shortly before 6am on Monday. However,…
The late Mark Morley pictured in happier times with wife Kate Strochnetter and their daughters Roisin and Allison
An online fundraiser for the family of a man who died while kayaking in Galway Bay last month has surpassed its €20,000 goal. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Mark Morley got into difficulty off Spiddal in Co Galway shortly before…
A 50kg adult female loggerhead turtle was discovered in December 2021 on Muighinis Beach near Carna in Connemara in a comatose state. The turtle never regained consciousness and died despite the best efforts of Galway Atlantaquaria staff
Concern has been expressed over reports of endangered loggerhead turtles washing up on Irish and British shores in recent days, as BreakingNews.ie reports. The remains of a deceased loggerhead turtle were found at Port Glais in Co Mayo over the…
The five-man Row Hard of Go Home team light a flare to celebrate their record-breaking achievement in Nelson’s Dockyard
An Irish rowing crew have set a new record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, as RTÉ News reports. The five-man team from Row Hard or Go Home rowed from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the West Indies in 33…
Ng Ser Miang pictured in 2009
IOC vice-president Ng Ser Miang has rejected accusations of wrongdoing after he was found guilty of interfering in a World Sailing election. The Singaporean entrepreneur was determined by an independent panel to have had a conflict of interest in the…
Big wave surfing at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal
The surfing world has paid tribute to Brazilian big wave surfer Marcio Freire after his death at Nazaré last Thursday (5 January). According to RTÉ News, Freire fell into the water while surfing at the Portuguese swell regarded as producing…
Saoirse pictured in Dun Laoghaire before Conor O’Brien embarked on his historic circumnavigation in 1923
The Journal has highlighted the upcoming centenary of Irish yachtsman Conor O’Brien’s pioneering circumnavigation. In June 1923, Limerick man O’Brien set off on his yacht the Saoirse — named after the then newly created Irish Free State — on the…
The lobster pot Christmas tree next to the Port of Kinsale harbour master’s office at night
Tony Blair’s former spin doctor has bestowed an unusual honour upon the Port of Kinsale’s special Christmas tree. Earlier this week, Alastair Campbell named the lobster pot creation by local fisherman Eamonn O’Neill has his ‘Unusual Tree of the Day’…
The Ocean Research Project happened upon the Swan 48, Wolfhound, some 800 miles off Bermuda many weeks after it was abandoned at sea
Video has recently surfaced online of ocean researchers’ encounter in the Atlantic with an abandoned Dun Laoghaire yacht — one that was the subject of headlines a decade ago. It’s nearly 10 years since Alan McGettigan and crew were rescued…
James O’Mahony
11th Hour Racing Team’s longtime sustainability manager Damian Foxall isn’t Ireland’s only connection to the IMOCA getting ready to foil around the world in The Ocean Race 2022-23 this month. Cork sailor James O’Mahony, a veteran of two previous editions…
Aerial view of Dun Laoghaire Baths
Wheelchair users have highlighted accessibility issues at the newly reopened Dun Laoghaire Baths — with the current temporary ramps deemed as too steep. As The Journal reports, one accessibility advocate described the ramps to the lower-level amphitheatre as “disgraceful”. “They…
Balscadden Bay at Howth Head
Howth’s Irish Coast Guard unit reminds sea swimmers to be wary of cold water temperatures after they responded to a hypothermic swimmer needing medical assistance on Wednesday morning (4 January). The casualty was taken safely from the water at Balscadden…
Queenscliff Harbour marina in Victoria, Australi
A harbour near Melbourne in Australia is probing the potential of its natural tides to develop a new kind of renewable energy hub. As the Bellarine Times reports, Queenscliff Harbour has partnered with the non-profit Southern Ocean Environmental Link and…
The MV Alta washed ashore at Ballyandreen Bay near Ballycotton in East Cork in February 202
Locals in the area where the ghost ship MV Alta washed ashore nearly three years ago say their lives have been changed for the worse by the wreck’s presence on their doorstep. Speaking to The Journal for a special feature,…
Former coxswain Kieran Cotter next to Baltimore RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Alan Massey
Baltimore RNLI will host a proper send-off for its retired former coxswain Kieran Cotter this Tuesday evening 27 December from 8pm at Jacob’s Bar in the West Cork village. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Cotter retired at the end of…
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