The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland, took to the waters of Dublin Bay to take part in the annual ‘Casting of the Spear’ ceremony, the first time the tradition has been observed since before the pandemic.

The ‘Casting of the Spear’ is a tradition dating back 531 years for the incumbent Lord Mayor, who becomes Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port. The title of Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port has been bestowed on the Lord Mayor of Dublin for over 20 years.

Historical records show that the maritime tradition of the Casting the Spear dates back to 1488 when Thomas Mayler, who was then Lord Mayor of Dublin, rode out on horseback and cast a spear as far as he could into the sea – this was to mark the city’s boundaries eastwards. Centuries later, the re-enactment ceremony reminds us of Dublin’s role as a port city in medieval times and highlights Dublin Port’s remarkable history since its establishment as a trading post some 1,200 years ago.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland said: ''I am absolutely thrilled to have had the honour of Casting of the Spear and marking the eastern boundary of our City. I feel privileged being the Honorary Admiral of the Port for the duration of my term of office.

This ancient tradition of marking the City's maritime boundary with a spear has always fascinated me. It also highlights the strategic economic importance of Dublin Port to our City and indeed our country and how it has grown and developed over the centuries.''

Dublin Port CEO Eamonn O’Reilly commented at the ceremony: “I would like to thank Lord Mayor Gilliland for her participation in this year’s annual Casting of the Spear ceremony as we celebrate our heritage as a port city. It is heartening to be able to return to these time-honoured traditions after the disruption of the last few years. Looking back, now more than 530 years, it is extraordinary to think that our city’s boundaries were established by Thomas Mayler’s spear in the waters of medieval Dublin. Today’s re-enactment symbolises Dublin Port’s continued commitment to preserving an understanding of the history that binds the port and the city together.”

The Dublin Bay Old Gaffers (DBOGA) two-day regatta at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey was also a casualty of the weekend's nor'easter.

Disappointingly, the planned Parade of Sail on the capital's river had to be cancelled in the gusty winds. 

As regular Afloat readers know, the strong winds also cancelled the entire Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) Saturday Programme at Dun Laoghaire. The big seas on Saturday led to a reduced start for the annual Lambay Race but nevertheless vintage edition as part of the successful staging of the three day Wave Regatta at Howth Yacht Club. 

Afloat understands plans are now afoot to incorporate the cancelled DBOGA Poolbeg event into September's Howth DBOGA Round the Island (for the Leinster Plate) outing in early September. 

Meanwhile, the season will now see a cruising emphasis for PYBC with members heading off on summer cruises. The PBYC yacht Paradiso has already departed for Norway via the Faroes.

Dave Kelly's All in a Row River Liffey Currach group are running a benefit music gig this Friday in Ringsend in aid of Ukraine for the Irish Refugee Council. 

Doors open at 7:30 pm for the gig this Friday (27th of May) at St Patrick's Church in Ringsend in Dublin. The tickets are €15. 

The gig features the Drew House Band with Phelim Drew performing their show "Remembering Ronnie."

All funds will go directly to the Irish Refugee Council's fund for women and children arriving in Ireland, helping them with books, clothes and uniforms, says Kelly. 

The link for tickets is here.

The Airport Police & Fire Service Rowing Club has thanked River Liffey-based St. Patrick’s Rowing Club in Dublin city for the loan of its quad boat to train for this year’s ‘challenging’ club charity event.

‘Endeavoar 2022’ is a 250-kilometre coastal row along the West Coast of Ireland in aid of the three Dublin Airport Authority staff charities which are, St. Francis Hospice, Feed our Homeless and The Mater Foundation.

Part of the challenge will be to climb Sceilg Mhíchíl and then continue north passing The Blasket Islands, The Cliffs of Moher, The Burren and finally into Galway Bay.

The club says this “three-day event will be one of the most challenging and spectacular we have ever attempted”.

Unfortunately, strong winds thwarted plans for the scheduled May 19th start but it is hoped to make the attempt again in September.

“Thanks to St. Patrick's Rowing Club for allowing us to train using their boat and to Portmagee Rowing Club for giving us their offshore quad during the event. Without their kindness we could not attempt this challenge”, the club ytold followers on social media.

The donate page is here

The 'mystery' to local observers of just who was behind the impressive 15-boat strong RIB raid fleet powering across Dublin Bay last Sunday morning was answered this week on social media when it emerged the boats, ranging from 5 to 8 metres in length, were freshwater visitors from the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) Powerboat Branch.

The River Shannon ribbers, which included three jet skis, took in a River Liffey spin via Grand Canal Dock in the city centre as well as heading out into the Bay to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, followed by a 12km run in some bumpy southerly conditions down to Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow.

"We waited so long to do our first RIB run with the IWAI Powerboat Branch, and it was FANTASTIC! After seeing Dun Laoghaire, Greystones and Dublin city from these new perspectives, I wouldn't wish to live anywhere else but beautiful Éire", said one of the RIB crews online.

Three currachs were successfully launched on the River Liffey yesterday to the sound of traditional music tunes and the boats were blessed in a ceremony at Poolbeg in Dublin city.

As Afloat reported earlier, the boats were launched by the Draíocht na Life rowing group.

Traditional Boats of Ireland Editor Criostoir Mac Cartaigh officiated at the proceedings, saying that it's not every day you see three currachs being launched on the same day, especially in Dublin.

The three currachs are launched at the slipway next to Stella Maris Rowing Club Photo: Afloat

One currach is a racing version, built in Connemara and used on the Liffey.

'Cairde' was recently restored by Micheál Ó Maoilchiaráin from Carna in Conamara who took off the old canvas in favour of fibreglass.

A revamp of a Conamara racer, named 'Cairde', from left to right;  Peter Carey and Tom Jordan Photo: Afloat

New hardwood and pins alongside a nice new paint job finished off the job.

'Sáile', a two-seater and a three seater, 'Faoileán', were built by Ed Tuthill, a Liffey rower, and both were put together in Clane, Co Kildare.

The three-seater was built during the lockdown.

A two seater currach, named Saile, meaning 'woods salted by the sea' from left to right;  Colm Mac Con Iomaire and Frank Tate Photo: Afloat

Mac Cartaigh praised the skill, passion and bravery of the builders who have contributed a huge amount to currach building and getting people out rowing on the Liffey.

The currachs were blessed by Fr Ivan Tonge from Ringsend.

The Draíocht na Life rowing group was formed around 15 years ago by Liffey currach rower and owner, Dave Kelly.

Tunes were played ashore by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Frank Tate and Fionn O hAlmhain. 

As well as Afloat, TG4 were there to capture the event in the stern of Cairde and the launch was aired on Nuacht TG4 at 7 pm Photo: Afloat

Next Saturday crews from Kerry to Donegal and from Conamara to Warrenpoint will take part in the first currach races of the season in Dublin. 

Currach Launching on the Liffey Photo Gallery 

The possibility that stellar jockey Rachael Blackmore, the winner of the Grand National in 2021 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup this year, might just be descended from a noted Dublin nautical family has emerged from traditional boat enthusiast and maritime historian Cormac Lowth’s research into the development of the Ringsend fishing community. He reveals these intriguing insights from time to time to several organisations, including fellow members of the Dublin Bay Old Gaffers Association at their gatherings in the hospitable Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, one of the focal points of modern Ringsend’s friendly interaction with Dublin Port.

Two hundred years and more ago, with the ending of the Napoleonic Wars, the seas of western Europe were becoming safer for fishing fleets to go about their trade. And the port of Brixham in southwest England was the Silicon Valley of fishing development in its day, leading the way in the speedy improvement of boats and equipment to enable a rapid expansion of its fishing areas from 1818 onwards.

Brixham today is mainly for tourists, but 200 years ago it was a developmental powerhouse of the fishing industry

This soon brought the new state-of-the-art Brixham trawlers into the Irish Sea, where they needed a base, and it was Ringsend at the rivermouth of Dublin’s River Liffey that proved most hospitable. So much so, in fact, that many of the Brixham fisherman – the all-powerful skippers and ordinary crewmen alike – married into Ringsend families to add new surnames and fresh vitality to the community. 

INTERACTION BETWEEN DEVON AND DUBLIN

This interaction and regular connection between Ringsend and Brixham lasted for around a hundred years, ended by World War I in 1914 and the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. But by then, those distinctive Devon surnames like Biddulph, Ebbs, Upham and Blackmore were very much thought of as pure Ringsend, even if in the bigger picture - with Ringsend developing its own fishing industry with boat-building attached – the Murphy family had become dominant, with their mighty Ringsend-built fishing cutter St Patrick of the 1887 being possibly the largest vessel of the Brixham type ever built.

The Murphy family’s St Patrick at Ringsend in 1889. Possibly the largest vessel ever built of the Brixham type, she was constructed by the Murphy family and successfully fished by them for many years.

But while Murphy is Ireland’s most frequent surname, Blackmore ranks something like 3,500th, which makes anyone thus named very special indeed. Nevertheless, there seems to have been a small but strong strain of Blackmores in Tipperary for some time, so Rachael Blackmore’s people may have got there by some means other than the Brixham-Ringsend route.

OPEN HOUSE AT POOLBEG

Either way, it is exactly the kind of topic for discussion enjoyed by traditional boat enthusiasts when they get together to talk of this and that, and on the evening of Friday, May 6th it’s going to be open house at Poolbeg Y&BC as the Dublin Bay Old Gaffers Association and their friends gather for the public presentation to Paul Keogh (an Afloat.ie “Sailor of the Month” in January) of the international Jolie Brise Trophy for his 25 years of selfless devotion to keeping the community-owned Clondalkin-built Galway Hooker Naomh Cronan in good order and in full action afloat.

This return to normal life (after a remarkable two years-plus period in which the DBOGA have been Zoom-meeting pathfinders) will continue in the June Bank Holiday Weekend, with the three day DBOGA Regatta (aka The Liffey Regatta) at Poolbeg from June 3rd-5th, a remarkable festival in a working port.

The “City Haven” – Poolbeg YC & BC in Ringsend with its marina contrasting with the modern curves o the Aviva Stadium

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has confirmed the sighting of a common dolphin in the River Liffey at the weekend.

According to TheJournal.ie, the marine mammal was spotted swimming near the Poolbeg power plant on Saturday morning (12 March) before it headed out further into Dublin Bay.

IWDG sightings officer Padraig Whooley told TheJournal.ie: “This is only the second time IWDG has confirmed a sighting of a common dolphin in the Liffey system, so it is an unusual record.”

Video taken by Eugene Smith in Poolbeg, Dublin's River Liffey, shows a common dolphin. It is only the second time that IWDG has confirmed a sighting of this species in the Liffey system, making this a rare encounter. Details are available on the IWDG website under sightings. pic.twitter.com/2LbZ9AjGiJ

— Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (@IWDGnews) March 14, 2022

Previously a common dolphin wowed early morning city-goers when it swam up the Liffey as far as the Loopline Bridge in November 2018, as reported on Afloat.ie.

"The only proven way young people will get to know their job and environment is learning while doing". That's the verdict of the Irish Nautical Trust's Jimmy Murray, who has launched a new River Liffey-based maritime training course on the capital's waters.

The community initiative sponsored by Google began this year and had the dual mandate of preserving the area's nautical heritage and creating long-term sustainable employment in the Dublin Port and Docklands.

Dublin Port and Docklands is a busy commercial port with many different types of vessels operating on the River Liffey

"We are hopeful that doing this will help those who come on board to obtain a certified level of maritime skills to enable them to gain sustainable employment in the maritime industry", Murray told Afloat.

The Trust aims to put up to 75% of its trainees in permanent employment within local maritime companies, with a further 15% going on to further maritime education.

Dublin Port Company operates a variety of boats on the River Liffey including its newest Pilot Boat, named DPC Tolka pictured here on arrival greeted by tugboat Shackleton and pilot boat Liffey arriving into Dublin Port. The state-of-the-art vessel will allow marine pilots to reach and board larger ships in all weather conditions from a greater distance out into Dublin Bay. Photo: Conor McCabe Photography

"The objective of our project is to create a maritime training programme to educate local unemployed people so they can attain a certified level of employment in the marine industry at Ireland's busiest port", Murray says.

There are no existing solutions to supply a certified workforce for maritime employment opportunities in Dublin Port.

Historically, maritime knowledge in the port has passed down between generations, and Murray hopes to keep this tradition alive by adding commercial certification for its course graduates.

The courses run by the Trust and supported by the Dublin Port Company are, according to Murray, unique to the Liffey environment and the Dublin Port area.

Seafaring technicians from the local area as well as external contractors approved by the Marine Survey Office (MSO), Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and Irish Sailing (ISA) will carry out the courses over a series of different modules.

Courses in 2022

The aim is to operate three courses in 2022. Each course will be carried out over 14 weeks under the Nautical Trust's Head instructor, Jimmy Dent.

Students do not require any educational qualifications or previous marine experience before joining the course, but Safe Pass and Manual Handling certification are required before the course starts.

The plan is for the courses to provide opportunities on the Liffey similar to what is available at the Maritime College in Cork and the Seamanship Centre in Donegal.

The experience gained from the introductory Marine Training Programme will give trainees the foundations to seek employment in the marine industry and prepare them to advance into further marine education.

Student tuition - The Irish Nautical Trust has devised a 14-week community based comprehensive Maritime Training Course for up to 10 students per course. The training is suitable for looking to begin a pathway to the Maritime Industry. Photo: INT

Seafaring

Course modules will include an introduction to Dublin Port and a code of practice for anyone involved in dock work. There will also be classes on seamanship, navigation and pilotage, as well as marine engine and hull maintenance. 

An introduction to powerboating will demonstrate safe boat handling for Irish waters and the course includes a period of practical workboat experience on the river. 

The skills learned are essential for anyone considering a career on any boats that ply the Liffey, such as tour, cruise and ferry boats. Workboats such as tugs and pilot boats and educational boats such as training vessels.

"We hope to establish a working relationship with marine businesses by creating a linked work experience programme with the many companies that already operate within the port", Murray says. 

At the end of five years, Murray says he expects the Trust will have graduated a minimum of 120 students into full-time employment or further education in the maritime sector.

In the future, Murray also hopes the training model will go beyond the Dublin Docklands and grow to include other communities throughout Ireland that wish to embrace this type of training.  

Irish Nautical Trust Maritime Training Entry Requirements

• Minimum 18 years of age
• Not in full-time education
• Genuine interest in pursuing a career in the maritime sector
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Working knowledge of the English language
• Standard Medical fitness to include an eye test including colour vision

Courses began in February 2022. Contact Irish Nautical Trust at [email protected] or call 01- 66 88 113

The “All in a Row” team which smashed a 1,000 km target in eight hours on the Liffey late last year has presented €20,000 to two leading marine rescue charities.

The RNLI’s Howth station and the Irish Underwater Search and Recovery Unit were nominated to benefit from the event, held last December on the River Liffey.

Some 40 skiffs, kayaks, canoes and currachs participated in the event, which started from St. Patrick’s Rowing Club at the Tom Clarke Bridge (formerly the East Link Bridge).

Rowers turned at the Ha’penny Bridge, before heading back downriver to the Tom Clarke Bridge.

Rose Michael, (right) Howth RNLI Lifeboats and Pauline McGann, RNLI Community Manager receiving the funds raised

The event, now an annual challenge, is undertaken to raise monies for marine rescue and also to highlight the Liffey as one of Dublin’s best amenities, according to the organisers.

Speaking at the presentation, Mayor of Irishtown/Ringsend Derek Buckley said “the local community effort involved in raising these funds is remarkable and we look forward to hosting this event in our community again next December”.

The All in a Row Crew are Dave Kelly (Chair) - Draiocht Na Life, Philip Murphy -St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Eoin Gaffney - Phoenix Masters Swimming Club, Mick Curry -Stella Maris Rowing Club, Peter Carey – Phoenix Rowing Club, Tony Kelly – East Wall Water Sports Group, Dave Cox – St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Chris Kennedy – St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Gerry Coonan – Wild Water Kayak Club, Eimear McCormack – St. Patrick’s Rowing Club, Seamus Hallahan – Dublin Vikings Dragon Boats, Eugene Kierans & Richard Kaye – Irish Underwater Search and Recovery and Rose Michael, Royal National Lifeboat Association Howth Station.

On the water support was provided by RNLI Dun Laoghaire, Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club, East Wall Water Sports Centre, Irish Underwater Search and Recovery and the No. 11 Liffey Ferry.

The Sea Scouts from 1st Port Dublin and 5th Wicklow (Bray) provided “very welcome hot drinks ashore”, the organisers said.