Displaying items by tag: Goleen

6th March 2013

Man and Child Drowned Off West Cork

#News - TheJournal.ie is reporting news of the tragic drowning of a man and a young child off West Cork in the early hours of this morning (6 March).

The bodies of the man and the three-year-old girl were recovered by emergency teams after the Goleen unit of the Irish Coast Guard was tasked to the area following a missing person's report.

Coastguard volunteers found the child on the beach but attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. The body of the man was later discovered in the shallows by the Baltimore RNLI lifeboat.

It's being suspected that the man and the young child entered the water.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

Published in News Update

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West Cork Coastguard Gets New Station and Rescue Helicopter

#COASTGUARD - The four-year-old son of a coastguard volunteer who died tragically in March was the first civilian to board the latest addition to the Irish Coast Guard's helicopter fleet in West Cork last weekend.

As the Irish Examiner reports, Tomas Hodnett's father Kevin died in a construction accident just weeks after he had taken part in a massive search for five lost crewmembers in the Tit Bonhomme trawler tragedy last January.

"We are delighted you are here with us today," said Goleen station officer Michael O’Regan. "You are part of the Coast Guard family."

The tribute was part of a special ceremony to mark the opening of the new coastguard station house in Goleen, which also witnessed a flyover of the Mizen Peninsula by the new €35m Sikorsky S92A - a state-of-the-art rescue helicopter equipped with revolutionary technological enhancements.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar joined gardaí, members of the Naval Service and Civil Defence, RNLI lifeboat crews from Baltimore and Castletownbere, and coastguard crews from Cork and Kerry for the ceremony, which included an official blessing of the building - providing a long-awaited update of facilities for Goleen's 21-strong volunteer crew.

O'Regan and others were also presented with medals for their long-time service to the coastguard, as the Southern Star reports, with O'Regan receiving recognition for 40 years's service.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

Published in Coastguard

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.