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Displaying items by tag: Kerlogue Rescue

14th October 2013

Lecture: The "Kerlogue"

#LectureKERLOGUE – Maritime Institute of Ireland (M.I.I.) autumn/ winter lecture series continues with the next lecture about the "Kerlogue" presented by Pat Sweeney, Maritime historian and author.

During WW2 (1943) Wexford Steamship Co.'s small coaster Kerlogue” hauled 168 injured and shipwrecked German sailors from the icy waters of the Bay of Biscay .

The lecture is this Thursday 17 October (starting at 8pm) and as usual takes place in the Stella Maris Seafarers Club on Beresford Place, Dublin City Centre. The venue behind the Customs House is close the Busaras.

All are welcome to attend the evening where a bar and refreshments are available. A voluntary contribution is payable to the door to the M.I.I. which runs the National Maritime Museum (NMMI) in Dun Laoghaire).

The lecture organisers would be pleased for anyone to kindly forward details about the lecture programme, held monthly (third Thursday).

Public transport to Stella Maris Seafarers Club: The nearest DART stations are Connolly Station and at Tara Street in addition to the LUAS (Red) line stop at Busáras. Car parking is located in the Irish Life Mall (ILAC) on Lower Abbey Street.

For further information in general about the National Maritime Museum of Ireland (Dun Laoghaire) visit www.mariner.ie

 

Published in Boating Fixtures

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.

The Forty-foot Christmas Day swim

A Dublin institution that brings people from across Dublin and beyond for a dip in the chilly winter sea. Bathers arrive in the dark from 6 am and by noon the entire forty foot is a sea of red Santa hats!