The Irish boating scene lost one of its great characters early this season. Eugene Mc Kiernan, of Claddy Meadows, Robinstown, Co. Meath, passed away peacefully at home on March 3rd 2018.
Eugene lead a life of boats in Ireland, growing up fishing on Cavan’s rivers and lakes, boats were in his blood.
Eugene founded Malahide Marine in a disused cinema on the Green in Malahide in the mid 1970’s and from there launched many hundreds of boating hobbies, careers and adventures.
From it’s start in Malahide, Malahide Marine went on to be one of Ireland's largest boat manufacturers in the 1980’s making Sea Nymph aluminium boats for the European market from a factory in Western Industrial Estate on the Naas Road.
In the 1990’s Eugene moved further out the Naas Road to establish Panda Boats and Leisure in Rathcoole which later moved to Johnstown, where he built Orkney Longliner and Fastliner Sea fishing boats and Mayfly lake fishing boats.
In the early 2000’s he designed and built his own range of sports sea angling boats “The Redfinn” and over the years of building and selling boats in Ireland Eugene collaborated with many in the industry including O’Sullivan's Marine of Tralee, Darragh Boats of Monaghan, Earncraft Boats of Fermanagh, OB Marine, BJ Marine and Viking Marine in Dublin, and Barrow Valley Marine of Waterford as well as industry publications including Afloat magazine and its predecessor Sail and Power.
Eugene was immersed in Ireland’s boating scene, a founder of the Irish Powerboat Association, Eugene was involved in bringing powerboat racing to Ireland and organising powerboat races from the river Liffey in Dublin to Lake Garadice in Leitrim.
Eugene was also involved in the development of water-skiing in Ireland through his support of Golden Falls Water Ski Club in Wicklow.
Eugene’s large personality and bellowing laugh will be very sadly missed by many from the Irish and boating and fishing community and by his wife Anna May, his children, Carmel, John and Fintan, by his daughters-in-law Orla and Jennifer, grandchildren Alice, Louise, Eva and Sean, brothers Fr. Fintan and Edward.
