Hello and welcome aboard this week’s edition of your maritime programme Seascapes, this week we talk to Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett about the humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean rescuing migrants in a week that saw the number of people rescued pass the ten thousand mark ................our intrepid trio of Ron Coveney, Laura Hannon and Sarah Murphy bring us a selection of reports from the Shore Shots Film Festival held in Sligo in April...they were there for Seascapes so this week in Part One we’ll be hearing from Easkey Britton; and Easkey’s mum NC Britton first here on Seascapes to Conor Galvin whom we met on Seafarers Sunday in Dublin Port at the new Seafarers Centre on a newly formed organisation .....
A historically important Polar Medal awarded to an heroic Irish sailor who was one of five men chosen by the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton to accompany him on what is arguably the greatest open-boat journey of all time was set to be auctioned by Dix Noonan Webb in London earlier today . The unique bronze medal awarded to Able Seaman Timothy McCarthy, Royal Naval Reserve, for the epic 800-miles journey across the stormy sub-Antarctic Ocean, is expected to fetch £15,000 to £20,000 sterling at the sale of orders, decorations, medals and militaria.
You can win copies of “Shackleton’s South” as retold by John Mac Kenna in a “Real Reads” edition for youngsters with illustrations by Maurice Pierse in our Seascapes competition here next Friday....
Next to the Irish Naval Base in Haulbowline where we recently spoke with the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett ...this week saw the figure of people rescued by our Navy pass the ten thousand mark as the L.E. James Joyce took over from the recently returned L .E. Roisin .....
Next here on Seascapes to Sligo town where the Shore Shots Irish Surf Film Festival took place earlier this year, in fact back in April ................ its a festival that brings together the Irish surfing community ..........the Seascapes team was there to be sure and catch some of the action , our intrepid trio ......of Laura Hannon ; Ron Coveney and Sarah Murphy braved the elements in April and headed to the North West ..............Sarah Murphy spoke to Shane O’Donoghue, one of the Shore Shots organisers, about the origins of the festival and how film can bring together lovers of our oceans it was originally held in Dublin however it moved to the North West to the beating heart of Irish surfing where the Britton family in Rossnowlagh blazed the trail and indeed as a very young man I saw them surfing in Donegal .................
Shane O Donoghue talking to Sarah Murphy, we hear next from the mother of surfer Easkey Britton here’s NC Britton who talked to Ron Coveney...
Well from NC Britton to her daughter Easkey .... Laura Hannon spoke to one of this country’s foremost professional surfers who is an artist a scientist and an explorer , Easkey also talked about her surfing experience in Iran ..here’ s Easkey Britton ......
Easkey Britton in conversation with Laura Hannon for Seascapes, One young man whom we featured on Seascapes some years ago is Westport native Fergal Smith a former professional surfer he talked to Laura Hannon for Seascapes at Shore Shots ......
Westport ...........“Safety at Sea through War and Upheaval: Irish Lights 1911-1923” ' is an exciting new exhibition that is currently on display in Westport Town Hall Theatre.......
Next week here on Seascapes we preview the inaugural Donegal Bay Maritime Festival which coincides with the All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships we’ll be speaking with Seamus Maguire about drontheims and sea shantys ; we take our second visit to the Shore Shots festival and meet Peter Conroy of the Irish Tow Surf Rescue Club ; Tim Nunn renowned surf photographer , writer and film maker and Freedive Ireland’s Feargus Callagy with the intrepid team of Ron Coveney; Laura Hannon and Sarah Murphy , and we go aboard Dublin Bay Cruises across Dublin Bay ...........all that and much more here on Seascapes , until next Friday night , tight lines and fair sailing.”
This Saturday the Inter Firm Dragon Boat Race will take place at the boardwalk on Lapps Quay in Cork between 2pm and 7pm.
There over 300 participants from 16 different companies including, Amazon, Biomarin, BMD &Co, Boston Scientific, Cork Dragons, DeCare Systems Ireland, Fireeye, Glencove Web Industries, Idle hour & Goldberg’s, Mater Private, Newsweaver, McKesson, Musgraves, Penny Dinners, Pgi and Stryker. We wish them all well
