#ANGLING - The first wild Atlantic spring salmon of 2012 was caught Sunday on the River Liffey in exceptional circumstances, The Irish Times reports.

Though the river is closed for salmon fishing as stocks are currently below sustainable levels, Inland Fisheries Ireland sanctioned a special catch-and-release club event for survey reasons at Islandbridge in the capital.

Declan Briggs – a 47-year veteran of the Dublin and District Salmon Anglers' Association - landed the 8.5lb beauty using a wooden Devon lure at 9.50am.

“This is my first time to catch the first fish. I’m absolutely delighted," he said.

Elsewhere in Ireland, Briggs' catch was mirrored by Tyrone man Ian Martin, who caught the northern region's first salmon on the year on the River Drownes near Bundoran.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#SURFING - Irish surfer Conor Maguire is one of the four new waveriders from the UK and Ireland to become part of the Northcore stable. In the vid below Maguire is mentioned at 2 minutes 11 seconds.

The Bundoran resident joins Sandy Kerr of Tynemouth, England, Craig Burrows of south Wales and Jersey's Charlotte Bayliss on the team heading into 2012.

The young surfer is already making a name for himself on the heavy waves of Ireland's northwest coast like the Peak, and regularly paddling into the meanest of Ireland's slabs such as Rileys.

Maguire is also starting to charge in the big swells, learning the tow-in craft from some of Ireland's most experienced big wave crews, including Northcore ambassador Richie Fitzgerald.

A Northcore spokesperson said of the recent additions: "Between them there's a huge amount of experience, style and skill. All of the riders are representing the very best of surfing talent from their respective home locations and all have achieved respect and recognition on a national scale."

Last Saturday's Irish Times features an interview with Hawaiian surfing champion Bethany Hamilton who was in Bundoran for Eurosurf 2011 - where the film of her incredible true life experiences, Soul Surfer, had its gala premiere.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Soul Surfer tells the story of how Hamilton battled against all odds to become a champion again after losing her arm in a shark attack when she was just 13 years of age.

Most people would be put off surfing for life after such an ordeal, but Hamilton felt she would be lost without it.

"My passion for surfing outweighed my fear of sharks or anything else that might stop me from going in there," she said. "I was so excited to be back in the ocean and once I did it I felt like I was back at home and where I felt comfortable."

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Team Portugal were crowned European Surfing Champions at the final day of Eurosurf 2011 in Bundoran yesterday.

It's the first time the Portuguese have held the title since 1997, which is also when the event was last hosted in the Co Donegal seaside town.

Portugal won three of the seven different categories, with two second-place finishes, one third place and one fourth.

Their surfers fought tooth and nail in a week of competition that was dominated by France, who made a bold statement of intent on the opening day by scoring eight out of the best 15 waves - and led the pack until the closing sessions.

Meanwhile Team Ireland did not finish too badly, placing a respectable sixth in the final tally.

Ashleigh Smith made the biggest mark for the Irish, being narrowly beaten into second place in the women's bodyboarding division by Portugal's Catarina Sousa.

“We’ve been delighted with how the week has gone for Eurosurf," said Eurosurf press officer Shane Smyth. "If we were to draw up a blueprint for a surf competition considering waves, weather and organisation we would have nailed it."

More details of results are available on the Eurosurf website HERE.

The BBC News website also has an image gallery of the week's action HERE.

The final line-up has been confirmed for Ireland's team at the European Surfing Championships in Bundoran later this week.

Rossnowlagh's John Britton joins his cousin Easkey Britton in the strong squad aiming for Eurosurf gold.

The rest of the team includes two-time Irish national champ Shane Meehan; former Irish Open Champion Stephen Kilfeather; and multiple-time women's body board champion Ashleigh Smith.

Also in the squad are Cain Kilcullen from Enniscrone; open surfer Oliver O’Flaherty; 2008 WSCS Longboard Champion Stephen Kelleher; Irish Student Champion Ronan Oertzen; Bundoran's Shauna Ward; body boarder Darragh McCarter; and Irish team veterans John McCurry and Richie Fitzgerald.

The action kicks off in Bundoran on 23 September with the competition running till 2 October.

A new film telling the true story of Hawaiian surfer Bethany Hamilton will have its gala Irish screening following the opening ceremony of Eurosurf 2011 in Bundoran on Saturday 24 September. 

Soul Surfer stars AnnaSophia Robb as Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack yet battled against all odds to become a champion again.

The film features an all-star cast including Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood in her film debut. 

The story also has a special connection to Bundoran, as Bethany Hamilton is descended from a well-known family in the area. Bethany even visited the town some years ago to find out more about her heritage.

"We are thrilled to have the gala Irish screening of Soul Surfer as part of the opening festivities for Eurosurf," said press officer Shane Smyth. "Such an inspirational film is bound to inject even more enthusiasm for the competitors taking part in the European Surfing Championships as the contest prepares to kick off. 

"Having already seen the film, I can say that viewers are in for a treat – some stunning photography and some awesome surfing.”

The European Surfing Championships take place in Bundoran from 24 September to 2 October.

The Financial Times has highlighted Ireland as one of the world's top emerging surfing destinations.

"The quality of Irish surf has been recognised for many years, writes adventure journalist Alf Alderson, "but it’s only recently that it has really taken off as a top destination for everyone from beginner to big wave expert."

Bundoran in Co Sligo gets the biggest props among the west coast's surfing hotspots, boasting a range of surf for everyone from beginners to expert waveriders.

But Ireland's largest waves at Mullaghmore Point also get their due - with its 50 foot swells putting it in league with the best in the world. 

The Financial Times has more on the story HERE.

Stephen Kilfeather retained his Irish Open Surfing Championship title at last weekend's County Sligo Open.

The 24-year-old Sligo native squeaked past fellow Team Ireland members Cain Kilcullen and Ronan Oertzen to clinch the title for the second year in a row at the final event of the 2011 Irish surfing tour.

“I’m stoked to win it again," said Kilfeather, who also came first at the weekend. "Back to back for two years running is a great achievement.” 

He said the competition was “a great warm-up for the European Surfing Championships in Bundoran" next month. 

Team Ireland members did well in the overall rankings in Sligo, with John Britton taking the senior title, Ashleigh Smith the women’s body board title, Shane Meehan the Bodyboard title, Easkey Britton the women’s title and John McCurry regaining the longboard title. Team Ireland manager Stevie Burns was also successful, winning the Masters title.

Commenting after the call out, lifeboat press officer Colm Hamrogue said, "We are delighted that the young swimmer is home safe and sound. We also want to thank the member of the public for calling out the lifeboat. We advise everybody to take care when enjoying the water over the coming summer months. It is important to follow safety advice when taking to the water. 

Irish lifeboat rescue news here

The boat push will start on Donegal Road in Ballyshannon at noon and members of the lifeboat crew will have buckets with them on the route for people to make a donation.

The fundraising drive comes as Bundoran RNLI recently received a new state of the art Atlantic 85 lifeboat.  The new lifeboat can carry a fourth crewmember and has more room for casualties.  It can also reach speeds of up to 35 knots in responding to an emergency.

Commenting on the fundraiser, lifeboat press officer Colm Hamrogue said, "The lifeboat crew wanted to do something a bit different to raise funds for the station.  Many people have done a bed push but not too many people have done a boat push, which makes sense for a lifeboat station.  Our volunteer crew count on the generous support of the public to ensure that the RNLI can continue to provide all year search and rescue coverage and we hope to get lots of support on Saturday."

Related Safety posts

RNLI Lifeboats in Ireland

Safety News

Rescue News from RNLI Lifeboats in Ireland

Coast Guard News from Ireland

Water Safety News from Ireland

Marine Casualty Investigation Board News

Marine Warnings