Displaying items by tag: west of Ireland

15th December 2013

Pre-Christmas Present For Surfers On Ireland's West Coast

#Surfing - Surfers in the West of Ireland will be on standby this week as the latest weather forecasts show a significant swell heading our way across the Atlantic.

According to Surf-Forecast.com, the coastline is already set to experience wave heights of 5 metres or more this afternoon (Sunday 15 December).

But the best may be yet to come, with swells expected to nearly double that height by Thursday (19 December).

And the big wave bounty looks to continue into the following week, providing plenty of opportunity for Ireland's swellseekers to catch a monster before Christmas!

Published in Surfing

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23rd October 2013

Galway Seminar Discusses Restoration of Western Waterways

#InlandWaterways - International speakers and policy experts are among the delegates in Galway today (23 October) for a seminar to discuss the restoration of inland waterways in Ireland's west region.

Galway Bay FM reports that the seminar is being hosted by the West Regional Authority under the LakeAdmin EU Project, which runs till December 2014 and aims to assess best practice in water management across 10 EU member states.

Published in Inland Waterways

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20th February 2013

New Angling Guides and Salmon Bait Restrictions

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland has recently added two new guides to its list of resources for anglers fishing in Ireland.

The West of Ireland Sea Angling Guide covers the region from Westport, in Clew Bay, south to the rocky headlands of North Clare, including Galway Bay, Connemara, Killary, Louisburgh, Clew Bay, and the offshore islands of Inisbofin, Inisturk and the Aran Islands.

The guide is in no way comprehensive, and the list of marks and venues is just a sample of what is available across the region's waterways. There are literally hundreds of shore marks in the region that have rarely, if ever, been fished, but the potential waiting to be explored is immense. Getting off the beaten path and trying a new mark may produce the fish of a lifetime.

In addition, the County Sligo Game Angling Guide covers the main game angling waters in the district. It contains information on the location of each fishery as well as details in relation to contacts, permitted angling methods, angling seasons, etc.

Meanwhile, IFI has received numerous submissions from individual anglers, angling organisations and angling tourist providers regarding restrictions on the use of prawn/shrimp as a salmon angling bait on the River Suir for the 2013 season.

IFI is interested to hear the views of other angling stakeholders or from those who wish to make further submissions.

Submissions can be made to IFI Clonmel by email at [email protected] or by post to Inland Fisheries Ireland, Anglesea Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

The closing date for receipt of submissions is 28 February 2013.

Published in Angling

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21st October 2012

Video Shows Surfers Taking On West Coast Waves

#SURFING - WorldIrish brings us another gem of a video as surf pros take on the challenging waves off the west coast of Ireland.

It's just the latest praise for the Emerald Isle as a world-class surfing destination.

Published in Surfing

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9th May 2012

Surfing Is Ireland's 'New National Pastime'

#SURFING - Surfing is Ireland's new national pastime, if the Irish Independent is anything to go by.

The paper's Amanda Phelan travelled to Lahinch - home of 'biggest wave' award hopeful Ollie O'Flaherty - to investigate the boom in surf lessons to young people on the west coast, "one of the new growing business in this region", and meet some of those involved in helping newbies get their feet wet.

"Hundreds of youngsters, some of them locals and others on holiday, line up in Clare to learn surfing, a sport that requires skill, a calm temperament, good leg strength and a lot of courage," she writes.

And courage is something these kids are definitely not lacking, especially with Ireland's famously freezing waters!

The Irish Independent has much more on the story HERE.

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26th November 2011

Video Shows Best of West Coast Kitesurfers

#KITESURFING - Irish kitesurfing's Mulranny Crew have had their best clips for 2011 compiled on YouTube.

http://afloat.ie/watersport/kitesurfing

The freestyle crew, based in the West of Ireland, describe themselves as "group of enthusiastic local riders, who try to push themselves harder every time they hit the water."

The group includes Neil McKenna, Kevin Cowley, Rory Stoney, Padraic Doherty, Nick Isherwood, Gavin Hughes, Fionn Wandel Brannigan and Barry Grogan.

See the Mulranny Crew in action on YouTube HERE.

#KITESURFING - Irish kitesurfing's Mulranny Crew have had their best clips for 2011 compiled on YouTube.

The freestyle crew, based in the West of Ireland, describe themselves as "group of enthusiastic local riders, who try to push themselves harder every time they hit the water."

The group includes Neil McKenna, Kevin Cowley, Rory Stoney, Padraic Doherty, Nick Isherwood, Gavin Hughes, Fionn Wandel Brannigan and Barry Grogan.

See the Mulranny Crew in action on YouTube below:

Published in Kitesurfing

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24th June 2011

Galway Students Win Big for Surfing Website

Two students at NUI Galway have won a €15,000 investment in an enterprise competition for their website promoting surfing in Ireland.

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/item/22170-surfing-website-wins/

“WestCoastSurfer.com has huge growth potential and is well grounded in commercial reality with great opportunities for the West of Ireland,” said chairperson of the judging panel Helen Ryan.

Two students at NUI Galway have won a €15,000 investment in an enterprise competition for their website promoting surfing in Ireland.

Oisin Halpin and Cian Brassil of WestCoastSurfer.com took the top prize at the NUI Galway Student Enterprise Awards earlier this month, with judges convinced by their brand and ability to attract investment to the region, according to Silicon Republic.

“WestCoastSurfer.com has huge growth potential and is well grounded in commercial reality with great opportunities for the West of Ireland,” said chairperson of the judging panel Helen Ryan.

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.