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Historic Boats
A joy to behold. The Myles Stapleton-designed Shannon Hooker re-creation Sally O’Keeffe has the performance to match her good looks – she was the overall winner of the Royal Western of Ireland YC October League 2023 at Kilrush
Master boat-builder Steve Morris of Kilrush has been busy with new projects these days, what with the re-birth of the Dublin Bay 21s for Hal Sisk and Fionan de Barra of Dun Laoghaire, and the building of a St Ayles…
ICC Rear Commodore Seamus O’Connor - he cruises regularly in southwest Ireland and on Iberian and Mediterranean waters
By October, the last of the remarkably varied international fleet of boats that had attended the Irish Cruising Club’s Conor O’Brien & Saoirse Centenary Rally in Madeira had returned to their often very distant home ports. Thus it was felt…
The Ballyholme Bay ODs shaping up for some club racing on Belfast Lough in their heyday. Two of the boats are now being offered 'free to a Good Home as restoration projects
Two Ballyholme Bay yachts, which would make a great match-racing pair, need a new home (or homes). They are 22 ft plank-built sloops which were built on the Clyde in approximately 1939 for members of Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast…
The late Kerry sailor, poet and boatbuilder Danny Sheehy
A Medieval Galician poem is being re-imagined as a homage to the late Kerry sailor, poet and boatbuilder Dómhnall Mac an tSíthigh. Mac an tSíthigh, also known as Danny Sheehy, died after a naomhóg in which he was one of…
Noel Campbell in the boat gallery at the National Museum of Irish Country Life
Noel Campbell, Assistant Keeper at the National Museum of Country Life in Turlough Park, Castlebar, is leading the development of a boat gallery to preserve the history and culture of Irish traditional vessels. Turlough Park is about eight miles from…
Ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage means, subject to certain exceptions, archaeological objects with no known owner will automatically become the property of the State
New archaeological legislation allows Ireland to ratify the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2023 will “repeal” existing legislation relating to Ireland’s archaeological and related heritage.…
Some of the organisers and volunteers pictured in the Claddagh Hall during the Galway Docklands Festival were, back row, from left: Phil McArdle, Ewa Pilarska, Colm O'Maille, Michael Flanagan (Ability West) and Loretta Croake. Middle row: left to right: Gina Gardiner and Clodagh Durkan. Front row: left to right: Collette Furey, Anna Oliver, Mary Cunningham and Maria Buckley
Galway Docklands Festival has become an established event on the west coast maritime calendar, after a successful event last weekend. Restoration work on various vessels, knot-making, and walking tours of the Claddagh area were among the themes of the three-day…
Mensun Bound returns to the Shackleton Autumn School next month
Mensun Bound, who was director of exploration when the Discovery was discovered in the Antarctic, returns to the Shackleton Autumn School next month. “The Endurance: conception, construction, destruction and reconstruction” is the title of Bound’s talk on October 22nd. He…
The Manx Nobby Vervine Blossom was restored by the late Mick Hunt, and is skippered by him here as she races from Vigo to Dublin with the Tall Ships in 1998

Mick Hunt (1940-2023)

26th September 2023 Howth YC
He brought new life afloat and ashore. And there was and is so much in the story of the late Mick Hunt “of Howth and Connacht” that thousands of words could be written about him. Yet we can get a…
The ship’s bell from the wreck site of steam ship, S.S. Dundalk on display at the port-town’s Louth County Museum.
Dundalk is where a team of divers from the Isle of Man visited the Co. Louth port town so to bring the bell of the steam ship flagship, S.S. Dundalk back to a grateful town. As EnergyFM reports, divers of Discover…
The late Mick Hunt working on the restoration of the Galway hooker An Lady Mor in 1985

Mick Hunt RIP

18th September 2023 Galway Hookers
Afloat.ie regret to record the death at the age of 83 of Mick Hunt of Howth and Connacht, who was best known for his restorations and sailing of traditional craft, but was equally adept at bringing new life to old…
Boatbuilders working on restoring Galway’s maritime heritage are part of the upcoming Galway Docklands Festival
The heart of Galway's maritime heritage comes to life with the much-anticipated Galway Docklands Festival, taking place from September 29th to October 1st, 2023. As Afloat reported earlier, the three-day festival promises an unforgettable experience celebrating Galway's rich marine industry,…
The heart of Galway's maritime heritage will come to life at the end of the month in the three-day Galway Docklands Festival, which will be held from September 29 to October 1. It will be “an unforgettable experience celebrating Galway's…
The Cong-Galway Race 2023 fleet
Full results of the Cong-Galway Race 2023 have been published after a very successful race at the weekend. As Afloat reported earlier, a total of 26 entrants in the dinghy class and six in the cruiser class participated in the…
Wychcraft racing - Gerry Reilly and Jordan Conway winners, with  number seven, sailed by the Rogers family, number nine Master McGrath, Oliver and Sean Curran,  number eight sailed by John and James Murray
One thousand stainless steel screws and then more. That is what it took to restore Oliver Curran’s Wychcraft dinghy. They’re used to building boats in strange locations on either side of the Strangford Narrows in Co Down, with Billy Brown’s…
The broken mast of Harlingen lying across its foredeck
The Dutch Safety Board says its final report into another fatal marine accident involving wood rot on a traditional craft is due to be issued shortly. The board initiated an investigation last year after a fatal incident on August 31st,…