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Displaying items by tag: Waterways Ireland

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that an ESB contractor will be carrying out repairs on the tail-race bridge at Parteen, Co Clare from Monday 17 July for a period of six weeks.

The works involve repairing some of the deteriorated structure from a pontoon, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Masters of vessels using the Ardnacrusha tail race during the repair works should contact the contractor on 087 6494454 prior to entering the tail race in order to coordinate safe passage.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Erne System that dredging operations will commence on the Kesh River at Lower Lough Erne this Tuesday 18 July.

Dredging will occur at two locations along the Kesh River and at the mouth of the river in Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Dredging on the two river sections (Central and East) will continue for approximately two weeks until Wednesday 2 August. During this time the river will be closed to boating traffic from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

Dredging will then commence at the mouth of the Kesh River (West Section) on Thursday 3 August and will continue for approximately three weeks until Friday 26 August 2023.

The navigation will be open during the dredging at the mouth of the river but boaters should expect delays, advises the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that the IWAI Shannon Boat Rally will be taking place from Saturday 29 July to Sunday 6 August at the following locations and dates:

  • Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 July: Dromod
  • Monday 31 July & Tuesday 1 August: Drumsna
  • Wednesday 2, Thursday 3 & Friday 4 August: Lough Key Forest Park
  • Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 August: Carrick-on-Shannon

Inland waterways users are advised to note that on the weekend of 5-6 August the fleet will be divided between Carrick Boat Club, Butler’s Marina and Emerald Star in the town.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that the in-river works for the construction of the Killaloe Bypass bridge are progressing as planned.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the bridge is being constructed around 1km downstream of the current Killaloe–Ballina bridge.

Three bridge piers will be constructed in the navigation by December. The first 10 piles were installed on the east side of the river by early June with 10 more on the west side by last week, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways confirms.

A buoyed navigation channel is being provided for 100 metres either side of the in river works. The barges and piling rig have now moved from the west side to the centre of the river as of Tuesday 1 July.

Masters of vessels are requested to proceed at slow speed (5 knots, no wash) with additional caution in the vicinity of the works and to follow the instructions of the safety boat crew as there are hazards such as mooring lines to navigate.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland is inviting members of the public and interested parties to have their say on proposed revisions to the Shannon Navigation and Canals Bye-Laws by making a submission to a public consultation, which opened on Monday (19 June).

The consultation covers the Shannon Navigation (including the Shannon-Erne Waterway), the Royal Canal, Grand Canal, Barrow Line and Barrow Navigation. The consultation runs until Monday 2 October 2023.

Public meetings are planned where Waterways Ireland staff will provide information on the revisions and feedback can be given:

  • North Shannon: The Bush Hotel, Main Street, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim, Monday 26 June 6-9pm
  • South Shannon: Killaloe Spa Hotel, Kincora Harbour, Killaloe, Co Clare, Tuesday 27 June 6-9pm
  • Dublin: Maldron Hotel, 98-107 Pearse Street, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2, Wednesday 28 June 6-9pm
  • Barrow: Seven Oaks Hotel, Athy Road, Carlow, Co Carlow, Monday 3 July 6-9pm
  • Royal Canal: Mullingar Park Hotel, Dublin Road, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Tuesday 4 July 6-9pm
  • Grand Canal: Tullamore Court Hotel, O’Moore Street, Tullamore, Co Offaly, Wednesday 5 July 6-9pm
  • Mid Shannon: IWAI HQ, Dunrovin, Coosan, Athlone, Co Westmeath, Monday 10 July 6-9pm

The draft bye-laws and explanatory notes are available to download from the Waterways Ireland website, which also has a list of public libraries were members of the public can review the documents in person.

Feedback is welcome using the link on the website. Alternatively you can email your submission to [email protected] or send by post to Waterways Ireland Inspectorate, Dock Rd, Athlone, Co Westmeath, N37 RW26.

Following the public consultation, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways will review the submissions, make any necessary changes to the bye-laws and submit them to the minister for approval to proceed.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland wishes to advises all masters of vessels on and users of the Royal Canal that a canoe polo event will be taking place in Kilcock Harbour this Sunday 18 June.

In order to facilitate the event, navigation in this area will be very restricted from 3pm on Saturday 17 June to 7pm on Sunday 18 June.

Vessels should move away from any of the moorings in the harbour area for the duration of the event, and will only be able to navigate past the event if allowed to proceed by the event organisers between event activities through a prior arrangement.

Masters of vessels are therefore requested to proceed with additional caution in the vicinity of the event and to obey any instructions given by event stewards, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels on and users of the Lower Bann navigation that emergency repair works are being carried out on Movanagher Lock until next Friday 23 June.

Passage through the lock southwest of Ballymoney in Co Antrim will not be possible until this time, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels and waterways users on the Shannon Navigation that Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) will be conducting fish stock surveys on Lough Derg from Monday 12 to Friday 30 June.

There will be around 100-110 net locations. All nets will be marked with bright orange buoys marked ‘IFI Survey’.

The majority of the nets will be set on the bottom, so depending on the depth only the marker buoys and rope will be potential hazards.

Some floating and mid-water nets in the deeper mid lake sections, and again these will be clearly marked, normally with two buoys.

Masters of vessels are requested to proceed with additional caution in the vicinity of the survey locations, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland advises all masters and users of the Erne System in Northern Ireland that the channel east of Castle Island in Enniskillen will be closed from this Wednesday 7 June to 30 September 2023.

This is for the creation of a water activity zone in the area, similar to that created last year. The designated area will be clearly marked by floating buoys.

Access to Castle Museum Jetty will be maintained when approaching from the north of Castle Island.

Mariners should use the navigation channel to the west of Castle Island and proceed at slow speed with minimum wash, adhering to any instructions or displayed signage.

Mariners should also be aware of small non-motorised craft also operating in the navigation, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways adds.

Published in Inland Waterways

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise users of the Grand Canal in Dublin city centre that the north-bank towpath between Locks C3 and C4, at Huband Bridge and Wilton Terrace respectively, will be closed for approximately two weeks for maintenance works beginning this Tuesday 6 June.

Published in Inland Waterways
Page 12 of 68

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

©Afloat 2020