Seascapes News Summary -  30th June 2005

The Dunbrody under sail

Click here to listen to the show

TOM MACSWEENEY'S MARITIME MONITOR

DUNBRODY UNDER SAIL FOR THE FIRST TIME
I stood on the Barrow Railway Bridge and saw a piece of maritime history being made as the tall ship DUNBRODY made her way downriver from New Ross, under her own power for the first time. Railway maintenance workers on the bridge cheered  as the DUNBRODY slipped quickly through the gap opened where the bridge swings back across the Barrow to allow upriver navigation to New Ross. It looked quite a narrow gap from atop the bridge, the masts of the DUNBRODY reaching high into the air as she approached and swept through out into the Waterford Estuary, down beyond Duncannon where she hoisted sail and turned, for the first time under sail, presenting a magnificent sight, a proud and emotional moment for Sean Reidy, Chief Executive of the DUNBRODY Project who has stuck with it through times that were hard and tough, but now had the joy of, at last, seeing her under sail. Back in his office at the Dunbrody Centre in New Ross, now strangely quiet with the ship away for the first time, he spoke with emotion of what he had seen.
Click on this link to hear Sean Reidy.

CAPTAIN TOM McCARTHY AND THE TALL SHIPS
The DUNBRODY carried out sea trials under Department of the Marine surveyors and were completed satisfactorily under the command of Captain Tom McCarthy who now has the distinction of having commanded all three Irish Tall Ships, the ASGARD, the JEANIE JOHNSTON and now the DUNBRODY  and they will be joined by tall ships from around the world in Waterford Port from Wednesday next gathered for the start of the Tall Ships Race. Captain Phil Cowman, Waterford Harbour Master, has the responsibility for berthing them on arrival, overseeing their safe stay and departure, a huge task.
Click on this link to hear Captain Cowman.

BROADCASTING FROM THE TALL SHIPS
We will be broadcasting next Thursday's SEASCAPES from the quayside in Waterford, so if you are in the city do come and join us for an hour-long SEASCAPES Tall Ships Special starting at half-past seven next Thursday night. RTE Radio and Television will be broadcasting many other programmes from Waterford to mark the visit of the Tall Ships. Lyric FM will also be there.  Nationwide TV News will broadcast and hour-long programme from there next Friday, when you can see those pictures of the DUNBRODY under sail for the first time and on Saturday afternoon, July 9, there will be a half-hour news report on the Parade of Sail that morning.

INLAND WATERWAYS
Report from Colin Becker of the Inland Waterways Association:
One of the reasons inland waterways are such an interesting subject is the wide range of issues that come up. They bring in history, industrial archaeology, ecology and of course messing about in boats.  For example, in County Kildare there's a stretch of the Grand Canal that has been derelict for over 50 years.  It's called the Blackwood Feeder and it was used to supply water to the summit level of the canal near the village of Robertstown from a reservoir, now known as Ballynafagh Lake near the village of Prosperous. The lake, which was entirely artificial with embankments constructed of peat and clay was said to be able to supply sufficient water such that lowering the lake level by one inch, would raise the level of the basin in Ringsend by six-inches. As well as providing a water supply to the canal, the feeder was used for commercial trade and a lot of turf was drawn in along the canal to Dublin over the years.  Indeed one of the depots set up at the time is still in business today at Harolds Cross Bridge, run by the descendants of the early entrepreneurs. This stretch of the canal was closed and de-watered in the early 1950s and has been more or less ignored since then.  In the late 1990s, the Kildare Branch of IWAI commissioned an ecological survey of the site with a view to a possible re-opening of the feeder to navigation. That study found that since it had been closed, the canal and reservoir had developed a very interesting and unusual collection of wildlife habitats.  So much so that the whole site is now being designated as a special area of conservation. In the last few months, KELT which is the Rural Development Company for Co. Kildare, in partnership with Kildare Co. Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have begun a project as part of a wider EU funded programme called Waterwaysnet, to further study the site and look at possible options for its long term management and sustainable amenity use.  Progress on that project is being reported on the KELT website www.kelt.ie/waterwaysnet On the water, we are now in the peak season for boat rallies with the Lough Derg Rally taking place next week and the Shannon Boat Rally taking place over the last week of July. If you would like any further information about the inland waterways, you can call me, Colin Becker on our Lo-call number
1890 924 991 or log in to our web-site www.iwai.ie

THE SUCCESS OF PATCHES
Eamonn Connelly grew up in a townland called PATCHES near Claddaghduff overlooking Omey Island in Connemara where his father, Tommy, was a lobster fisherman, skilled in handling a currach. I met Eamon on the Kinsale Yacht Club Marina last Saturday as he boarded his yacht, also called PATCHES - the first Transpac 52-footer in Europe, worth about one-and-a-half million Euro. A plasterer by trade, Eamonn heads up Oyster Homes and a construction operation in Britain, but it was sailing that was on his mind at the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale, where PATCHES led the fleet around the course, clearly a step ahead of the competition. She was built to be part of the Irish Admirals' Cup team but when the Royal Ocean Racing Club in Britain cancelled that event, PATCHES sought other competitive opportunities. She won the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race in a canter, knocking 3? hours off the record. Eamon Conneely is focussed now on the Fastnet Race in August and is confident that he has a fine boat
Click on this link to hear Eamonn Conneely.

THIS WEEK'S MARINE NOTICES
-  Derry's third annual boating extravaganza will be held next weekend July 9 - 10. The Foyle Regatta, will feature cruiser and dinghy races, marine exhibitions and family fun events, all with the River Foyle as a spectacular backdrop
- The INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION is to inaugurate a special award for courage at sea. The decision to invite member Governments to nominate candidates for the award was taken at the 94th session of the IMO in the past week. It will recognise those who, at risk to their own life, carry out acts of exceptional courage, leadership and seamanship.
- Lough Erne RNLI Open Day will be held this Saturday, an opportunity to meet the local RNLI team.
- The inaugural ARKLOW WINDMILLS yacht race will be held by ARKLOW SAILING CLUB on Saturday, July 16, starting at 11 am, a race around the windmills under IRC and ECHO handicaps. More details on phone 086 1509708.
- On Sunday morning the Killea Parish Tombstone will be unveiled to those lost at sea who have no known resting place. Fr. Éanna Condon, Parish Priest in Dunmore East, says that this is not a monument, but a tombstone specifically dedicated to those whose bodies were not recovered and will give relatives a place to mourn.

MARINE INSTITUTE STAFF RAISE MONEY FOR A LIFEBOAT
Staff from the Marine Institute are raising money for the establishing of a lifeboat in Carna.
Click on this link to hear Dr.Peter Heffernan, Chief Executive of the Marine Institute, outline what the staff are doing.

SINKING YACHT
There is a startling photo of the sinking of MEGAWAT, the yacht owned by Philip Watson in the July edition of AFLOAT, the national boating magazine. She was surfing downwind when her rudder stock snapped. Read the article, there are lessons to learn, as there are from the story in the same magazine - 'MAYDAY IN DUBLIN BAY,' about a currach which set off with holy water, but no drinking water, no radio, flares or lifejacket and had to be rescued.

SHERKIN COMMENT
Published this week is SHERKIN COMMENT, the quarterly environmental newspaper of the SHERKIN ISLAND MARINE STATION, who have also sent us copies of FOSSILS, their colouring and informational guide book for children, with details of life on the seashore and foreshore. If you would like a copy for your family, Email to: seascapes@rte.ie or write to RTE, Fr.Mathew Street, Cork and we'll send you along a copy.

DARTMOUTH CASTLE
Click on this link to hear Mike Hackett tell the story of an unusual voyage on the River Blackwater.

TRAMORE INSHORE LIFEBOAT
Congratulations to Tramore Inshore Lifeboat which went on station officially at lunchtime on Thursday, June 30. TRÁ MHÓR, IB 1, the first of its kind in Ireland, we wish the station and crew 'FAIR SAILING' in the years ahead.

MUSIC ON SEASCAPES THIS WEEK
- "My Love Is A Tall Ship" - the ballad of the Tall Ships written and sung by Jimmy Crowley, originally written for the Tall Ships Race visit to Cork in 1991.
- "The Music of the Blackwater Valley," compiled by musicians living and working in the Blackwater Valley.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME
Your comments on matters raised in this week's programme, or on any maritime matters are welcome on the SEASCAPES 24-hour line 1850 715 170 - at a local call charge from anywhere in Ireland or by Email to: seascapes@rte.ie

SEASCAPES ON TELEVISION
There is a SEASCAPES teletext service on AERTEL on RTE1 Television at page 388.