14th April 2021
The newly-built Ilen at Foynes on 22nd July 1926, as recorded in his own highly personal style by Harbour Master Hugh O’Brien
Credit: Courtesy O’Brien family
Global circumnavigator and sailing ship designer Conor O’Brien (1880-1952) inevitably saw his most noted vessels, the 42ft world-girdler Saoirse and the 56ft trading ketch Ilen, being closely associated by the rest of the world with their birthplace in Baltimore. But much and all as he liked West Cork, he always insisted that ultimately his heart was in the Shannon Estuary on Foynes Island, where he was living when designed both vessels, and so he made a point of ensuring that they spent some time in the Foynes anchorage before going off on their great voyages. Thus although Saoirse’s pioneering cruise round the world south of the great Capes is generally thought to have started from Dun Laoghaire on June 20th 1923, O’Brien secretly reckoned it had got going from Foynes some weeks earlier. And e
WATCH: Members of Limerick Civil Defence latest to take on Jerusalema challenge
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MEMBERS of Limerick Civil Defence have showcased their dancing skills by taking part in the Jerusalema video challenge.
The video, some of which features in a national video, was recorded at several locations across the city and county including the People s Park, Curragh Chase Forest Park and outside Colbert Station. We had great fun practicing and recording our video, while adhering to social distance guidelines. Hopefully you ll enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it, said a spokesperson on social media. In the spirit the video was made we extend the challenge to the volunteers around with organisations such as St John s Ambulance, The Irish Red Cross the Order Of Malta and Limerick Marine Search And Rescue Service.
Visitor numbers treble at Limerick forest park
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THE number of visitors to Curragh Chase Forest Park has trebled in the last 12 months, new figures have shown.
Data released by Coillte show that the numbers of people who visited the amenity at Kilcornan shot up by 194% – from 2,306 back in February 2020, to 6,789 at the end of the year.
The figures mean Curragh Chase was the seventh most-visited Coillte-operated Forest park in the country last year.
Unlike the current Level 5 restrictions, During December people were asked to restrict their movements and remain in their own county to halt the spread of Covid-19.
Some Coillte forests see visitor numbers triple during pandemic Some 2.2 million visited Coillte’s top 50 forests between March and December 2020
Tue, Feb 16, 2021, 00:01
Footfall to Coillte-owned forests increased by nearly 40 per cent during the pandemic as people embraced the outdoors amid public-health restrictions. Some 2.2 million people visited Coillte’s top 50 forests between March and December 2020, a rise of 38 per cent on the same period the year before.
New data released by Coillte shows some of its forests tripled their visitor numbers during the pandemic. Its report compares figures from a month prior to the pandemic, February 2020, with December 2020, to show the swell in visitors since coronavirus restrictions came into force.
Coillte reveals Ireland s ten most popular forests as some visitor numbers triple during 2020
2.2 million people visited the country’s most popular forests from March onwards. By Stephen McDermott Tuesday 16 Feb 2021, 1:48 PM Feb 16th 2021, 1:48 PM 32,728 Views 19 Comments
Image: Shutterstock/Lillac
Image: Shutterstock/Lillac
COILLTE HAS REVEALED that visitor numbers to its forests increased by almost 40% during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Figures released by the State-owned forestry company show that 2.2 million people visited the country’s fifty most popular forests from the beginning of March to the end of December last year - a 38% increase 1.6 million for the same period in 2019.
Visitor numbers to some of the most popular forests in Dublin, Kildare and Monaghan were two or three times higher than they were before th