River today

Toffeeboy

A new festival named in honour of a Limerick man who famously completed a solo circumnavigation of the world will take place along the banks of the River Shannon in Limerick City on Sunday June 8th next.

Organised and funded by the Mid West Regional Authority (MWRA) through its participation in a European Programme for developing and promoting the watersports sector in Europe’s Atlantic Area, the 'Pat Lawless Sail and Oar Festival' will celebrate Limerick's status as a riverside city and will feature a series of events on the river.

For spectators gathered on either side of the river at Harvey's Quay and Clancy Strand, there will be Rowing and Sailing Regattas, a historic kayak tour of Limerick City and a Gandelow boat demonstration as well as the Limerick Masters Swim.

The late Pat Lawless made international headlines in 1996 when the then 70-year-old sailed his 30-foot vessel, the Seadog, up the Shannon Estuary on the final leg of his 30,000-mile around the world voyage. Mr. Lawless, who was from the South Circular Road and was a member of the Iniscealtra Sailing Club in Mountshannon, passed away in 2010.

Majella O'Brien, EU Projects Officer with the MWRA explained that the upcoming festival is part of its ongoing efforts through the NEA2 project to develop and promote the watersports sector in the Mid West Region.

"Lough Derg, the River Shannon and the Estuary are intrinsically linked with the economic and social history of this region. The potential of these waterways for tourism development remains underexplored however. By hosting the 'Pat Lawless Sail and Oar Festival" we want to demonstrate this potential to our European project partners," she said.

Ms. O'Brien continued: "Through our participation in the NEA2 programme and by working in conjunction with other regional development agencies, the MWRA will continue to look for new ways that this region can build on existing marine leisure initiatives to help inform and develop new opportunities for sustainable development of water sports on our rivers, lakes and coastline. In doing so, we could attract thousands of additional visitors to the Mid West Region each year."

"We are particularly delighted to be able to host a river festival in honour of Pat Lawless whose crossings of the Atlantic Ocean and solo circumnavigation of the world brought great pride to Limerick and the wider region. Pat also remains an example to everyone that it is never too early or too late to develop an interest in watersports or marine based recreational activity considering his own life long love of sailing and a member of the Lough Derg based Iniscealtra Sailing Club," she concluded.

The 'Pat Lawless Sail and Oar Festival' takes place in Limerick City on Sunday June 8th next. The event is sponsored by the NEA2, an Interreg IVC Atlantic Area project.

Toffeeboy

www .ilovelimerick.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/EVENT_SCHEDULE1-1.jpg

jbkenn

Toffeeboy wrote: »

Organised and funded by the Mid West Regional Authority (MWRA) through its participation in a European Programme for developing and promoting the watersports sector in Europe’s Atlantic Area, the 'Pat Lawless Sail and Oar Festival' will celebrate Limerick's status as a riverside city and will feature a series of events on the river.

Ah the Mid West Regional Authority (MWRA), now there's a collection of deadbeats, and, in a land top heavy with deadbeats, that's saying something, a quango based in Nenagh, established to provide another excuse for local councillors in the Midwest region to claim expenses, anyone ever heard of them?, no, I didn't think so, finally shamed into actually doing something of some use.
You can view their dilapidated website here,
http://www.mwra.ie/index.html

Still, it is nice to see Pat Lawless recognised for his achievements.

gotasmoke

I went into this yesterday and I found it extremely poorly organised. As a river user myself, I knew a lot of the boat owners present and they were all as bewildered as me. Nobody seemed to be in charge of the whole thing to set up each of the events. There were angling cots but no race and other races happened at the exact same time, when there was plenty of time to have them spread out. So I guess what jbkenn said is true, the MWRA really are a bunch of deadbeats.

bigpink

Again no promotion and it seems poorly run event
No sign of the city of culture and limerick marketing people pushing this

jbkenn

bigpink wrote: »

Again no promotion and it seems poorly run event
No sign of the city of culture and limerick marketing people pushing this

Limerick Marketing Company?, according to the Post Eoghan Prendergast was busy organising new uniforms for the Tourism ambassadors, and sure a big job like that could take up all of your time.

bigpink

Who's the local heroes guy always in paper nigel dugdale things like this should be advertised

I see spark marketing got an award for riverfest

zulutango

jbkenn wrote: »

Limerick Marketing Company?, according to the Post Eoghan Prendergast was busy organising new uniforms for the Tourism ambassadors, and sure a big job like that could take up all of your time.

Limerick Marketing Company had a budget of €300,000 for the year just gone. What the hell have they done with it?

jbkenn

zulutango wrote: »

Limerick Marketing Company had a budget of €300,000 for the year just gone. What the hell have they done with it?

€300,000 gets you very little, after you have paid the office rent, rates, light and heat, telephone, postage etc., and the salaries and expenses of the staff (and there will be expenses, no public service entity exists without T&S), what's left?, the price of a few adverts in the Limerick Post.
Limerick Marketing Company was established to enable two former staff from that rest home for the bewildered Shannon Development to reach retirement age, initially it was mooted as the vehicle to promote the City of Culture, but, after the clusterfvck that became other plans were put in place.
The only public uttering I have seen from this entity is the new uniforms for the tourism ambassadors, don't expect to see anything of consequence, ever.

zulutango

I presume a lot of those expenses would be covered by the City Council. You're probably right about the Limerick Marketing Company though. I think it was a good idea from the Limerick 2030 report in that the city does need some smart, coherent marketing for sure. Alas, we haven't seen that from LMC yet. Just the usual tired, clichéd and limited palavar about Munster rugby and fashion.

Silentcorner

jbkenn wrote: »

€300,000 gets you very little, after you have paid the office rent, rates, light and heat, telephone, postage etc., and the salaries and expenses of the staff (and there will be expenses, no public service entity exists without T&S), what's left?, the price of a few adverts in the Limerick Post.
Limerick Marketing Company was established to enable two former staff from that rest home for the bewildered Shannon Development to reach retirement age, initially it was mooted as the vehicle to promote the City of Culture, but, after the clusterfvck that became other plans were put in place.
The only public uttering I have seen from this entity is the new uniforms for the tourism ambassadors, don't expect to see anything of consequence, ever.

By all means have a hop of the Limerick Marketing Company, who have yet to do anything as far as I can see.

But the City of Culture is proving to be hugely successful, and that is not just my opinion, by all metrics by which you can determine what constitutes success, (attendances/production/venues/programme) this is surpassing my expectations. Do not expect to read about it in National Press, they have disappeared, the only way you will get to experience City of Culture is by...well as it says on the posters...Open Your Eyes...

jbkenn

Silentcorner wrote: »

By all means have a hop of the Limerick Marketing Company, who have yet to do anything as far as I can see.

But the City of Culture is proving to be hugely successful, and that is not just my opinion, by all metrics by which you can determine what constitutes success, (attendances/production/venues/programme) this is surpassing my expectations. Do not expect to read about it in National Press, they have disappeared, the only way you will get to experience City of Culture is by...well as it says on the posters...Open Your Eyes...

I was not commenting on the City of Culture, good or bad, I was refering to the Ms Ryan saga.