Cork Stamp Celebrates Cork Harbour and Port of Cork

Image from www.irishstamps.ie

An Post and the Port of Cork Company unveiled a new postage stamp collection on Wednesday 17th July, celebrating the Port of Cork and Cork Harbour. The three stamps, designed by Steve Simpson, feature MV Queen Elizabeth berthed at Cobh Cruise Berth, Ireland’s only dedicated Cruise berth, a Maersk Vessel carrying large containers of bananas into Ringaskiddy Deep-water berth and the Cork Clipper yacht racing past Cobh as part of the Clipper race in 2010. Collectively these stamps celebrate Cork Harbour and highlight its importance as a commercial port, a cruise destination and a beautiful leisure amenity for everyone to enjoy. The Port of Cork has been for many years the main trade link for the south coast of Ireland and today the Port remains a vibrant busy port, facilitating the movement of imports and exports. The Port of Cork is a key link to the continued economic success of Ireland and in particular the entire Munster region. Speaking at the postage stamp launch in Custom House, Mr Brendan Keating Port of Cork Chief Executive said: “This is a great honour for the Port and indeed Cork Harbour, to be featured on An Post’s latest postage stamp collection. These stamps will not only raise awareness of the Port of Cork locally and nationally, but once posted these stamps will begin to make their way around the world, which is super recognition for Cork.” He continued: “I’d like to thank all those involved in the process and particularly the An Post design team for producing an excellent collection of stamps of which we are very proud.” The Port of Cork stamp set and accompanying First Day Cover and Miniature sheet set will go on sale nationwide immediately. They can also be ordered at irishstamps.ie or by calling 01-7057400. To coincide with the launch of the stamps, the Port of Cork also announced the winner of their Photograph Competition themed ‘Cork Harbour – A Port in Focus’. Tony O’Driscoll from Cobh, Co. Cork was the overall winner and to mark his achievement his photograph was designed into a postcard. Today the postcard was unveiled with the stamps attached, all ready for posting. There were over 130 photographs received for the competition, which greatly exceeded the Port of Cork’s expectations. Mr Keating congratulated the winner and thanked all those who took part in the photograph competition. Related links for this article  Irish Stamps website

The Date is set for Another Cork Harbour Open Weekend

Minister Simon Coveney T.D. joined organisers of Cork Harbour Open Weekend in the RCYC to announce the dates for the harbour open weekend

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Simon Coveney T.D. joined organisers of Cork Harbour Open Weekend in the Royal Cork Yacht Club Crosshaven to officially announce the dates for the exciting harbour open weekend. The weekend event will take place on 14th & 15th September 2013 and once again organisers promise it to be an excellent weekend of fun for all the family with many events free to the public. Organisers are particularly excited about the raft race organised by the scouts on the River Lee which no doubt will be a great spectacle from Cork City quays. The open weekend is a great opportunity for people to see exactly what Cork Harbour has to offer, and this year will be no exception with the second largest natural harbour in the world playing host too many different activities. While the programme of events is still coming together, organisers confirmed there will be an open day in the RCYC for anyone keen to try out sailing, a children’s crab fishing competition in Cobh, a free open day at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI), a rowing race around Spike Island, an Air Sea Rescue Demonstration and family fun on Spike Island. An Irish Naval vessel will also be open to the public for free tours on both Saturday and Sunday in Cork City. The idea for a Harbour Open Day, now extended to a full weekend, emerged from discussions between various stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of the Integrated Strategy for the Harbour in 2007. This has been taken forward by the Harbour Management Focus Group (HMFG) which meets quarterly to exchange information on Harbour issues. A HMFG working group comprising representatives from UCC, City and County Councils and the Port of Cork set about working together to engage users of the Harbour and to organise the Open Day. If anyone is interested in getting involved with Cork Harbour Open Weekend or would like to organise an event, please contact harbourevents@corkharbour.ie to request an event application form. Your event will be promoted on the lead up to the weekend via local media, CorkHarbour.ie website, twitter and facebook. For more information on Cork Harbour Open Weekend visit www.corkharbour.ie or email harbourevents@corkharbour.ie for information. Related links for this article  See pictures of the launch on our Facebook page

The Commodore Queen

The Commodore Queen is a 21 foot long Cork yawl, and many people remember her fondly from coastal rowing regattas in the 1980’s and ‘90’s.

There has been a lot of interest in the boat used in the photos for the launch of this year’s Open Weekend. The Commodore Queen is a 21 foot long Cork yawl, and many people remember her fondly from coastal rowing regattas in the 1980’s and ‘90’s. It is believed she was built by Geary’s in the late 70’s for Commodore Rowing Club in Cobh, and rowed in many Coastal Rowing Association (CRA) regattas for both the Commodore club and later, the Fisherman’s club. The Commodore Queen won countless regattas, and most famously took All- Ireland honours in Sherkin in the early 1980’s. She was also rowed on the River Thames around the same time. In the 1980’s, the CRA decided to move to a one-design, 24 foot long fiberglass boat as there had been no standard design up to this point. Boats used in CRA regattas ranged from 18 to 27 feet, with the longer boats gaining an unfair advantage. Although timber boats continued to be rowed, it was the fiberglass boats that took precedence, and many timber yawls fell out of use. The Commodore Queen ended up in Ferrycarrig in County Wexford where she was rowed until 2010. Unfortunately, after years of service, she ended up in a marsh falling into a state of serious disrepair. Kevin Cummins from the Blackrock Rowing Club in Cork Harbour, happened upon her and decided to bring her home and restore her to pristine condition. She is now being rowed proudly in regattas throughout Cork Harbour by Blackrock Rowing Club, and last year took part in the All-Ireland regatta in CourtMacSherry. There is renewed interest in these beautiful timber craft and it is a pleasure to see the Commodore Queen once again cutting gracefully through the waves in regattas throughout the harbour, and beyond. Cork Harbour Open Day takes place on the 14th and 15th September. Members of Blackrock Rowing Club, Jack Ahearn, Liam Gosnell and Kevin Cummins meet Minister Simon Coveney T.D.

Special Promotion for trips to Spike Island

Stroll around Spike Island and enjoy the stunning views over Cork Harbour

You can now visit Spike Island by ferry and experience the boat trip to the island?for as little as €8 per adult / €5 per child. To encourage visitors to travel to Spike Island during 2013, entry to Spike Island and Fort Mitchell will be free. The only fee payable is the ferry charge, which offers outstanding value for a great day out. A small additonal fee also applies if you wish to have a fascinating Guided Tour of the Island. Bring the kids, have a picnic, stroll around the Island and enjoy the stunning views over Cork Harbour – this is really a wonderful opportunity at very much discounted prices. A new feature for 2013 is that visitors are being given the opportunity to travel to the Island without being part of a tour guided group. This will allow visitors to explore the Island unguided at their own pace and view what the Island has to offer. On the Island, visitors have the opportunity to walk along the recently opened walkway around the perimeter of the Fort which offers unique views of the harbour and the fort. You can also marvel at the architecture and expanse of Fort Mitchel, visit the Convict Cells or relax in the Island Café. Related links for this article  More information about Spike Island

Port of Cork Invest €3 Million in New Harbour Mobile Crane for Ringaskiddy

Over the last two years, the Port of Cork has invested up to €7 million in the Ringaskiddy Deep-water Berth

The Port of Cork has announced an investment of €3 million in new plant equipment following an agreement with crane manufacturer, Liebherr. The investment includes a new LHM 550 Harbour Mobile Crane which will be in operation at Ringaskiddy Deep-water Berth. Increasingly, importers to the Port of Cork are using Panamax size vessels of over 200 metres in length, so providing the most capable equipment to discharge these vessels is vital to ensuring a fast and efficient turnaround. With the recent fodder crisis in Ireland, the Port of Cork has seen an increase of hay shipments and dry bulk to the port, justifying the need for new plant equipment. The new LHM 550 crane will enhance the Port of Cork’s capabilities in handling this type of vessel and is critical to efficient bulk and container discharge operations in Ringaskiddy. Over the last two years, the Port of Cork has invested up to €7 million in the Ringaskiddy Deep-water Berth demonstrating their commitment to providing the best possible service to port customers. Following the purchase of additional handling equipment in Ringaskiddy in 2012, the Port of Cork and global shipping company Maersk, were able to commence their direct container service to Ireland. Container services such as this have enabled the Port of Cork to greatly increase volumes of imports and exports. The Port has seen a dramatic increase of almost 50% in bulk cargo and anticipates a further increase in demand in this dry bulk sector highlighting the need for continued investment in new equipment. Speaking about the investment, Mr Denis Healy Manager of Engineering Services/Deputy Chief Executive, Port of Cork said: “The LHM 550 crane is designed for versatile and efficient cargo handling and will provide greater efficiency for all our customers. This adds to the recent investment the Port made last year in our new Container Terminal handling operations in Ringaskiddy. The Port has seen a dramatic increase in throughput in Ringaskiddy mainly due to an increase in bulk cargo and with the current fodder crisis in Ireland; there have been a number of large shipments of hay arriving into the Port.” The Port of Cork is ideally located to offer state of the art facilities in the offshore oil exploration market in the Celtic Sea and Porcupine basin. In 2012 the Port of Cork successfully assisted with the BarryRoe Oil Exploration Project. This creates opportunities and challenges for the Port in terms of berths available; however the Port is confident that the current development plans for Ringaskiddy will answer the needs of the port and those of the region in the short, medium and long term. Other areas which the Port of Cork anticipates an increase is the agri-business, particularly when the reforms to the CAP come into effect in 2015. The Port of Cork expects to handle much larger shipments in the future so it is imperative that the Port has the right equipment and berths available to be able to handle different types of cargo. The Port of Cork is a key link to the economic success of Ireland and in particular the entire Munster region. 98% of goods imported or exported from Ireland are moved by ship, highlighting the importance of ports to our economy. Earlier in the year, the Port of Cork outlined plans for potential Port development in Ringaskiddy. These proposed developments are the first phase of the implementation of the Port of Cork’s Strategic Development Plan Review (2010), the core principles of which were endorsed in the recently launched National Ports Policy. This Policy has also identified the continued commercial development of the Port of Cork Company as a key strategic objective in terms of allowing the Port of Cork to meet the needs of the Country in the short, medium and long-term. It is the hoped that the Port of Cork will be in a position to lodge a planning application for the future development of Ringaskiddy at the end of 2013. Related links for this article  Port Of Cork Website