Seascapes

Seascapes tonight is at the Superyacht Cup in Palma, Majorca. We hear about these huge multimillion euro yachts and the people who sail them. Among contributors to tonight's programme are young Irish sailor Oisin McClelland and international umpire Bill O'Hara.

This week we have tales of survival and endurance, the medevac of an Irish rower from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and advice on how to sail the Round Ireland Yacht Race.

Seascapes tonight visits Cahersiveeen in County Kerry for the coastal regatta, which kicked off the rowing season in Kerry for this year. We also hear from Lorna Siggins about her new book, Search and Rescue, true stories of Irish Air-Sea rescues and the loss of R116.

Seascapes comes from the Fastnet Maritime and Folk Festival, better known as the Sea Shanty Festival.

Seascaoes comes from Wicklow, where the competitors in the Round Ireland Yacht Race are gathering ahead of setting out on the 700 mile trip.

On this weeks show we're in Clifton to welcome the new RNLI lifeboat and we hear from the Coast Guard Service on their safety campaigns, recruiting and their response to recent claims at a recent Oireachtas committee hearing.

Seascapes tonight speaks to James Morrissey about his book A History of the Fastnet Lighthouse. Norman Freeman recounts how the sea plays an important role in most of the works of the great playwright, Eugene O'Neill and Fergal Keane visits Cobh in Cork Harbour.

Seascapes this week visits Howth, where Lorna Siggins learns about the Howth School of Fish from Sean Doran. Norman Freeman has the story of the liner the Principessa Mafalda, which sank off the coast of Brazil. And we have an interview with Senator Gerard Craughwell about the Oireachtas Transport hearings into the Irish Coastguard Service.

We look at the story an IRA unit in Cork that attempted to hijack a Royal Navy ship. Recently, the Irish Coastguard Volunteers Representative Group spoke at the Oireachtas Committee on Transport & Communications hearing. And we take a look at TV series, the Great Lighthouses of Ireland.

Seascapes this week visits the K Club in County Kildare, where the hotel hosted a group of transition year students from CBS James St, are taking part in a fishing project organised as part of their Gaisce programme in the school. And in the latest of our series on Irish lighthouses, Noel Sweeney visits Mine Head lighthouse in County Waterford.

Seascapes visits the National Maritime Museum to hear about a new exhibition commemorating one of Ireland's most renowned sea captains, Captain Robert Halpin.

We visit Strangford in County Down and the Viking Festival which was recently held there. We also hear how celestial navigation can still be used at sea and how it can be relatively easy to learn, and we hear about lobster pots and how they are constructed and used.

Seascapes tonight comes from the Irish Sailing Awards, held in Dun Laoghaire last weekend. We hear from Olympic medallist Annalise Murphy, on her life after sailing, Sailor of the Year, Finn Lynch and from the winner of the Irish Sailing Leadership Award, Mary Duffy, amongst others.

Seascapes tonight visits the Skipper Expo, the country's biggest ever show for the commercial fishing sector.

Fergal is joined by the owner of Coast Line Shipping Joe Howes and Irish woman Stephanie Hyde-McIntyre who has made a career in the shipping business.

Seascapes tonight reports on the recent Offshore Renewable Energy conference held in the National Maritime College.

Jim Scofield recently completed a solo trans Atlantic race on his home-built 19-foot yacht. Jim took part in a race with five other boats. Also, Dr Karen Weekes has just completed a seventy day row across the Atlantic.

Joanna McNicholas is on Cross Beach in Belmullet, County Mayo, with beachcomber Fergus Sweeney. And five super trawlers have arrived in Irish waters to fish for Blue Whiting. The controversial ships can take thousands of tonnes of fish and stay at sea for weeks. You can track their progress at: www.marinetaffic.com www.vesselfinder.com

We hear about the working conditions of some non-EU fishers in the Irish Fishing Industry. We hear of workers' very long working weeks, little time off, minimum wage or less and living on board their trawlers. And we hear from Rossaveal Harbour, which is finally going to get an upgrade to a deep-water port after a 20 year wait.

We get to the bottom of the mystery about all those shotgun cartridges washing up on Irish beaches. And Cork TD Christopher O'Sullivan tells us about a €35 million EU fund being made available to local authorities to upgrade small harbours and concerns about the Russian Navy exercise next week. Norman Freeman, recalls the days of coal-fired ships.

Joanna McNicholas is on Carrowmore Beach in Co Mayo to see some of the fascinating pieces of flotsam washed up on our coasts and talks to Mairead Staunton, winner of the individual Ocean Hero of the Year award last month. And Ian McDonnell of the Forsa Trade Union explains the background to an industrial dispute in the SFPA.

We visit the historic Old Head of Kinsale lighthouse in Co Cork. And we hear from artist Eve Parnell about a unique project to mark the 75th anniversary of the Irish Naval Service. Eve went on board the LE James Joyce to oversee the actor Niamh Cusack performing a poem about the Navy.

We hear the latest on the bid by Cork to host the 2024 America's Cup. Eoin English of the Irish Examiner says that the America's Cup could still be held in Cork. Norman Dunlop recalls the brutal, inhumane history of the whaling industry. Matt Molloy, flautist with the Chieftains meets Lorna Siggins and tells of his love of the sea and sailing.

Tonight we are on the banks of the River Inny in Co. Westmeath. Fergal Keane goes winter fishing for pike with renowned angling guide Mick Flanagan. Mick can be contacted on http://www.midlandangling.com/ or on facebook. We also visit the Eel Smokehouse on the banks of the river and hear from John Rogan who ran the business.

We meet Kevin Kenny from the Ernest Shackleton Museum at the Athy Heritage Centre, Kildare to hear about Shackleton's life. We also hear a piece of music commissioned by the Museum called Shackleton's Endurance. Composed by Brian Hughes it includes readings from Shackleton's diaries, & it's available from the museum. https://shackletonmuseum.com/