Adventurers create new Irish award to celebrate achievements of less well-known polar explorers
Sailors Jarlath Cunnane and Paddy Barry, who were leaders of the first global circumnavigation by a yacht via the Arctic polar route (from 2001 to 2005), are among the founding members of the institute. The chair is Máire Breathnach, a musician from Dungarvan, Co Waterford, and the first woman to sail solo around Ireland.
We have five great explorers from Co Cork alone
Fifteen years ago, she and her niece, Sibéal Turraoin, became the first two Irish women to navigate the Northwest Passage, the ice-bound Arctic route linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Ms Breathnach has also crossed the Atlantic several times and sailed around South America, for which she has been honoured by the Irish Cruising Club.
'It's a great idea,' Ms Breathnach says of the institute.
'We have five great explorers from Co Cork alone who aren't so well known, such as Courtmacsherry's Patrick Keohane, a key member of Robert Scott's Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole.'
She also cites Edward Bransfield from Ballinacurra, near Midleton, Co Cork, who was press-ganged into the British navy as a teenager and became first man to sight Antarctica; the Kinsale brothers Mortimer and Tim McCarthy who served with Scott and Shackleton respectively; and Robert Forde of Bandon, who was also part of Scott's Terra Nova expedition and after whom a peak in Antarctica is named.
'Some have statues and stamps named after them, but they are not always remembered now and the new institute plans to recognise them with a medal,' Ms Breathnach said.
'Inevitably the sort of people we will be recognising for their achievements will be male, but in more recent years you have women like Cork doctor Clare O'Leary who was the first Irish female to trek to the South Pole.'
The Irish Polar Institute aims to take nominations for its annual award from its members – open to anyone with an interest in polar history and exploration, for just €20 a year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
30 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Popular Leitrim distillery secures Changing Times Brewery as exclusive beer provider
The partnership with The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo means Changing Times Brewery will be the exclusive providers of draft stout and lager available to the 70,000 visitors who travel to the popular west of Ireland tourist attraction every year. Currently Changing Times Brewery make three draft products, Clockwork Velvet Stout, Daydreamer Lager and After Hours Pale Ale. It is expected that additional products will also be launched over the next 12 months. Speaking about the new partnership with The Shed Distillery, home of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, founder and owner Patrick J. Rigney said there has been a fantastic reaction from customers to the Changing Times beers. "The whole story of the brewery is clearly striking a chord with visitors and the beers themselves are making a strong impression. "We obviously receive a lot of international visitors to The Shed Distillery and many of those will spend a portion of their time in the west of Ireland before travelling on to Dublin. "One of the trends we're seeing emerge is that people are trying Changing Times in The Shed Distillery and then seeking it out when they get to Dublin. 'Tourists really value Irish made, quality products and we fully believe this is something that makes Changing Times a natural fit for The Shed Distillery, while also creating an effective point of appeal for the brewery's beers. "Our expectation is that will continue to grow as more venues stock Changing Times, delivering even more change in the future,' Mr. Rigney concluded. Following strong public demand for the brewery's products an additional nine venues in Dublin and Cork, as well as The Shed Distillery, are now stocking Changing Times beers. These include Dublin pubs Nearys, Searsons, The Step Inn, The Sackville Lounge and Kavanagh's The Temple, as well as Cork premises Rising Sons Brewery Bar, The Fountain and The Fran Well. Between growing the number of venues stocking their products and the increased demand for their products in the founding pubs, Changing Times is now producing over 150 kegs per week, a figure which is expected to rise to 200 kegs per week before the end of the year. This is a marked increase on the 100 kegs per week they were brewing at the time of their launch. The brewery expects this will generate an additional €1.1 million in revenue by the end of 2026. The brewery is located along the banks of the Royal Canal in Glasnevin. It is backed by the publican families behind pubs such as Arthur Maynes in Donnybrook, The Bank Bar and Restaurant on College Green, The Bankers, The Blackrock, The Bridge 1859, Darkey Kellys, Devitts, Doheny Nesbitts, The Ferryman, Lemon & Duke, The Long Hall, McSorleys, The Palace, Sheehans on Chatham Street and The Swan. Other partners in Changing Times include publican Benny McCabe, owner of The Shed Distillery and drink's industry entrepreneur Patrick J. Rigney, as well as brewer Shane Long. Speaking about the growth of the brewery, Noel Anderson, Managing Director of Grand Slam Bars and one of the founding publicans behind Changing Times Brewery said, 'We are delighted to be working with some additional top class pubs and venues in Dublin, Cork and Leitrim to bring Changing Times's products to even more customers. "This has been a reflection of the tremendous interest we've had in our stout, lager and pale ale since we launched. We can clearly see the public has a taste for our products, which is already exceeding our early projections for the brewery. 'People want something that offers a change. "Beers that are new, authentic and refreshingly Irish. "These fantastic new venues that we are working with have picked up on that demand from their customers and know the importance of giving the public quality choices. "We're very proud to be working with these forward thinking venues who can see the need to reflect changing tastes and we hope to be able to announce further new venues in the near future,' Mr. Anderson said.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Travel chaos for Irish tourists as flights suspended at busy European airports
Irish holidaymakers are facing significant disruptions to their travel plans after flights were suspended at two busy European airports due to separate incidents. Air traffic at Milan's Bergamo Airport was halted for a number of hours on Tuesday after a person died during a fatal accident on the taxiway. Police and firefighters responded to the scene at the airport following reports that a man was sucked into the engine of a departing plane and killed . Orio al Serio Airport, Milan Bergamo, cancelled all flights on Tuesday morning "due to a problem that occurred on the taxiway," a spokesperson said in a post shared on the airport's official social media channels, adding "the causes of the problem are currently being investigated by the authorities." The Bergamo Milan airport authority, known as SACBO, closed the airport at 10.20am local time, resulting in the cancellation of at least eight departing flights, while arriving flights were diverted to other airports in the region, including those in Bologna, Verona and Milan Malpensa. Air traffic resumed at 12pm, but there are still some delays. A Ryanair flight due to depart Dublin Airport for Bergamo Milan airport at 4.30pm on Tuesday evening currently remains on schedule, with passengers encouraged to check their flight status with their carrier. A flight from Milan remains on schedule to arrive in Dublin shortly before 10pm this evening, although passengers travelling from the Italian city are being warned to expect delays. Meanwhile a fast-moving wildfire in southern France has forced the closure of Marseille Provence airport. Aircrafts have been stopped from taking off or landing since around midday and some flights have been diverted to Nice, Nimes and other regional airports, a spokesperson for the airport said. Footage shared on social media show massive plumes of smoke arising from Marseille Forest in Marseille, France, where a fire has broken out near the community's local airport. Locals in the affected areas have been urged to stay indoors and off the roads as some 168 firefighters, two helicopters and 68 engines have been deployed to tackle the blaze, which broke out in the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau An Aer Lingus flight due to depart Dublin Airport for Marseille Provence this afternoon has been delayed by 90 minutes as a result of the wildfires, while a flight set to arrive in the Irish capital from the French city shortly after 7pm this evening has also been delayed. A Ryanair flight travelling from Marseille remains on schedule to arrive in Dublin at 12.40am on Wednesday.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
40 years on: The first 15-seater flight, how Ryanair sold itself as the ‘low-cost' airline from the start and the controversies along the way
At 8.30am on July 8, 1985, a 15-seater Embraer Bandeirante turboprop aircraft with a full complement of passengers took off from Waterford airport to London Gatwick on the inaugural flight of a new Irish airline called Ryanair.
