Seascapes

The Joseph Sprott ship sank off the coast of Cork at Galley Head in February 1871 & that, along with the wrecking of two other ships, ultimately led to the establishment of the Galley Head Lighthouse. A story has emerged from that ship of a young girl who survived & was adopted by a family on Spike Island. Niamh speaks to Gerald Butler, attendant light keeper at Galley Head Lighthouse & Rowena Riley, great grand-daughter of the little girl who survived.

Noel Sweeney visits Safehaven Marine in Youghal, County Cork & their latest super motor boat, Thunderchild 2.

In the first of an occasional series entitled Ships, Lorna Siggins looks back at Ernest Shackleton's last ship, The Quest. The ships cabin is being rstored for the Shackleton Museum in Athy.

Finian O'Sullivan looks forward to a European conference on fisheries local action groups (FLAGS) being held in Bantry next week.

Eyewitness accounts of the near disaster which befell the Viking Sky cruise ship off Norway this week. Spome 479 of 1,300 passengers on board had to be airlifted to safety when the engines failed in a storm.

Fergal attended the annual Skipper Show in Galway last weekend & brings us this report from Europe's premier inshore fishing exhition.

Our gas now comes mainly from the Kinsale gasfield but before we had natural gas, our gas came from imported coal brought in on a special fleet of ships, as Hugh Oram now recalls.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara helps to develop the Irish Seafood Industry by providing technical expertise, business support, funding & training. One of its key training facilities is in Castletownbere in West Cork & recently following the needs of the fish farming sector, they have started courses for commercial divers for the aquacultural industry. Mark Costigan went to one of the courses to talk to the trainees & students.

A recent High Court case stuck down a new government by-law which allowed the killing of pike on certain western Lakes. The Irish Pike Society took the government to the High Court & Paul Byrne talks about the society & the case.

Michael Lawless speaks to Killen Marine, Barrowline Cruises & boatowner Harry Bond about readying boats for the summer