Ireland’s leading maritime newspaper covering the Coastal, Fishing and Maritime Communities
In this month’s edition -
The recent meeting with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has delivered a “powerful signal of national unity” ahead of next week’s decisive EU Fisheries Council, widely felt it was the most constructive meeting fishing representatives had with politicians but only time will tell; Inshore fishermen feel that they are being ignored by Government, so they are going their own way in Europe; A new €25 million project to protect, conserve, and restore the biodiversity of Ireland’s marine ecosystems has been announced to progress new legislation for Marine Protected Areas across the country which has raised a few eyebrows in the fishing industry; Understanding the SFPA? A major issue regularly raised about the SFPA is its reporting structure. Where, to whom, is this ‘independent agency’ as it is described officially by Government, ultimately responsible? .... all of this plus so much more in our December issue
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast JANUARY:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
The EU is no friend of the Irish fishing industry
This is the lead story on the January edition of SEASCAPES where John Lynch, CEO of the Irish South and East FPO says that other European nations who have benefited from fishing in Irish waters want to take everything and leave nothing for Irish fishermen. Other stories on the first SEASCAPES Podcast for 2026 – the amazing smallest seabird which travelled 300,000 kms and has a connection to St.Peter and the enthusiastic Rosslare Maritime group which has launched its own maritime Podcast.
.... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
MARINE TIMES NEWS January 2nd:
Wicklow RNLI New Years Day Remembrance Ceremony and Long Service awards presentation
The volunteers of Wicklow RNLI rang in the new year with a remembrance service for the lives lost during the year, followed by the presentation of long service awards to two volunteer crew members.
Both of Wicklow RNLI lifeboats were launched on New Years Day for a wreath laying ceremony to remember those loved ones who have passed away over the years but especially for those lost this year. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS January 2nd:
Marine Accident Investigation Unit Established
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has announced the establishment of the Marine Accident Investigation Unit (MAIU) within the Department of Transport. From 1 January 2026, the MAIU replaces the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) as the permanent body responsible for marine accident investigations. The MAIU will take over ongoing MCIB investigations.
The MAIU is led by Chief Investigator David O’Driscoll. It will carry out marine safety investigations into accidents involving vessels in Irish waters, and Irish-flagged vessels anywhere in the world. Establishment of the MAIU means that Ireland will now have a body staffed with a full-time, permanent team of investigators for marine accidents. This is in line with best practice internationally, and mirrors existing practice in aviation and railway accident investigations in the State. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 31st:
Clifden RNLI achieve 130 lifeboat launches in 2025
Clifden RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers have had an exceptionally busy year, between training exercises and rescues the team have launched their lifesaving vessels 130 times in 2025.
The maritime search and rescue service established in 1988 covers a wide patch of the Atlantic coast, bordering county Mayo at Killary, as far as Carna in South Connemara and encompassing the islands of Inishbofin, Inishark and Inisturk. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 23rd:
Newcastle RNLI to bid farewell to the last operational Mersey class lifeboat in charity’s fleet
Newcastle RNLI will bid farewell to their all-weather lifeboat, the last operational Mersey class lifeboat in the charity’s fleet, at 12.20pm on Sunday, 11 January. The time coincides with the number on the side of the Leonard Kent.
Newcastle RNLI’s volunteers have been proud custodians who have put to sea in a Mersey class lifeboat since 1993. Many of the volunteers, past and present, had the privilege to be onboard the Eleanor and Bryant Girling, before more recently crewing the Mersey that is soon to depart, the Leonard Kent. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 21st:
New Union Hall RNLI crew member among Cork lifesavers on call this Christmas
The RNLI is launching its Christmas fundraising appeal, as its volunteer lifeboat crews across Cork including those at Youghal, Ballycotton, Crosshaven, Kinsale, Courtmacsherry, Union Hall, Castletownbere and Baltimore, selflessly prepare to spend their Christmas on call.
Father and daughter Aodh and Muireann O’Donnell from Union Hall RNLI in lifeboat kit standing in front of lifeboat
On average, RNLI lifeboats launch over 100 times during the Christmas period* every year, with 119 launches in 2024. Whatever weather winter throws at them, RNLI crews including are ready to leave their celebrations with friends and family to battle the elements and save lives at sea. These rescues, and others all year round, are only made possible by the RNLI’s generous supporters, helping to fund the essential kit, training and equipment needed to keep crews prepared and protected. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 18th:
North Kildare RNLI raises €117,000 to fund new lifeboat for Wexford RNLI
A small but dedicated group of volunteers from North Kildare RNLI have raised €117,000 to fund a new D class inshore lifeboat for Wexford RNLI. The new lifeboat is to be named Cill Dara in recognition of the inland branch’s efforts to save lives at sea.
Reaching such a major milestone is testament to the group’s tireless efforts and their long-standing commitment to the charity. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 16th:
‘Are we a colony or a sovereign country?’ Committee chair challenges EU fisheries injustice
Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness, has said the outcome of the recent EU fisheries negotiations forces a stark question. Are we a colony or a sovereign country?
The Sinn Féin TD for Waterford said the allocation of sole exposes the injustice at the heart of the Common Fisheries Policy. Full story here
Oireachtas Committee Hears of Strong Anti-EU Feeling in Coastal Communities
Today’s meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs underlined the already stated view expressed by fishing industry representative organisations and in coastal communities that Ireland has been betrayed at EU level.
The description was used by Fisheries Minister Timmy Dooley who described the outcome of the EU Fisheries Council meeting as “an act of betrayal, particularly by those who have benefited most from access to Irish waters.” Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 13th:
EU BETRAYS IRISH FISHING INDUSTRY
The exploitation of Irish waters by other EU Member States is clear from the outcome of the annual fisheries negotiations, underlined by the blocking of the Hague Preferences, a system which would be of some compensation to Ireland.
This is an agreed system under the Relative Stability mechanism which has been seen as a core of the mutual community approach of the EU. It but has now been thrown aside by Member States for whom fishing in Irish waters is hugely profitable for their own industries but destructive of the Irish industry. Full story here
Common Fisheries Policy Has Failed Irish Fishing Industry
€94M Blow Threatens Future of says Seafood Alliance
The Seafood Ireland Alliance (SIA) says that the EU Fisheries Council deal is a betrayal of Ireland’s fishing industry. The Alliance says the Member States and European Commission has reneged on commitments embedded in the Common Fisheries Policy designed to protect our island’s reliance on fishing. Full story here
An Open Act of Aggression by France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands in Blocking Ireland’s Hague Preferences at the Fisheries Council
EU double standards and anti-Irish fishing industry bias at the heart of European policymakers
The Fianna Fáil party’s spokesperson on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Pat the Cope Gallagher, has slammed the conduct of France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands as total aggression towards a small state, and the active blocking of the Hague Preferences as a predatory act. For the past 49 years, since November 1976, the Hague Preferences have been a central framework in supporting the Irish white fish and pelagic sectors. Full story here
No more business as usual as EU quota decision puts Irish fishing industry on fatal course
Chair of the Oireachtas Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Committee, Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness, has said that the outcome of the EU Fisheries Council makes clear that there can be no return to business as usual, with an already fragile fishing industry now placed on a fatal course that demands a radical reset in how Ireland approaches fisheries policy at European level.
Teachta McGuinness said: “I am deeply concerned that this decision has brought the Irish fishing industry dangerously close to a point of no return. An industry that has endured decades of decline and policy failure is now being pushed towards a fatal outcome unless there is an immediate change of direction. Full story here
Devastating outcome of EU Fisheries Council yet another betrayal of Ireland’s fishing industry
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Fisheries and the Marine, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD, has stated that the outcome of the European Union’s Fisheries Council is “a betrayal of Ireland’s fishing industry”.
He echoed the response of the Seafood Alliance, the coalition of Irish fishing and fish processing bodies, and he added “this must be the final insult for Ireland” on the impact of the European Union’s policies on our national and natural resource of fish in our own waters. Full story here
"Irish Fishing quota wiped out-Europe sounds death knell for Irish fishing"
"Fishing families are waking up this morning to news that their livelihoods are almost certainly gone, there is shock and devastation throughout the sector. In simple terms this is an attack on Irish sovereignty, it amounts to an EU diktat with devastating consequences. I am calling on the Taoiseach Michael Martin to Instruct Minister Dooley the minister to withdraw from any negotiations and initiate a challenge to this in the European Courts of Justice immediately"
Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins TD has said the decision at the EU Fisheries Council represents a death knell for the Irish fishing industry, warning that thousands of livelihoods in coastal communities are now under direct threat. Full story here
Minister Dooley reacts to outcomes of December AgriFish Council
The outcomes of this year’s December Agri-Fish Council will result in severely reduced fishing opportunities for 2026.
The scientific advice upon which the Council’s decisions were based reflect the impact of overfishing of the mackerel stock by certain third countries. The advised 70% drop in the total allowable catch for mackerel is compounded by a 41% reduction in blue whiting and a 22% reduction in boarfish. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 11th:
Volunteer RNLI lifeboat crews prepare to spend their Christmas on call all around our coast
The RNLI has launched its Christmas fundraising appeal, as its volunteer lifeboat crews prepare to spend their Christmas on call.
Among those preparing for Christmas in Mayo, is a family of six from Belmullet, where the mother and father are fundraisers for Ballyglass RNLI and their four children are all on call for the lifeboat. And further along the coast up in Northern Ireland amongst those ready if the pager sounds, is Portrush RNLI volunteer crewmember Richard ‘Roo’ McCrudden for whom, the RNLI is a family affair. Roo is on the lifeboat while mum Jan and granny Pat, (at 92 years of age), are dedicated fundraisers for the charity. Full story here
Taoiseach must intervene as EU fisheries quota talks reach critical stage
Chair of the Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Conor McGuinness TD, has directly challenged Taoiseach Micheál Martin to intervene in the EU fisheries quota negotiations.
During a meeting of the Working Group of Committee Chairs, Deputy McGuinness told the Taoiseach that his government’s weak and fragmented approach has failed Irish fishermen for too long and that an all-of-government strategy is now essential. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 8th:
New and expectant fathers among lifesavers preparing to answer the call at Wicklow RNLI this Christmas
The RNLI is launching its Christmas fundraising appeal, as its volunteer lifeboat crews, including those at Wicklow and Arklow lifeboat stations, selflessly prepare to spend their Christmas on call. Among those on call this year at Wicklow RNLI are three lifeboat crew who have just become, or are about to become, new fathers.
(l-r): Wicklow RNLI crewmember Cian Kelly holding baby Lainey Kelly with partner Nicola Souster, Wicklow RNLI crewmember Mark Kavanagh holding baby Saoirse Kavanagh with partner Áine O Brien and expectant mum Chloe O'Sullivan holding son Ben with partner and Wicklow RNLI crewmember Adam Byrne. Photo: RNLI/Connie O’Gara
Lifeboat volunteers Mark Kavanagh and Cian Kelly have both welcomed baby girls in the last few weeks with their partners, Aine and Nicola, while Adam Byrne and his partner Chloe are due a baby boy in early January. All three lifeboat volunteers will be on call in case the lifeboat is needed during the festive season, with their partners fully supportive of them needing to rush off if the lifeboat launches. Full story here
MARINE TIMES NEWS December 7th:
Aran Islands RNLI honours dedicated volunteers
The Aran Islands RNLI recently held their annual Christmas party and acknowledged its dedicated volunteers after a busy year of saving lives at Sea.
Volunteers and their families gathered to celebrate and acknowledge a busy year for the Aran Islands RNLI. Full story here
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The Marine Times Newspaper is Ireland’s leading maritime newspaper covering the Coastal, Fishing and Maritime Communities. We publish a monthly newspaper available in all good shops but also provide additional topical news from around our coast free on our website - help keep it free by buying us a cheap old cup of coffee by clicking on the image above
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Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast DECEMBER:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
Oysters are heroes, says the lady who has grown them for 35 years in Dungarvan Harbour - Cliona Mhic Giolla Chuda General Manager and co-Founder of Waterford Oysters on the December Podcast and is the subject of our monthly INTERVIEW on Page 39. “It’s an intensive business,” she says after 35 years in the business. “It’s not for the faint-hearted because there are bad years as well as good.” Also on this month’s Podcast and in our December issue of the Marine Times: The Irish Polar Institute corrects a ‘mean action’ by explorer Ernest Shackleton. Listen and read more on our HERITAGE Page; Also there is the story of the crewman from an inland county who survived the Titanic; And - an Arctic whale arrives in Donegal – Read More in the IWDG column.
.... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast NOVEMBER:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
Why has the Government cutback its Budget provision for the fishing industry? When the industry is in extreme difficulty, the Government has reduced financial support by nearly €20m. On the November edition of the MARINE TIMES SEASCAPES PODCAST with Executive Editor Tom MacSweeney, industry leaders give their critical response.
.... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast OCTOBER:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
Buy the MARINE TIMES in the shops or online now and listen to our extra service - the OCTOBER edition of Executive Editor Tom MacSweeney’s SEASCAPES Podcast, which this month hears from the Chairman of NIFA, the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association, who talks to Tom MacSweeney on this month’s edition of SEASCAPES for the MARIME TIMES, explaining why he has been thinking about leaving the fishing industry because it has become so difficult to make a living.
.... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast SEPTEMBER:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
Buy the MARINE TIMES in the shops or online now and listen to our extra service - the SEPTEMER edition of Executive Editor Tom MacSweeney’s SEASCAPES Podcast, which this month hears from a sailor who spent ten years restoring a boat and then sold it – and that there ar 750,000 seabirds in Ireland; the RNLI needs more volunteers for its lifeboats and, how part of an original Naval Service shipwreck has become part of a house renovation on Cape Clear Island
.... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast AUGUST:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
.... Has the Government Got the Backbone to Fight for Irish Fishing? That is a tough question, but it is asked on this month’s SEASCAPES Podcast. Also on the Podcast – Fish farmers need help; Searching for Songs of the Sea; There is also a housing crisis on the offshore islands and – when a submarine blew itself up off Dunmore East. There is always something interesting in and about the sea.
The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast JULY:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
.... you can hear from a man who has taken upon himself the task of widening maritime knowledge amongst young people and about a son who succeeded where his father failed, becoming the first person to cross the Irish Sea in a balloon. There is a lot more also to listen to – voices from the fishing industry and the leisure sector. There is always something interesting in and about the sea.
The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast JUNE:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
Where family heritage meets daily life - That is the theme of this month’s SEASCAPES Podcast on the MARINE TIMES, presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney..
The podcast features two families, one from Cork which has invested in a multi-million Euro seafood centre and the other whose members have given 140 years of service driving cranes in Waterford Port.
The Good family traces its maritime history back to running a ferry boat in Cork Harbour. The O’Hanlons work high above ships in Waterford to keep exports and imports moving. Donagh Good has taken over the running of the Good Fish Company from his father Denis, who started it with one fish shop in 1988. He is one of the youngest company Managing Directors in the country. His family has invested millions with confidence in the future of the seafood industry. Donagh outlines why and says that the ‘mood music’ is changing for the better in the fishing industry.
The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast MAY:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
On the May edition of SEASCAPES from the MARINE TIMES – the Chairman of the new Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and the Marine outlines how he intends to focus the work of the Committee. First-time Sinn Fein TD from Waterford, Conor D. McGuinness, who comes from a fishing family - his father being the well-known South East Coast fisherman, Brian McGuinness, says it is a Committee with a broad remit and he will examine regulations affecting the industry where it seems at times that policing is too severe and Irish boats are boarded more often than foreign. And Finian O'Sullivan, Chairman of the National Committee of IFA Aquaculture assess the sector and its future. The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast April:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
On the APRIL edition - “There’s a wonderful vibrancy around the marine sector at the moment ...” So says Minister of State Timmy Dooley in his first radio interview in his dual maritime and fisheries post, on this month’s SEASCAPES Marine Times Podcast, presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney. There is also a discussion between the two sides of wind farm development and its effects on the fishing industry; a visit to a €25m ship bought by a Cork company and the question – Is the Irish public ocean literate? is considered .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast March:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
On the MARCH edition - Fish farming will be a vital supplier of food to future generations; Are whales changing which parts of Ireland they visit? Once Navy – Always Navy’ and the Waterford Estuary harbour which has changed, but not for the better .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast February:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
The “insane” treatment of Ireland’s fishermen is discussed on the February edition of the Podcast, highlighting the way the Irish fishing industry is treated about Bluefin Tuna. John Shine, a leading figure for 20 years in the marketing and selling of Irish fish, highlights the way that Irish fishermen are prevented from catching Bluefin Tuna in Irish waters, while other nations are allowed to do so. He says that proper management of the industry is lacking and, unless its demise is stopped and the industry sustained, he is doubtful and concerned about its future. .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above
Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast January:
On this first edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......
The Polish solo sailor who is Ireland’s only representative in what is being described as “a world first event, never attempted before …” explains why he intends to spend over a year sailing 26,000 miles alone around the world on a 19-foot plywood boat which he has built himself….. The Managing Director of a Valentia Island boatyard discusses how it has built the first Naval vessel in Ireland for forty years…. and a sailmaker explains why he built a maritime cannon .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above
MARINE TIMES PODCAST December:
New government must end naivety towards fishing
Tom MacSweeney talks to Brendan Byrne, Chief Executive of the IFPEA
The Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association says there has been naivete amongst policymakers who thought that the fishing industry would reconfigure itself, despite the losses caused by Brexit.
The entire sector, catching and processing, is in a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, according to CEO Brendan Byrne. He also challenges the rigour of controls enforcement on Irish fishing by the SFPA, at a level which does not happen in other Member States, he says in this Podcast interview with Marine Times Executive Editor / News, Tom MacSweeney. Listen to the Podcast here
Tom MacSweeney's MARITIME PODCAST - DECEMBER
On the December edition of Tom MacSweeney's Maritime Podcast, Ireland’s only maritime broadcast:
Why does Ireland, an island nation, not have a traditional fish dish for Christmas? Other nations do, so why not Ireland? Appropriately, this month being Christmastime, that question is raised in the December edition of my Podcast by historian Antoin O’Callaghan. While other nations make fish a Christmas dish, he wonders why Ireland does not and suggests The Feast of the Seven Fishes. But, will Ireland have enough fish to meet its needs? Perhaps not. The Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters, Brendan Byrne, says this has been a very bad year for processors. That’s all on the December edition, with a look back at storylines from previous editions.
MARINE TIMES PODCAST September:
Does the Government want a fishing industry or does it want to let it continue into terminal decline?
“The Government must be clear --------The industry needs real help…”
Tom MacSweeney interviews Dominic Rihan, Chief Executive ofthe KFO
Our main News story in the September edition reports a fall of more than €37m in landings by the Irish fleet. All sectors of the industry are united in opinion – it is in its worst crisis ever and the Government is not doing enough to support it.
In this month’s Marine Times Podcast the Chief Executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, Dominic Rihan, discusses the situation with Marine Times Executive News Editor, Tom MacSweeney. A strategic review is needed of where the industry is going, he says and raises the question - does the Government want a fishing industry or does it want to let it continue into terminal decline?
“That is a stark reality,” says Mr.Rihan, “but it has to be recognised.” Listen to the Podcast here
MARINE TIMES PODCAST August:
Do you accept that the fishing industry is in a very serious crisis situation, Minister?
Tom MacSweeney interviews Minister Charlie McConalogue
In the August issue of the Marine Times, Tom MacSweeney interviews Minister McConalogue - challenging him on a number of aspects affecting the fishing industry, asking him questions on why he insists on putting accross the EU oinion to the industry rather than voicing Irish concerns sufficiently, asking him how is it realistic to encourage young people into the Irish fishing industry ....
Listen to the full MARINE TIMES interview with Tom MacSweeney. Listen to the Podcast here
PODCAST 3rd July:
Government and EU must deal with how offshore wind campaigners and biodiversity campaigners are squeezing the fishing industry says leading fisheries CEO
The Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation has warned of potential conflict between fishermen as traditional marine users and the new users of the blue economy.
In the front page leading story of the July edition of the MARINE TIMES, Aodh O’Donnell says there is an impending serious ‘spatial squeeze’ on Ireland’s fishing industry due to the way offshore renewable energy strategy is being implemented nationally, because there has been a failure to co-ordinate the roll-out of ORE and biodiversity strategies with the need to protect the fishing industry and its traditional fishing grounds..
He says that “the fishing sector fully supports the need for climate change measures, but there is a need for balanced thinking and understanding that fishing is a source of food security.
In this MARINE TIMES interview he outlined fishermen’s concerns to Tom MacSweeney. Listen to the Podcast here
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