2018 Sports Capital Programme (Closing Date Friday the 19th October 2018)

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The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD, and the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin TD, are pleased to announce that the 2018 Sports Capital Programme is now open for applications.

Applications are being sought from sports clubs, voluntary and community groups, national governing bodies of sport and local authorities. Third level colleges, Education and Training Boards and schools may only apply for funding jointly with sports clubs.

The Department has committed to, where possible, allowing those who submitted invalid applications in 2017 to submit corrected documents allowing those applications to be considered for funding under the 2018 Programme. If your organisation submitted an invalid application in 2017, you will be contacted separately in this regard.

www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie

THE CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS IS 5PM ON FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER 2018.

New research indicates pike in Irish waters have changed their diet

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New research indicates pike in Irish waters have changed their diet
Wednesday, 29th of August 2018: Pike in Irish waters may have changed their diet preferences according to a new report launched today by Inland Fisheries Ireland. The report, entitled ‘Pike (Esox Lucius) in Ireland. Developing knowledge and tools to support policy and management’ looks at new research carried out on Lough Conn, County Mayo and Lough Derravaragh, County Westmeath in 2016 and provides an insight into the dietary habits of pike.

Previous dietary research carried out in the 1960s and 1970s in Lough Derravaragh and Lough Sheelin (located across Westmeath, Meath and Cavan) indicated that pike preferred to eat brown trout and perch. However, this latest research reveals that pike appear to have changed their prey preference and now predominately eat roach. Researchers in Scotland and England have also found similar changes in pike diet occurring in Loch Lomond (Scotland) and Lake Windermere (England). It is thought the changes in diet are due to the invasion of roach in these waters.

The research examines whether pike and brown trout can co-exist in the same habitat. Using statistical models, it found that pike and brown trout could live together within relatively large deep lakes with strong stream connectivity however in small, low-complex systems pike introductions could potentially have a devastating impact on resident brown trout populations.

The practice of pike removal and the impact it has on brown trout stocks is also examined. The findings suggest that pike removal may only be effective in protecting brown trout populations in systems where trout are the only available prey but may have little effect in systems where other prey, such as roach, is available.

CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, Dr Ciaran Byrne, said: “This research was initiated to answer some on-going questions relating to the dietary preference of pike and the pike-brown trout interactions in lakes across Ireland. Previous studies in this area were carried out more than 50 years ago which is a long time within our changing lake systems.

“This research is important as it gives an insight into the behaviour of the pike species and provides updated information around their relationship with brown trout. The changing food web and altered preferences of predators in the water systems highlights the need for continued monitoring and updated data to inform effective management strategies.

“This research will now be considered alongside the many historic, socio economic and management factors which all inform fisheries management and development work. Inland Fisheries Ireland uses the best available scientific information to underpin management decision making and advice.”

To view a full copy of the report click: pdf Pike (Esox lucius) in Ireland: Developing Knowledge and Tools to Support Policy and Management (4.61 MB)

For further information see: www.fisheriesireland.ie/pikeresearch.

Inland Fisheries Ireland awarded vital funding to develop youth angling

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Inland Fisheries Ireland awarded vital funding to develop youth angling

 

Action measures include a novice & youth angling strategy, a scheme to support angling events for young people and regional outreach co-ordinators

 

Thursday, 19th July 2018: Inland Fisheries Ireland has been awarded funding to develop angling among young people as part of the Dormant Account Action Plan 2018,announced by Sean Kyne T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Rural Community Development. The Dormant Account Action Plan allocates €40 million in funding to 45 measures nationwide.

Minister Kyne said “Inland Fisheries Ireland was chosen as a recipient of two funding measures which will engage and support young and novice anglers in Ireland. The funding will see the development of a new novice angling strategy, a scheme to support angling events for novice and youth anglers and the appointment of five Regional Outreach Co-Ordinators”.

The measures are as follows:

Measure 2.7.1 Novice Angling Strategy (€70,000)

This measure will see the development of a Novice/Youth Angling Strategy and a scheme to support events for disadvantaged groups, angling hubs and coaches to ensure a safe environment for youths and vulnerable adults. Inland Fisheries Ireland will continue to support Angling for Youth Development Ireland (AFYDI) and the Angling Council of Ireland (ACI) who facilitate the formation of angling hubs nationally to increase access to angling through the provision of trained coaches and safe fishing.

Measure 2.7.2 Go Fishing – Novice Angling Initiative (€323,250)
This project will see the appointment of five regional Outreach Coordinators in the major urban areas who will work with Angling for Youth Development Ireland, the Angling Council of Ireland and other angling organisations to increase the numbers engaging in angling across the regions.

The Dormant Accounts fund supplements the support already allocated by Inland Fisheries Ireland to youth angling via the National Strategy for Angling Development(NSAD). These five appointments, together with NSAD supported posts, will deliver national education and outreach and novice angling briefs.

The funding will allow the organisation to properly resource a novice angling strategy which will incorporate one of its existing youth angling programmes, the Dublin Angling Initiative, and the many other education & outreach initiatives which are taking place across the country. It will also reach out to and include angling and voluntary organisations nationwide.

Dr Ciaran Byrne, CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “We are delighted to welcome this funding which will support us in growing the numbers of novice and youth anglers in Ireland. Recent socio-economic studies of recreational angling in Ireland reveal that of the 325,000 anglers in Ireland, 37 per cent are over 55 years of age and 49 per cent are in the 35-54 age bracket. We know however that 83 per cent of primary school students we surveyed want to go fishing.

There is a huge opportunity for us to engage the next generation around our natural fisheries resource and to introduce them to angling, a pastime they can enjoy at any age or ability with many health and wellbeing benefits. The Dormant Account funding will help us realise our ambitious objectives of growing participation in fishing nationally and secure the future of our resource as a result. We look forward to working closely with angling groups and communities across Ireland in the development of a new Youth Angling Strategy and the roll out of related novice angling initiatives.”

The Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan 2018 can be found on the Department’s website here.  For more information about Inland Fisheries Ireland, visit www.fisheriesireland.ie .

ENDS

Team Ireland Home Nations Boat Champions 2018

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              HOME NATIONS BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018

              COBH , COUNTY CORK , Wednesday 13th – Saturday 16th June

The event was hosted by Munster Provincial Council IFSA , teams from all four countries participated and were welcomed to Cobh by our IFSA President Mr. Pat Walsh who opened proceedings on Wednesday night at headquarters for the event the Commodore Hotel, among the guests was the owner of the hotel Mr Pat o Shea who is an accomplished angler himself , also present were Mr Danny Kane Chairman and Mr Sean McShane Treasurer Munster Provincial Council,

 

Pictured are team members representing from left England, Ireland, Wales ,and Scotland.

All teams had practice sessions in the designated zones and the weather at the beginning of the week was calm and fishing was good, as the week progressed winds increased and the official practice day had to be confined to the harbour , however the outlook was for better weather on the competition days , team England were looking for a third victory in a row but it was team Ireland who got off to a flying start with 3 boat wins and 2 seconds to give a lead of 130% on day 1, on day 2 Ireland had 3 more boat wins which increased the lead by another 100% to give a historic victory for Ireland , the team consisted of Dan Lynch , Pat Condon , Padraic Clear, John Dennehy , Graham Garvey and Michael Callaghan.

 

Munster Provincial Council would like to thank the following for helping to make this one of the most memorable championships in recent years , Mr Joe Birney Treasurer and Mr John Martin Secretary from Irish Federation of Sea Anglers, Cork County Council and Mr Paraig Lynch Municipal District Officer, Inland Fisheries Ireland, Mooney Boats Killybegs / Grunden wet gear, the Management and staff of the Commodore Hotel, Tradewinds Restaurant, BMC Supermarket, Charter skippers, Stewards Pat Wright, Liam o Callaghan, Brian Whelan, Joe Byrne, Sean og McShane,  local councillors ,Cathal Rasmussen, Diarmuid o Cadhla , Shay McShane, Tronix Pro, Halfway Angling Centre, Superseal window systems, Tim o Herlihy Munster Council, Bait suppliers ,  all our sponsors , we would also like to thank everyone who sent good wishes and congratulations on social media and especially Mike Bardsley from Cobh Edition for his assistance,

 

 

IFSA President Pat Walsh keeping an eye on proceedings.

The backroom team Brian Whelan , Sean McShane , Sandra o Shea , Danny Kane.

Anglers busy preparing bait aboard Wreckhunter and Osprey

 

Osprey II standing off ready for a busy day at sea

Skipper of Lagosta II heading out of Cork Harbour

Steward Sean Og McShane distributing bait on board Lagosta II

Sean McShane and Danny Kane from IFSA on Kennedy Pier, Cobh.

Results from Day 1.

Team Managers Steve Batchelor, Dan Lynch, Rob Roberts, Don Campbell , pictured with President of the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers Mr Pat Walsh.

Chairman of Munster Provincial Council Danny Kane pictured with IFSA President Pat Walsh.

Team Ireland ,Michael Callaghan, Graham Garvey, Padraic Clear, John Dennehy, Dan Lynch, Pat Condon, Pat Walsh.

With the result going our way the evening was topped off with a presentation to our Life President who celebrated his 90th birthday on the night and a special presentation by Manager Dan Lynch of a Gold medal to Pat Walsh.

Mr Pat Walsh holds a special place in many peoples hearts as he was the Home Nations Manager for many years and guided many of the current crop of anglers in their early years as International anglers.

Pat and his wife Treasa are senior members of the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers for many years and it was our privilege that they travelled from Achill to be with us for the championships. Munster Provincial Council would like to thank all the anglers who took part in the championships and we hope you enjoyed your time in Ireland and that we see you again in the future.

Team Scotland , Scott Rennie, Tom Lessels, Don Campbell, Gillies Mackenzie, Darren Rose, Mick Duff, and Malcolm McDonald.

Another Gold for Mr President.

Team England members, John Bellamy, Martin Bobbit, Richard Day, Peter Bailey, Steve Batchelor, Gary Geoghegan, Brett Lomas Results of Home Nations 2018 (1)

Overall results

Mr Pat Walsh Life President Irish Federation of Sea Anglers.

Team Wales , Mark Northam, Colin Orme, Thomas, Medwyn Jones, Phil Clarke, Gareth Prothero, Rob Roberts, Ray Eyers.

 

Team Ireland Manager Dan Lynch with President Pat Walsh.

Home Nations Championships Scotland 2018

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Success for IFSA at the recent Home Nations Championship in Scotland 2018. Congratulations to all who competed, all of whom are (Volunteers). You all are a credit to your Federation and Country. We wish you all the success in the future. There will be many more trophies and medals and we sincerely hope that you all get the recognition your fantastic achievements deserve.

 

 

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Home Nations Shore Championships took place in Scotland this year in Loch Fyne from the 5th to the 7th of July. Men, Ladies, Under 16 and Under 21 traveled to take part. The weather was glorious, but apparently this wasn’t great for the fishing conditions in the Lochs and it resulted in some very tough competitions.

The Under 16s did extremely well, making a fantastic comeback after a hard first session. Although after day 1 they were in Silver position, the English team were ahead by a good number of points and they knew it would be hard to comeback. On day two they had a good start and continued to hold their own throughout the competition. Not only did they gain the points they needed to get ahead, but they did it with 7 points over producing a Gold medal for the team.

The Under 21s also produced a medal. After two very hard sessions for them, they brought home a Bronze medal. Tough conditions with heat and sun, made competing very hard and the fish were hard to find.

The men’s team had a hard time, fishing extremely rough ground and loosing line, leads and gear throughout practice and competitions, they struggled throughout the two days on very difficult venues. The fish were scarce and so say the heat had pushed them out. The team gave it their all and won a dark bronze medal.

The ladies team won the Silver Medal, just one fish would have made all the difference for them, as they seemed to be on the venues where the fish had totally disappeared, only a handful of fish were caught over the two competitions, making it very frustrating in the heat and sun.

As always, every one of our competitors gave 100 per cent, proving once again we have strong teams and very dedicated anglers.

 

Lottery Good Causes Awards

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We are delighted to announced that we have launched our first every National Lottery Good Causes Awards, to honour the inspiring and important work being carried out in communities all over Ireland thanks to Good Causes funding. Almost 30 cent in every Euro on National Lottery sales goes back to Good Causes in the areas of youth, health, sport, arts, heritage and culture. That amounted to €226 million last year, or over €620,0000 a day.

 

The application process is very simple and only takes ten minutes. There is a total prize fund of €95,000.

We would be delighted if you would forward this on to your network of contacts and groups who may have received National Lottery funding in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Please see further information on the attachment. The information is also on this link  www.lottery.ie/goodcausesawards

We appreciate your help in getting the word out there about these important new awards.

Good news on Leader Funding

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The Water and Communities Office (LAWCO) has been working to assist communities engage in a range of funding opportunities to improve their local waterbodies. LEADER projects under the Rural Environment Theme can be impeded or delayed as a result of the additional requirements imposed by planning requirements and obtaining statutory consents. The Water and Communities Office has been working closely with the Department of Rural and Community Development to try and address these constraints for those wishing to apply for funding under the Rural Environment Theme which includes water related projects.   

 

Therefore we are delighted to be able to announce that effective from 22nd June 2018, expenditure on assessments, surveys and other reports

required for the purposes of securing planning permission and/or fulfilling other statutory obligations are eligible for LEADER funding as a stand-alone Analysis and Development (A&D) project under the Environment Theme.  This includes Appropriate Assessments etc in Natura 2000 sites etc (e.g., SACs) that could be required for capital projects (habitat restoration etc) under the “The Protection and Sustainable use of Water Resources” and “The Protection and Improvement of Local Biodiversity” subthemes. The Waters and Communities Office is currently working on a guidance document for projects which will be issued over the coming weeks.

 

So please make use of this positive development

Community Enhancement Programme

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Community Enhancement Programme

The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP), which is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, will provide €4.5 million of grant funding in 2018 towards enhancing the facilities available to communities.  The CEP programme replaces and builds on two existing schemes (Communities Facilities Scheme and RAPID).  Combining the schemes will make for a more flexible, streamlined and targeted approach to providing funding to those communities most in need.

The Programme will provide capital funding to communities across Ireland to enhance facilities in disadvantaged areas. Some funding is ring-fenced for smaller projects, from lawnmowers and IT equipment to minor renovations to buildings. The CEP also provides funding towards larger projects in disadvantaged areas. Typical enhancements under the programme could include the renovation of community centres, community amenities, improvements to town parks, common areas and spaces, CCTV equipment and energy efficiency-type projects.

The CEP will be administered by the 33 Local Community Development Committees.  They will be advertising locally for suitable projects shortly and will provide details on how to apply in each area.  The closing date for applications is 30th July 2018.

The Department carried out a review into the Communities Facilities Scheme and the RAPID programme, the Community Enhancement Programme is as a result of that review.  The report on the review is available here.

An increased level of funding (relative to 2017) has been provided to each local authority area.  For details on the funding in each area please see the below table.

​Local Authority Amount
Carlow €134,206
Cavan €134,757
Clare €139,257
Cork City €149,241
Cork €160,762
Donegal €159,461
Dublin City €212,306
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown €142,108
Fingal €150,521
Galway City €132,455
Galway €143,401
Kerry €142,409
Kildare €148,013
Kilkenny €136,319
Laois €136,524
Leitrim €129,223
Limerick €152,942
Longford €132,385
Louth €145,542
Mayo €145,203
Meath €142,893
Monaghan €132,571
Offaly €138,550
Roscommon €133,301
Sligo €134,084
South Dublin €169,399
Tipperary €149,690
Waterford €144,499
Westmeath €136,571
Wexford €150,065
Wicklow €141,343