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Maritime museum nets important
fishing archive
25.05.09
THE Inishowen Maritime
Museum in Greencastle has scored a fantastic coup
after landing a unique and unrivalled archive of
material about Ireland's long-standing fishing
industry.
'The Irish Skipper Archives' is a vast collection of
articles, information and important developments in
the Irish fishing industry as published in 'The
Irish Skipper' journal over the last four decades.
The important archive, to be officially launched
this Friday, is expected to attract fishermen and
their families, maritime enthusiasts, historians,
students and general visitors from all over the
country.
The archives, on two DVD-ROMs, will be officially
launched by Arthur Reynolds, the founder and first
editor of 'The Irish Skipper'.
“This is a very important resource, made accessible
to everyone interested in the Irish fishing
industry. It adds to the growing interest in our
fishing and maritime heritage and I am delighted to
recommend it to all those who share my passion for
our fishing industry," said Mr Reynolds.
'The Irish Skipper Archives’ will be made available
permanently for viewing and research to all members
of the public from next weekend.
'The Irish Skipper' was founded in 1964 and has
grown to become one of Europe’s most popular fishing
industry publications. Published by Hugh Bonner in
Annagry, Co Donegal, it covers news, events,
technical developments and current affairs within
the marine sector. |
Inishowen Maritime
Museum manager Gemma Havlin said the board and staff
of the museum board were proud and delighted to have
the resource which holds all the journals from 1964
to 2006.
"The archive holds a vast amount of material
including all the successive changes to fishing
quotas; health and safety changes; boat launches and |
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boat launches and all
the sea tragedies around Ireland over the years. Of
local interest, people can read everything from the
launches in July 2000 of the Northern Celt and Foyle
Warrior to the launch of smaller boats in
Greencastle," she explained.
"This is a brilliant national archive that is
available locally and we're expecting a lot of
interest in it from the industry and from coastal
communities all over the county and from as far
afield as Dingle, Galway and Dunmore East." Ms
Havlin also stressed that the archive was "very
user-friendly".
"We will have two computer stations set up to
facilitate the archive and we will also have
printers available so if someone finds an article or
a piece of information they want, we can print it
out for them. If anyone is not used to a computer,
the staff of the museum will be delighted to help
people navigate the system.
"The archive has a fantastic search engine and the
information is easily found using just key words,"
she added. The two DVD-Roms are also available to
buy for anyone who wants their own personal copy of
the archives. |
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