Dorans Skippers Mate

04/02/2025

Free Man Overboard training available from BIM & RNLI. Eligible participants can receive a subsidy of €175 for attending this amazing life-saving challenge. Are you up to the challenge???

04/02/2025

09/07/2022

Castletownbere Festival of the Sea. Who will be the champion 🏆 🥇

The annual Skipper Fisherman of the Year competition will be held on Saturday 30th July at the Castletownbere Festival of the Sea 2022.

Organised and overseen by Rodney O'Sullivan & Jason Sheehan with support from Swan Net Gundry and Sheehan's Fishing, Fishermen from all over Ireland will battle it out across a range of challenges to claim the coveted
title.

The challenges include:

• Net Mending sponsored by Swan Net Gundry’s
• Line Throwing sponsored by Twomey’s Bar
• Wire Splicing sponsored by the O’Shea Family
• Fish filleting sponsored by Castletownbere Fisherman’s Co Op
• Survival suit sponsored by Sheehan's Fishing

The Fishermans charity L.A.S.T will have a stand at the competition where they will be selling a range of Merchandise to raise funds . The aims of LAST is to assist and educate the Irish Fishing Industry to help prevent future catastrophes while offering support and guidance to the families of those lost to Fishing Tragedies.

Also attending will be the BIM Clean Oceans team to chat about the Fishing for Litter, Net Recycling, and other initiatives. They will also be holding fishing based childrens fun
arts and crafts activities.

19/06/2022

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. visited BIM’s National Fisheries College in Greencastle today, to officially launch new high tech simulator suites that will enable skipper students to pilot and berth a vessel and navigate it through adverse weather conditions.

The simulator and radio suites - recently installed both at the college in Donegal and its sister college in Castletownbere - are designed to imitate real-life navigational conditions for helm, ship control training and practice, and for vessel routine and distress alert training.

Gale force winds, rain, waves and even snow conditions simulated
The equipment is currently in use by a cohort of students whom the Minister met and will enable Ireland’s next fishing skippers to hone the skills needed to safely practice vessel navigations, in a series of compromising conditions including major storms. The state-of-the art suites now in place at both colleges, represents a government investment of €465,000.

Minister McConalogue said he was greatly impressed with how closely the simulators were able to replicate the real-life conditions that can be faced at sea: “Every time our fishers set to sea, they potentially face adverse conditions, which they must be prepared for to ensure the safe return of all those on board. It was with this in mind that I approved this additional investment in the new simulator in the BIM Training College. With this new facility and training, we are ensuring that our students have access to the highest standards for skippering fishing vessels. The BIM colleges here at Greencastle, and in Castletownbere, are vital cogs in the seafood and wider marine sector.”

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) chief executive Jim O’Toole said, “This investment is very welcome and upgrading our equipment to world class standards, allows BIM to provide training to new entrants and those already in the sector to the highest level. This will also enable us to develop future navigation simulation courses as legislation progresses.”

Sea Survival Training Unit
This funding is part of a wider capital programme that involves overall €1.7 million investment in the Greencastle Training College, recently approved by Minister Mc Conalogue including a 12-metre sea survival training pool at Greencastle. The project, when delivered, will create a cost-effective Maritime Centre of Excellence that provides a modern sea survival training unit for students and instructors, on-site in the National Fisheries College, Greencastle, supporting a safe and professional sea fishing industry.

The new facility will significantly complement the extensive training infrastructure already in place in the Donegal college including a fire-fighting unit, a fully integrated fishing vessel simulator, vessel dry land trawler deck, engine room, workshop and seven classrooms.

New legislative changes mean that fishermen in vessels under 15 metres are now required to undertake this safety training at a minimum every five years, and this is now being implemented.
BIM offer these training course through its colleges and coastal training units.

11/06/2022

Amen to that 🙏

To mark World Oceans Day we would like to highlight the most endangered species in the EU....

The Irish Fisherman!

Photo: John Roberts

11/06/2022

I think we can all agree that there are not many Fishing Boats in landlocked Co Meath! I hope this issue gets the headlines it deserves. Forged papers, illegal in the state. Perhaps blame can be placed where abuse of the system exists for a change!

Gardaí said the operation was focused on identifying offences relating to the employment of illegal immigrants.

19/05/2022

The combined Irish Fishing Industry has come out today 18th May 2022, in solidarity and support with our valued non-EU crew members.

We are here today to ask that these highly skilled workers and our valued crew members, colleagues and friends be given the opportunity to progress in an humane manner through the systems of the state as is required of them under Irish Law.

We ask that these people be treated with the dignity and respect that all Irish workers and "Taxpayers" should be entitled to.

We call on the Department of Justice to acknowledge the human rights of these highly skilled workers who provide a valuable service to our entire Island Nation and its economy. The work that these people do by using their skills and providing a highly sought after food source is essential.

We request for these valued workers the opportunity to not only have their application renewals processed without delay and stress, but that they are also allowed a simple process to transfer to a Stamp 4 permit within a timely manner.

06/04/2022

April issue finally available around the whole island in all good shops

Apologies - some areas were left short of their supply until yesterday - as a small publisher we are at the mercy of the mechanisms of logistics and distribution but as a small publisher we are eternally grateful for every copy purchased by our valued and loyal readers

If you haven't picked up a copy for a while - please do so - it's a great read

04/04/2022

This is an opportunity to have your views on the proposed Wind Farms heard anonymously by an independent group and have €10 Donated to LAST at the same time. From 12 noon in Howth tomorrow Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th April.

Interactions Research are doing an independent survey of fishermen’s opinions on Irish offshore wind energy policy.
The work is funded by University College Cork and University of Exeter.
We aim to survey 300 Irish fishermen; all coasts, all boat sizes, all types of fish and shellfish. Your opinions are important
All responses are anonymous and we will donate €10 to Lost At Sea Tragedy for every survey completed
Results will be published in The Skipper and presented to government departments, all PO’s, RIFF’s, and Wind Energy Ireland.
Our surveyors (wearing red hi-vis vests) will be in Howth harbour on Tues 5th and Weds 6th April
Please spare 15 minutes to complete the survey
Please share this with other fishermen who may be interested

04/04/2022

Get your "Peace of Mind" here!
Welcome to Skippers Mate Pro. Let us help you stay compliant with the Marine Survey Office and Work Relation Commission regulations with ease and transparency. Store all your vessel and crew documents in one place. Send your crew lists ashore with ease. Record your Working Hours in seconds. Feel relaxed at a Survey or inspection knowing that you have it covered. Transferring your Records when needed is a simple 3 click process. All vessel admin can be managed from shore. Give yourself, your Skipper and Crew "peace of Mind"

16/03/2022

Our problems have not gone away. They have only increased. It gets sillier and more complicated by the days. Looking forward to seeing you folks in person at the Expo in Limerick next week.

Like most of you interested in Fishing a four day bank holiday seems like nonsense. That said.... in preparation for the next week it will give us a chance to get our glad rags ironed. It's been a while since we have been on FB but can't wait to see you all next week. theskipper