Revised Winter Opening times from 10th Oct 2022
Monday (10:30am-4pm)
Wednesday (10:30am-4pm)
Friday (10:30am-4pm)
Other times by appointment
Contact us at greencastlemaritime@outlook.com or 0749381363
Sponsors and Friends of Inishowen Maritime Museum
Inishowen Maritime Museum, located at the Old Coastguard Station in Greencastle, has been at the heart of the community, preserving and showcasing Inishowen’s rich maritime heritage for the past 30 years. The museum has achieved great success over the years and has held many exhibitions and events to promote the importance of the Inishowen sea faring community. The museum is continuing its progress by being part of the Museums Standards Programme of Ireland with the Heritage Council and with its close partnership with Failte Ireland.
Since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic the museum has received no operational support from the council or from any other government body. The prolonged periods of closure forced upon us by the pandemic and the rising energy costs due to the war in Ukraine have meant that we have had to make serious cutbacks in order to keep our doors open. To this end, we are hoping to establish Sponsors and Friends of the museum to help ensure our future.
We are asking that you would consider being a sponsor or friend of the museum on an annual basis. Being a sponsor or friend will entitle you to free access to the museum, museum run events and additional benefits listed below.
Sponsor – €500 Annual Fee | Friend – €100 Annual Fee |
Free access to the museum and
museum run events all year |
Free access to the museum and
museum run events all year |
Free entry for up to 10 guests per year | Free entry for up to 5 guests per year |
Listing as sponsor on website and at museum | Listing as friend on website and at museum |
Your support is vital for the future of the museum. We are now a registered charity so tax benefits may accrue to donors.
If you are happy become a sponsor or friend, we would be grateful for your contribution. The easiest way to make the payment is by setting up a standing order to be paid recurring on the 1st of May via online banking direct to our account stating your name as the reference:
ACC – Inishowen Maritime Heritage CLG
IBAN – IE09BOFI 904771 89425514
BIC – BOFIIE2DXXX
The payment can also be made by calling to the museum and paying by card or cash.
We look forward to having you on board!
Regards,
The Board and Staff
Revised Winter Opening times from 10th Oct 2022
Monday (10:30am-4pm)
Wednesday (10:30am-4pm)
Friday (10:30am-4pm)
Other times by appointment
Contact us at greencastlemaritime@outlook.com or 0749381363
Folks with the winter months on our doorstep, we here at the Inishowen Maritime Museum & Tearoom will be reverting back to our winter timetable starting today 02/09/2022 which is:
Monday – Friday
10.30am – 4.00pm
Last admission 3.30pm
We would like to thank everyone who came down to the museum during the summer months and look forward to your continued support over the winter time.
To celebrate National Heritage Week and Water Heritage Day 2022 the Inishowen Maritime Museum will be screening the BBC Chronicle Documentary of ‘La Trinidad Valencera’ Dive Expedition on the 21st of August at 3pm
La Trinidad Valencera, was the fourth largest ship in the Spanish Armada fleet, which set out to conquer England in 1588. However, having sprung a leak, the ship sought shelter in Kinnagoe Bay, off the coast of Inishowen, Co. Donegal, where it struck a hidden reef just 200 yards from shore and sunk. In the early 1970’s thirteen divers from the City of Derry Sub Aqua Club discovered the important wreck and were subsequently involved in its excavation.
Spaces limited. Please book via Eventbrite at the bottom of link provided https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings/screening-of-bbc-chronicle-documentary-of-la-trinidad-valencera-dive-expedition
The food fair that was held at Inishowen Maritime Museum as part of Greencastle Regatta celebrations was a huge success. On Friday the 5th of August, hundreds of people descended onto the grounds of the museum to sample and buy the delicious food that was on offer from the invited food companies, which included BakeRona , Foyle Bia Mara, Malabar Kitchen, The Cocktail Co, small_but_mighty_fuel. The food, the people, the weather and the music which was provided by Ceolan School of Music made the day a great success and we here at the museum would like to thank everyone that helped make it happen and can’t wait for next years one.
As part of Greencastle Regatta and Festival celebrations, this Friday 5/8/2022 between the hours of 12pm and 4pm will see for the first time a food fair being held outside in the garden of Inishowen Maritime Museum. A number of local food companies will attend which include La Mi James St. Deli , BakeRona , Foyle Bia Mara, Malabar Kitchen, The Cocktail Co, small_but_mighty_fuel, and The Barkery.
*Please note, due to Road Closure our Customer Carpark will not be accessible during this time. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please contact the museum for disabled parking enquiries.* Thank you
Ireland’s latest sail training vessel has anchored off Greencastle, on her way to Derry for the Foyle Maritime Festival.
She was purchased, in Sweden, by the charity, Atlantic Youth Trust, chaired by Round the World sailor and former Director of Coiste an Asgard, Enda O’Coineen.
The Atlantic Youth Trust was formed to connect Irish young people with the ocean and adventure while developing sustainability and supporting and protecting the environment.
It was formed by private individuals and organisations throughout the island of Ireland to offer youths an introduction to life at sea.
As well as being a sail training vessel, she will have a key role in areas of research, innovation, tourism promotion and providing a support outlet for vulnerable young people.
Mr O’Coineen, and the charity have been campaigning for years to acquire a replacement for the State’s last training ship, “Asgard II” , which sank in the Bay of Biscay on 11 September 2008.
The government of the day would not support salvaging the vessel and, instead, claimed the €3.8 million insurance money.
Thanks to the charity’s lobbying, €950, 000 in annual funding was secured from the National Lottery Fund. The charity committed to raising €2.5 million, in private sponsorship, to purchase the new vessel, “The Lady Ellen”, owned by Tarbet Shipping and operated out of Skarhamn, Sweden.
She is a 164-foot, Tradewind Schooner, built by Kockums Submarine Yard, In Karlskrona, Sweden, and launched 10th August 1980, for the luxury yacht charter market.
Although built of steel, she is a replica of the timber merchant schooner, “Ellen”, originally built in Denmark in 1909, to a design by Lars-Erik Johansson.
She will be upgraded to modern safety standards but will have her luxury passenger accommodation replaced by a simpler layout, better suited to a sail training role.
She will be rigged as a topsail schooner, with a 30-metre mainmast, carrying 13 sails setting 800 square metres.
She is powered by a 550hp Scania diesel engine, a 250hp Hundested bow-thruster, 2 x 46kw and 1 x 29kw generators.
The ship will be tied up in Derry for the Foyle Maritime Festival.
After that she will go to drydock for renovations and surveys before being registered in Ireland and renamed “Grace O’Malley”.
Picture and video of the Grace O’Malley courtesy of Aerial Vision NI https://www.facebook.com/aerialvisionni
The three Virtual Reality experiences have been created as part of the EU funded TIDE project, and include ‘The Storm, The Sea – The Saldanha’ at Fanad Lighthouse, the ‘Wrath of the Atlantic, Wrecks of the Armada’ at Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium and the ‘Beware! Convoy Below World War 1’ at Fort Dunree.
The TIDE Project is funded by both the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme and Donegal County Council and is being led by Ernact. Other project partners are from Northern Ireland, UK, France, Spain and Portugal. The main focus of the TIDE Project is to promote a common maritime theme among all the projects partners while at the same time adding a new dimension to both the tourism and cultural heritage in the Atlantic region using the latest technology and to enrich the visitor experiences.
The TIDE project focuses mainly on the Napoleonic, Spanish Armada, World Wars & Atlantic Migration eras.
The public are invited to visit Fanad Lighthouse, Fort Dunree and the Inishowen Maritime Museum to enjoy these virtual reality experiences.