Rté Podcast

Kieran Cotter has been the Cox of the Baltimore lifeboat for more than 30 years and is the longest-serving lifeboat volunteer in the country. He retired earlier this year and he spoke to Fergal Keane about many of the rescues he has been on. Plus Noel Sweeney takes one of the first tour boats to visit the Skelligs in nearly two years.

The sea journey around the world taken by the Lions rugby tour in 1950 plus the new National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF), Ireland’s first national framework for managing marine activities.

We hear from Oliver Lee in New Zealand about an audacious bid by Ireland to host the Lorna Siggins is on board a new ferry service to the Aran Islands, with skipper Shane McCole. We hear about the building of a replica of the historic ship, The Saoirse, which was the first boat to carry the Tricolour around the world 100 years ago.

Sarah Courtney is a paramedic who swapped her old job at the ambulance for a role at the Irish Coast Guard. She is the only female in the role and her job sees her winching people to safety, sometimes in extreme conditions. Noel Sweeney caught up with Sarah and fellow crewman Derek Everette in Waterford to chat about life on board helicopter 117.

On the yacht Serendipity, Fergal Keane goes from Killaloe down the lower Shannon, through the biggest locks in the country, to the sea in Limerick.We journey through the Parteen Weir and the historic Ardnacrusha Dam and hear about the building of the country’s largest-ever construction project nearly 100 years ago.

We report from the protest in Cork this week, when 65 trawlers went out into the city centre to protest over restrictions in the industry. And Fergal Keane visits the Haulbowline Naval Base and meets the new Irish Navy operations commander Captain Kenneth Minihane.

Tim Ryan (Dun Laoghaire Rathdown CoCo) talks about work being carried out at Dun Laoghaire Harbour to secure its future. Owen Brannigan spent years working trawlers. He tells Conor Sweetman about the years he spent at sea. And GMIT student Cian Dalton has just won an engineering award for inventing a robot that clears rubbish from waterways.

Former Irish Navy Captain, Brian Fitzgerald, captained ships involved in fisheries protection, drugs raids and rescuing migrants. Brian's new career is with energy provider, Simply Blue Energy. Noel Sweeney reports from Kerry, where this week thousands of large spider crabs washed up. Kenin Flannery of Dingle Ocean World explains what happened.

Assistant Prof Nicholas Payne of Trinity College tells of his encounter with Basking Sharks while researching their behaviour in Irish waters. Twitter @nicklpayne Journalist John Lichfield reports from Normandy on the "fishing war" in the waters of Jersey between France and the UK. & Lorna Siggins reports on ambitious plans for Galway Port.

Katelin and Andrew O'Shea on sailing around the globe on a small yacht. Isolda lightship was sunk off the Irish coast by a German bomber in the early days of WWII. Eleesa Rushby is a researcher who is attempting to find out more about the six men who died in that sinking and about the survivors. Contact her via [email protected]

With Fergal Keane. A traditional Dublin Bay sailing boat being handbuilt in the capital; some tales from Waterford harbour; and a trip on the Liffey from the archives.

Fergal Keane meets Michael Fitzgerald, who is retiring after 40 years with the Arklow Lifeboat. And we hear from the Master of the Irish Lights ship, the Granuaile, Dermot Gray.

A dramatic airlift of seven fishermen from a trawler last weekend, and the Sligo sailing centres who managed to keep young people on the water right through the pandemic.

We hear from one of the world's authorities on Sea Shanties, Tom Lewis is a one-time submariner who lives on a boat on the Shannon Waterways. And Paul Stott, senior lecturer in ship production at Newcastle Uni explains how container ships have grown to such a vast size that one has blocked the Suez Canal and thrown world shipping into chaos.

New Zealand retains the Americas Cup; we visit one of Ireland's biggest fish processing co-ops and Fergal visits the once largest shipyard in the Republic of Ireland.

We visit Ireland's newest survey ship in Cork. The Majuro is owned by Irish Mainport, and Chief Executive, David Ronayne, shows Fergal Keane around. - Oliver Lee reports from New Zealand on the America's Cup. -Dr Maria Kirrane recounts how she photographed a ship apparently floating above the sea. The picture is on her Twitter feed: @mariakirrane

John Leahy tells us about the Cruising Association of Ireland: www.cruising.ie. Joanna McNicholas reports from County Mayo on a media company bringing the maritime history of the area to life, The Blacksod Bay Company www.blacksodbay1866co.ie And we have a piece from the archives, from the first every Dublin Boat Show in 1960!

Lorna Siggins visits renowned sailor and adventurer, Jarlath Cunnane, in his boatyard in Mayo. We also have advice on what to do if you are considering buying a boat from the UK post Brexit. And Green MEP Grace O'Sullivan, speaks about the public consultation process opened recently on Marine Spatial Planning in Ireland and Europe.

Noel Sweeney was in Dingle to speak to brothers Laurence and Gene Courtney, musicians and singers. Jan Ashmore from Afloat.ie tells us where to get information on sea traffic in Ireland and around the world. And Oliver Lee joins us from Auckland to give us the latest news from the America's Cup.

Pat Lawless speaks to Helen O'Riordan about his preparations for the Golden Globe round the world race, due to start in two years time. David Hare speaks about a new RTE series of Great Lighthouses of Ireland, due to begin filming this summer. Plus, we hear from the Afloat Irish Sailor of the Year, Tom Dolan.