Conor B McLaughlin

Sailing

These photos are from the Irish Sail training vessel An Asgard

An Asgard
An Asgard
Asgard
An Asgard

ASGARD
This lovely brigantine, which was designed specially for sail training purposes by the late Jack Tyrrell was built in Arklow, Co. Wicklow and commissioned there on 7th March, 1981. As befits the traditional design of the vessel, "Asgard II" carries as her figurehead a carving of "Granuaille", the famous 16th century Mayo "Pirate" Queen.
On 11 September 2008, Asgard II, sank in the Bay of Biscay. The vessel was on a cruise from Falmouth (UK) to La Rochelle (France). On Board at the time were 5 crew and 20 trainees. The decision to abandon the vessel and take to the life rafts was taken by Captain Newport at 2.30am because the vessel was taking in water. The crew and the trainees were picked up safely by the French Coast Guard and taken to the Island of Belle-Ile. The Minister for Defence and The President has paid compliment to the crew of the Asgard II and the French Coast Guard for their co-operation in ensuring that all on board were brought to safety.

A meeting of the Board of Coiste An Asgard in February 2009, a full discussion on the possibility of salvaging the Asgard II took place. The unanimous view of the Board was that a salvage operation should not be pursued any further. Having carefully considered the Board's report the Minister for Defence, Mr. Willie O’Dea T.D. accepted its recommendation.
While the name "Asgard" has been associated with two important vessels, it is also about sail training and introducing young people to the experience of sailing. The priority is to ensure the continuation of the sail-training scheme. Pending the acquisition of a new vessel a number of arrangements have been put in place to continue the scheme.

Surfing

Here are a few photos of me surfing in Australia

Surfing in Australia
Surfing in Australia

Surfing in Ireland
Until recently it was believed that surfing arrived in Ireland in the 1960s however we now know that in 1949 fourteen year old Joe Roddy took to the water on his homemade four metre paddle board near Dundalk. The inspiration for Joe’s board came from a wood work manual.
In 1962 Kevin Cavey discovered surfing when he read about it in a Readers Digest. He ordered a balsa surfboard kit after a couple of attempts with marine ply. Following trips to Hawaii and California, Kevin took a stand titled “Bray Island Surf Club” at the 1966 Boat Show, the catalyst for the spread of surfing in Ireland. Following the boat show Kevin organised a surfing safari around the coast and on his return the Surf Club of Ireland was founded in Bray. When an invitation arrived to compete at the 1966 World Surfing Championships, Kevin packed his bags and set off for San Diego to become Ireland’s first representative at the World Surfing Championships.

The first Irish National Surfing Championships, inspired by Kevin’s trip to the World Championships, was held in Tramore in 1967. The title was claimed by Kevin Cavey with Eamon Mathews 2nd and Ted Alexander 3rd. The following year the first Intercounties Championships was held in Rossnowlagh where Down beat Wicklow in the final (neither county has succeeded in reaching the final since). In 1969 Ireland sent its first full team abroad to the inaugural European Surfing Championships held in Jersey
By the late sixties members of the Surf Club of Ireland began to break away to form other clubs. The South Coast Surf Club, now T-Bay Surf Club, emerged in Tramore along with the West Coast Surf Club in Lahinch, Rossnowlagh Surf Club, North Shore Surf Club in Portrush, and Fastnet Surf Club in Cork. In 1970 the Clubs founded the Irish Surfing Association, the Governing Body of surfing in Ireland today. By then there were about 400 surfers in the country.

In 1972 Ireland hosted the European Surfing Championships in Lahinch, Co Clare. Unfortunately there were only sufficient waves to run off the junior category, however some visitors travelled up the west coast to Easkey and were treated to some excellent waves.

Crisis rocked Irish surfing in 1979 when the Smirnoff International was held in Easkey, Co Sligo. With perfect surf, perfect weather and the resulting publicity both at home and abroad the event organisers declared it a success. However the event was not regarded a success by all. "We enjoyed surfing until we discovered Smirnoff" was painted on a banner and hoisted on Easkey castle during the event by those who opposed the commercialisation and exploitation of the surfing in Ireland. The Irish surfing community met with impasse, on the one hand there were those who wanted surfing in Ireland to remain pure without organisation, commercialisation and publicity and the other side were those who wanted to grow and develop the sport, recognising the need for organisation, commercialisation and publicity to do so.
The popularity of surfing continued to grow in Ireland. Irish teams competed regularly at the European and World Championships. In 1985 the European Surfing Championships returned to Ireland, hosted in Bundoran and Rossnowlagh. In 1988 Rossnowlagh Surf Club opened the first purpose built surf club house and the country’s first surf shop, Lahinch Surf Shop opened 1989. The ISA initiated its Surf Instructor Development Programme in 1990 with a Level 1 Surf Instructor Course. Surfing was becoming increasingly popular with young people and in 1992 Ireland returned from the European Junior Surfing Championships with two bronze and one silver medal. In 1995 the Irish Surfing Association set up its headquarters in Easkey and employed a full-time development officer. By then the ISA was actively involved in club and youth development, promotion of safety, coach education and organisation of competitions. In 1997 the ISA hosted the European Surfing Championships in Bundoran, Co Donegal. The surf was flat for the first seven days of the ten day event however it picked up on the eighth day and due to the efficiency of the event management team the entire competition was run in two and a half days with perfect Peak on the final day. The contest is still regarded as the best European Championships ever held!
In 2001 the Irish Surfing Association was once again rocked by controversy, to host the World Surfing Games 2004 or not. Following much debate it was decided to abandon the World Surfing Games to focus on grassroots development.

Today there are approximately 50,000 surfers in Ireland and the ISA comprises of 2500 members and twenty surf clubs each representing a different geographic location or surfing ethos. With more surfers in Ireland than ever before the surf industry is booming. There are approximately forty surf schools and a similar number of surf shops. The ISA is still faced with the challenge of balancing the views of Irish surfers on issues such as competition, commercialisation and publicity along with new issues such as environment, overcrowding and increased safety concerns.

Swimming

The following is a picture of the Liffey swim 2008. I was a member of the Irish long distance swimming association. http://www.ildsa.info/
The Liffey Swim is the penultimate event in a season of 26 open water races held during the summer months and it is a handicapped race, there being a time penalty imposed based on a swimmer's ability.

Swimming

Entrants to the Liffey Swim must complete 5 races of the season to qualify for the Liffey Swim. All levels and ages of swimmers compete in the race, however an entrant must be a member of a swimming club and be able to swim a mile. Nowadays the total average entry to the race is 200 males and 80 females.

Triathlon

The following picture is from the Ichon Triathlon (Olympic length).

Triathlon

A triathlon is a multi-sport endurance event consisting of swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components. Transition areas are positioned both between the swim and bike segments (T1), and the bike and run segments (T2), and are often just one checkpoint, especially in shorter courses. These areas are used to store bicycles, performance apparel, and any other accessories essential for preparing and gearing for the next stage of the race. In addition, these areas provide a social headquarters prior to the race, and are an integral part of triathlete culture. The demanding nature of the sport focuses primarily on persistent and often periodized training in each of the three disciplines, as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning to ensure the highest levels of endurance, strength, and power possible come race day.

Winter Triathlon

Winter triathlon involves running, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing - all performed on snow. It is a perfect way to learn new sports, improve your base fitness, and expand your skills as a multisport athlete.
The International Triathlon Union has been holding winter triathlon world championship races since 1997.

Winter Triathlon
Winter Triathlon

In winter triathlon, the running is contested on hard-packed snow courses (usually packed ski trails) with distances ranging from 5-9K. Racers typically wear normal running shoes or cross country spikes. One way to get extra traction is to drill 8-10 sheet metal screws – 1/8 of an inch – into the bottom of an older pair of running shoes. This trick is also great for running in areas with lots of ice in the winter.
The mountain bike leg is held on packed ski trails for a distance of 10-15K. Competitors ride standard racing mountain bikes, often equipped with relatively wide tires run at low (about 15-20 psi) pressure. Tires with spikes are legal, though most competitors shun their use because of the additional weight.
The final event of winter triathlon is cross-country skiing. Courses are usually 8-12K in length and are contested on groomed Nordic ski trails. Classic or freestyle (skating) techniques are allowed, though most serious competitors use the freestyle technique as it is faster. Athletes wear Nordic ski suits or tights and long sleeve jerseys, gloves, and hats or head-bands depending on conditions.
I represented Ireland in Feburary 2009 in Gaishorn am See, Austria at the World Championships (Elite Men).

My profile
www.triathlon.org/

www.triathlon.org/athletes

Nordic Skiing

Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski. This includes a wide range of ski equipment and techniques such as classic and skate cross country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon, and telemark skiing. It also involves racing.

Dolomitenlauf, Austria
Upstate New York
World Championships,CZ,2009
Sapporo
König Ludwig Lauf,Ger

Nordic skiing Olympic events are Cross country skiing, Ski jumping, Nordic combined, and biathlon. The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a major event of these sports and happens in winter of odd-number years between Winter Olympics.
I was fortunate enough to represent Ireland in the 2009 World championships in Liberec Czech Republic.

links:
http://www.liberec2009.com/
http://blog.teamgearedup.com
http://www.aftenposten.no

My FIS profile
http://www.fis-ski.com

Mountaineering

The following are photos from the highest peaks in Japan, korea, Germany and Australia.
Mount Fuji (Fujisan) is with 3776 meters Japan's highest mountain. It is not surprising that the nearly perfectly shaped volcano has been worshipped as a sacred mountain and experienced big popularity among artists . Mount Fuji is a dormant volcano, which most recently erupted in 1708. It stands on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear days.

Mount Fuji
Hallasan
Mount Kosciuszko
Zugspitze

Hallasan is a massive shield volcano which forms the bulk of Jeju Island and is often taken as representing the island itself. There is a local saying stating that "Jeju Island is Hallasan; and Hallasan is Jeju." The mountain can indeed be seen from all places on the island, but its peak is often covered in clouds. The mountain has been designated Korea's Natural Monument no. 182.Hallasan is 1950M.

The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany 2962 M. It is located at the Austrian border in the town of Grainau of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria. On the Austrian side is the town of Ehrwald in the district of Reutte, Tyrol. There is a cog railway (Zugspitzbahn ) leading from the tourist resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the peak. There are also two cable cars that go to the peak from the base: one ascends from the German side of the mountain at the lake Eibsee (Eibsee Aerial Tramway), and the other ascends from Austria near Ehrwald (Tyrolean Aerial Tramway ). The peak is regularly crowded with tourists. For those wishing to reach the summit under their own power, various hiking and ski trails can also be followed to the top. Hiking to the top from the base takes between one and two days.

Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228M above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia. It was named by the Polish explorer Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki in 1840, in honour of the Polish national hero General Tadeusz Kościuszko, because of its perceived resemblance to the Kościuszko Mound in Krakow.

Athletics

I started running in 2001. My best results came in Korea where I came second twice in two 5km races.

Seoul Flyers 2006
Olympic Stadium 2007

In October 2008, I decided to do the Polar circle marathon.
I wanted to do a race which would capture people’s attention in order to raise much needed funds for the Irish cancer society. I decided to do the Polar Circle half marathon in Greenland. It seemed to be well run and affordable.
I started training in May. I did a lot of work on the Beach on soft sand to replicate the underfoot conditions of what it would be like to run on snow. I did a lot of long distance swimming as well to prepare for the exposure to the cold.

Polar circle marathon: The race day conditions were perfect and i was fortunate to get a good start on fellow competitors. The first 5km was extremely difficult because we were quite high up on the ice cap and temperatures got down to - 15. The ice cap involved a few hills and snow up to 75 cm thick which was hard to run through.
Once we were off the Ice cap the race began to feel like any other run. There were a few points along the way i thought i would have to stop because of the cold air hitting the back of my throat was tough to cope with, but things worked out well and i was lucky enough to win the half marathon.

polar cirkel marathon
polar cirkel marathon
polar circle marathon
polar circle marathon
polar cirkel marathon

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22EAgs6kijo
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWnlWHl3nU

Radio interview: http://www.rte.ie
download interview:(56MB) http://www.rte.ie/

Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_circle_marathon
http://www.runireland.com/health/polar-circle-half-marathon
http://blog.teamgearedup.com/category/Ireland/page/2
http://www.herald.ie/sport/other-sports/polar-express-1553242.html
http://www.donegalpost.com/2008/12/03/inver-man-returns-after-polar-circle-marathon-victory/
http://www.knr.gl/index.php?id=164&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=38977&cHash=e76329dd39

More pics (and other races) you can find in my gallery

GAA

Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland.I played for my home club St Nauls until i was sixteen.

http://naomhnaille.donegal.gaa.ie/.

I played for the Down GAA club in New York and for Paris Gaels and Seoul Gaels while working as a teacher abroad. While in Seoul , i coached one of the ladies teams and was a member of the executive.

Asian Gaelic Games, Shanghai
Seoul
Gaelic Tournament,Seoul
Seoul Gaels
Seoul Gaels, Taiwan