It may not enjoy a Mediterranean climate just yet, but the Irish Sea has become the focus for an EU-backed €800,000 investment to promote marine leisure.
The new EU Interreg programme aims to form strategic alliances between Irish and Welsh marine leisure interests in a partnership led by the Irish Marine Federation.
Details of the initiative were announced by the federation yesterday as it marked the closure of what it described as its "biggest and best" national boat show at the Royal Dublin Society in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
The programme will develop marine leisure activities and facilities, organise joint promotional opportunities, and provide business development training for participating companies.
Also involved in the partnership are the Marine Institute, Venture Point (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board), Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, and the Irish Sailing Association.
Their Welsh counterparts are members of a new organisation called North Wales Watersports. A "brand name" will be created as part of the programme, and there will be co-operation between the Irish and Welsh groups in a number of activities. These will include industry strategy development; identification of sites for future development; marketing and promotion; and business and vocational skills training.
Educational programmes for schools to promote career paths, and sailing scholarships for inner-city children will also form part of the plan. The groups will work to promote marine tourism in the Irish Sea on the international market, and the programme also provides for environmental training for marina operators.
Irish Marine Federation chairman Brian O'Sullivan said it would provide an excellent opportunity to develop a business strategy for the entire Irish Sea region.
