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Maritime museum nets important fishing archive 25.05.09

THE Inishowen Maritime Museum in Greencastle has scored a fantastic coup after landing a unique and unrivalled archive of material about Ireland's long-standing fishing industry.
'The Irish Skipper Archives' is a vast collection of articles, information and important developments in the Irish fishing industry as published in 'The Irish Skipper' journal over the last four decades.
The important archive, to be officially launched this Friday, is expected to attract fishermen and their families, maritime enthusiasts, historians, students and general visitors from all over the country.
The archives, on two DVD-ROMs, will be officially launched by Arthur Reynolds, the founder and first editor of 'The Irish Skipper'.
“This is a very important resource, made accessible to everyone interested in the Irish fishing industry. It adds to the growing interest in our fishing and maritime heritage and I am delighted to recommend it to all those who share my passion for our fishing industry," said Mr Reynolds.
'The Irish Skipper Archives’ will be made available permanently for viewing and research to all members of the public from next weekend.
'The Irish Skipper' was founded in 1964 and has grown to become one of Europe’s most popular fishing industry publications. Published by Hugh Bonner in Annagry, Co Donegal, it covers news, events, technical developments and current affairs within the marine sector.
Inishowen Maritime Museum manager Gemma Havlin said the board and staff of the museum board were proud and delighted to have the resource which holds all the journals from 1964 to 2006.
"The archive holds a vast amount of material including all the successive changes to fishing quotas; health and safety changes; boat launches and
Inishowen Maritime Museum manager, Gemma Havlin.
boat launches and all the sea tragedies around Ireland over the years. Of local interest, people can read everything from the launches in July 2000 of the Northern Celt and Foyle Warrior to the launch of smaller boats in Greencastle," she explained.
"This is a brilliant national archive that is available locally and we're expecting a lot of interest in it from the industry and from coastal communities all over the county and from as far afield as Dingle, Galway and Dunmore East." Ms Havlin also stressed that the archive was "very user-friendly".
"We will have two computer stations set up to facilitate the archive and we will also have printers available so if someone finds an article or a piece of information they want, we can print it out for them. If anyone is not used to a computer, the staff of the museum will be delighted to help people navigate the system.
"The archive has a fantastic search engine and the information is easily found using just key words," she added. The two DVD-Roms are also available to buy for anyone who wants their own personal copy of the archives.
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