Ken O'Sullivan

Sublime lineup of speakers for international dive show in Nenagh

A sublime lineup of speakers covering a wide variety of topics will arrive in Nenagh next month for Ireland’s annual scuba diving show.


In all almost 40 talks will take place over the weekend of March 2nd and 3rd as the Abbey Court Hotel stages Dive Ireland International Expo 2019. Open to all, the talks will range from adventure stories to nature and environmental themes.


A handpick of highlights includes Rory Golden, the first Irish man to dive down to the wreck of The Titanic. Recently interviewed by Ryan Tubridy on RTÉ radio, Rory was also part of the Jeff Bezos international dive team that recovered Apollo space rockets from 4,200 metres in the North Atlantic.
More people have been to outer space than to these ocean depths. Rory was also involved in setting up Portroe Dive Centre, Ireland’s first inland dive centre in a flooded slate quarry above the local village.


Also talking about exploring famous wrecks will be deep sea diver Peter McCamley, who led two international expeditions to the resting place of The Lusitania, the ship that sank with the loss of more than a thousand lives during the First World War.


A veteran seafarer with some great stories to tell, Fred Parle will also be speaking at the dive show in Nenagh. Fred was famously taken captive by pirates off the coast of Somalia in 2008. He was the only Irishman on board a tug-boat hijacked by the pirates, who demanded a high ransom for the return of the boat and its crew.


Fred was held captive at sea for 47 days. He survived the ordeal and has much to tell about this and many other episodes of his eventful life. He has also been researching the story of The Batavia, the treasure-laden Dutch East India Company vessel that was shipwrecked off Australia in 1629.


Sure to attract a large audience at the show is Jim Warny, the Clare-based cave diver who volunteered his skills to the international team that rescued a group of young soccer players and their coach from a cave in Thailand last summer. Jim played a key role in the successful operation, which captured attention and fired imaginations around the world. Scheduled to talk at 4.30pm on Saturday (March 2nd), Jim will talk about this and other experiences of cave diving around the world.


Another speaker likely to garner widespread interest at the show is Ken O’Sullivan of the award-winning ‘Ireland’s Deep Atlantic’ fame. Documentary filmmaker, cameraman and ocean conservationist Ken has been behind several other well-known TV series, including ‘Ireland’s Ocean’ (RTÉ), ‘Atlantic’ (BBC) and Farraigí na hÉireann’ (TG4), as well as feature-length documentary 'The Silver Branch'.


The upcoming dive show in Nenagh will also feature a number of local speakers, including Lough Derg Yacht Club Commodore John Leech. A former Navy diver, John is the CEO of Irish Water Safety.


Robert Foyle of Terryglass will also be attending the show. He will talk about wildlife on Lough Derg, including the re-introduction of White-tailed Sea Eagles on the lake. Meanwhile, Birdhill native Tom Harvey will deliver a short presentation about Nenagh Ormond Search Unit, of which he is co-founder and unit commander.


There's lots more to look forward to at the fast-approaching dive show, including an underwater photography exhibition, a raffle with some great prizes to be won, and a trade exhibition.

The show will take place from 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sunday. Day admission of €8 covers entry into the exhibition including all talks on that day. There is a two-day rate of €12.

Show hosts Lough Derg Sub Aqua Club would like to thank all sponsors of the show, including Carey Glass International, Abbey Machinery, Digren Energy Ltd, Barack Obama Plaza, The Hibernian Inn, Mackey Plant, Una Powell’s/Bistro 41, Steeples, The Peppermill, Spillane Precast Concrete, Breo Jewellers and Permanent TSB.

Please visit www.diveireland.ie for more information.