Dunbrody Ship's Boat

The weekend of 20th/21st July 2007 staff and students from Pembrokeshire College MITEC Centre travelled over to New Ross in County Wexford to present the Dunbrody ship's boat to the John F Kennedy Trust.

This was a very special occasion in the history of Pembrokeshire College MITEC as the Dunbrody ship's boat has been in planning and construction since the MITEC centre was built in Milford Haven. In fact the College and the Dunbrody have been synonymous having developed together throughout the years since their inceptions and this weekend was a high point in that long standing collaboration.

The bond between Milford Haven and New Ross also became firmer over the weekend as the mayor of the town and the TD for the area, Sean Connig, thanked the College, the students and the town of Milford Haven. In an emotional ceremony the traditional wooden vessel was blessed before its launch at New Ross boat club and whilst the vessel slid into the water for the first time, crowds applauded and horns were sounded echoing around the Barrow River.

Richard James said, ¨this event is significant in many ways: firstly, signifying as it does the huge step for MITEC in its production of a traditional vessel of this quality; secondly, cementing a strong future relationship between the two towns, New Ross and Milford Haven and; thirdly, achieving a considerable working partnership through the Celtic Maritime Connections Project and the European Interreg Initiative.¨

The project, a collaboration of partners including the Milford Haven Port Authority, the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society, Pembrokeshire College MITEC and the John F Kennedy Trust, has worked tirelessly to achieve cross border cooperation, sharing ideas and supporting one another in initiatives through the theme of Maritime Heritage.

Malcolm York representing Pembrokeshire College MITEC and Richard James representing Celtic Maritime Connections and the Milford Haven Port Authority lead the Milford Haven delegation in the ceremonials in which the boat was proudly handed over to the John F Kennedy Trust. The vessel will remain with the Tall Ship Dunbrody in New Ross where it will be a permanent reminder of the association between the two towns and of the high standard of workmanship achieved by the boatbuilding students of Pembrokeshire College MITEC.

Malcolm York also went on to present the John Kerr award to the boatbuilding student James Fells for his outstanding achievements in the course.

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