Diving pictures from our past

Diving, Pictures From Our Past

Diving, Pictures From Our Past

Every picture tells a story or so they say.

Well this book tells a lot of stories. It a pictorial history of diving in Ireland throughout the years and it includes a selection of old photos donated from many diving clubs around the country. It charts the progress of diving from the “Skinny Dip Divers’ through to the “Wooly Jumper Brigade” and on to the various home made wetsuits.

Out of the many photos donated to CFT over 300 have been selected for this publication.

We see how those very early pioneers went diving with very little protective clothes, very basic equipment and quite possibly very little knowledge of diving in comparison to what we have and know today.

It has been an exciting journey in collecting, dating, identifying the people and the event or dive site where each picture was taken. It’s a glimpse of our history and well worth adding to your collection of diving related books and SubSeas.

Diving, Pictures From Our Past

In them we see some well known faces, some of whom are no longer with us and some who are still around and very active today. These pioneers not only started CFT but were very much to the fore in building it to what we know today.

Denny Lawlor

Denny Lawlor

Mick Moriarty collection

All Curragh Club members, at Slade, Co Wexford.

Left to right: Austin O’Donnell, Mick Moriarty, Mick McDonagh, Paddy Ghent - preparing to go snorkelling or diving at Solomon’s Hole, Slade, Co Wexford. Probably about c.1958/9.

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Wetsuits have arrived, well for some lucky ones.

Mick Moriarty, Victor Hennessy and Jim Motherway. Diving in Slade, Co Wexford in 1962.

Mick Moriarty collection

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Ronnie Hurley and in his own words “A Cool Dude posing for the camera” at the Hoobawns, Kilkee in 1963.

The “Old Yella”.

Ronnie Hurley collection

This picture shows Mick Moriarty about to go diving but before he hits the water he is posing for a photo in his new wet suit, c.1961. This would have been one of the very early wet suits and was affectionately dubbed the “Old Yella”. It was yellow in color and you could get any color you liked as long as it was yellow !

While the suit was an improvement on what had gone before, it still had a number of faults.

For a start the neoprene was hard, unlined and had little or no stretch characteristics.

One had to be very careful when putting it on or taking it off as it could easily be torn.

You will note that Mick has one sleeve shorter due to his strength being greater than that of the neoprene. It was necessary to use large quantities of french chalk or talcum powder to aid getting into it, the result being that the divers head came out covered in white talcum powder. This of course gave the onlookers something to laugh about.

They say it was no laughing matter going home in the car putting up with the smell of the mixture of talcum powder, saltwater and sweat.

Mick Moriarty collection

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Denny Lawlor collection

One wonders what this bunch have got to do with diving? These are members of the Hook Club and the event is their very first outing. The club was formed in October 1982 and following pool training one night just before Christmas the club decided to go for a few drinks. With everyone in a happy mood the DO suggested the club should go for a swim on Christmas morning. Strangely enough most agreed it was a good idea and this picture was taken following their first Christmas swim in Baganbun in 1982. Not many of this bunch are still diving and a few are no longer with us.

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Mick Moriarty collection

Baginbun, Fethard-on-Sea, Co Wexford. 1969.

Jim Motherway on the left, Shane O’Connor in the centre and Mick Moriarty on the right. No idea what they are carrying but it was legal back then.

A lone snorkeler, well almost. This is a very young Eitne Bowe about to take to the water at Sandycove, Co Dublin We have no date but the ABLJ would suggest late 1970s.

Courtesy of the CFT Archive

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We are not sure of the date or event of this one but we think it might be the North European Championships in Malta in 1973.

Left to right: Jim Fox, Belfast, Roger Fitzgerarld, Curragh, Fintan Mullowney, Limerick and Billy Nott, Curragh.

Ronnie Hurley collection

This is a Spearfishing Championship run by the Limerick Club in Valencia in August 1964. This is the Limerick team who came second to the Curragh Club on the day displaying their trophies.

Left to right: Billy Maloney, Joe Roddy, Cyril Foster and Michael Fitzgibbon.

Joe caught the greatest number of fish on the day, a total of 31 and Cyril won his prize for the heaviest fish, a 14 lb. skate.

Ronnie Hurley collection

Joe can be seen wearing the wet suit made by himself and we have to admit its the classiest suit in the picture.

This is what it was all about, man against fish. Sometimes the man won and many times the fish won.

This picture was taken in Valentia Island and the event was the Irish Open Spearfishing Championships in August 1974 and this is the Curragh team Mick Moriarty collection

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This picture was taken at Bere Island in 1990.

Army SAG divers coming ashore from left: Jim Walsh (half out of pic) Ritchie Wall, Gerry Gallagher, Pat King and Mick Beary.

Courtesy of CFT Archive

Elsie Lawlor and Breda Flynn both from the Hook Club and claiming their place in the boat before the rush starts. In the foreground is a young Derek Lawlor. This picture was taken in Malinbeg, County Donegal in 1984.

Denny Lawlor collection

First divers of the group to dive went out fully kitted up to save space. It might surprise our divers of today that often up to six divers would go out in these boats.

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Ronnie Hurley collection

Leading Diver tests in Killary Harbour September 1981. Information on this picture states that this is the Curragh Candidates for the test mingling with the examiners. By the smiles all round it is fair to say the tests are over and the results were good.

First Club Diver tests for the Hook Club held in October 1983.

Standing: Dick Kneeshaw, Clonmel, examiner, Denny Lawlor, DO Hook, Billy Colfer, Declan Hearne of the Hook and Dave McCormack, Irish Club, examiner. Seated: Seamus Kennedy, George Colfer and Johnny Fitzpatrick all from the Hook Club.

Denny Lawlor collection

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Ronnie Hurley collection

Underwater Ireland 2000, held in Limerick.

Free-diving expert Tanya Streeter takes time out to be pictured with some of Limerick’s junior snorkellers

The University of Limerick pool, 1998 Tony Ryan of the Limerick Club puts some junior snorkellers through their paces.

Ronnie Hurley collection

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Photography and Cameras.

Ronnie Hurley, in his article “A 50 Year Journey” states that “In the early days Mick Moriarty and himself were the only ones amongst the diving community who were actually filming stuff. Mick had an underwater housing and could claim to have been Ireland’s first underwater photographer.” And this is Mick doing his thing but judging from the background it would seem it is in the swimming pool. In fact it is at Butlins Holiday Camp, Gormanston. Shane O’Connor and Mick were attempting Mick Moriarty collection to make an u/w 8mm film for use by divers preparing for the Club Diver test, or more likely the 3rd Class Test as it was called then.

However his camera ‘got sick’ on the day and brought the efforts to a halt. They never went back to complete that project. The photo was probably taken by John King who did possess an u/w camera and case. We have no date for it as it was not logged as a dive but it was certainly early1960s.

This is Roger Fitzgerald of the Curragh SAC and the main organiser of “Eurofish 74”. It was taken in the Pollock Holes in Kilkee on the 22 Apr 1973. He had been diving with an official of the CMAS Sporting Commission who had come to Ireland to assess the suitability of Kilkee as a suitable location - and presumably to assess CFT. All passed with flying colours and the event was held there.

Mick Moriarty collection

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Courtesy of the Naas Club

We have to assume that these guys have mis-calculated the tide times. Its the Curragh Club on a trip to the UK around 1959.

Sitting in the boat left to right: Jim Motherway, Austin O’Donnell and Brendan Flynn.

Standing: Larry Bradley and at the rear standing in boat: two unknowns, Mick McDonagh, unknown and Jimmy Flynn.

Film Festival, Limerick Club 1983.

Left to right: Ger Boland, Aer Lingus, sponsor, Valerie and Ron Taylor and Pat McCoole of the Limerick Club.

Ronnie Hurley collection

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Ronnie Hurley collection

Ronnie Hurley collection

Founder members of the Limerick Club, Douglas and Joan Brisiane at the club’s Annual Dinner Dance in the Two Mile Inn in 1977.

Two Mile Inn, November 1997.

Sean Magee being presented with the award for Underwater Photographer of the year with Mike Hynes, Competition Officer and Tony Hackett of Alpha Travel.

Ronnie Hurley collection

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