Dr O'Hare is Chairman of the Tall Ships

8th May 2009

Dr. Gerard O’Hare was recently appointed Chairman of the steering Committee for the Tall Ships Belfast event, taking place in mid-August 2009.
The Belfast event, which will be one of the most important events in 2009, is
being organised to celebrate Belfast being selected as the finish port for the international Tall Ships Trans-Atlantic Challenge. This challenge, which is being organised by Sail Training International (STI), will see a fleet of tall ships crossing the
Atlantic from Canada. Approximately 100 young people from Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to crew on some of the ships during the trans-Atlantic race.
On crossing the finish line in Belfast, a four day maritime festival is being
organised by STI in conjunction with the Northern Ireland organising committee, to highlight the rich culture of Belfast and Northern Ireland, as well as providing opportunities for the ship crews to interact with local people and communities. The Belfast event, which is sponsored by Belfast City Council and Belfast Harbour Commissioners will expect over 400,000 visitors and an economic impact in the range of £9 - £10 million.