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North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)

North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
"Irish Channel" redirects here. For the neighbourhood of New Orleans, see Irish Channel, New Orleans.
Relief map of the Irish Sea. The North Channel lies to the north of the Irish Sea, and the St George's Channel to the south. (Major ports shown as red dots. Freight-only ports as blue dots)

The North Channel (known in Irish and Scottish Gaelic as Sruth na Maoile, and alternatively in English as the Straits of Moyle or Sea of Moyle) is the strait which separates eastern Northern Ireland from southwestern Scotland. It is part of the marine area officially classified as the "Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland" by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).[1] In the nineteenth century, Alexander Keith Johnston's suggested name St Patrick's Channel had currency, but it was rejected by the hydrographic department.[2]

The deepest part is called Beaufort's Dyke. The Channel connects the Irish Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, and was thus a favourite haunt of privateers preying on British merchant shipping in wars up to the 19th century; in 1778, during the American Revolutionary War it was also the site of a naval duel between American captain John Paul Jones's Ranger and the Royal Navy's Drake. It is crossed by a large number of ferry services. In 1953, it was the scene of a serious maritime disaster, the sinking of the ferry Princess Victoria.

Unionist Northern Irish political leaders for decades lobbied the UK government to construct a rail-link tunnel under the North Channel, the better to integrate Northern Ireland with the rest of the United Kingdom. In August 2007 the Centre for Cross-Border Studies proposed the construction of a 34 km (21 mi) long rail bridge or tunnel, estimating that it may cost approximately £3.5 billion.[3] In the Victorian era, engineers proposed a rail tunnel between Stranraer and Belfast.[4]

This channel was formerly known as the Irish Channel.[5][6][7]

Swimming

The Irish Long Distance Swimming Association ILDSA has provided authentication observers for swimmers attempting to cross the approx 22 mile span between Northern Ireland and the Mull of Galloway`. According to the ILDSA, this was first accomplished in 1947 by Tom Blower. Since that time, only 14 additional solo-swim attempts have been successful, accomplished by 10 different individuals.[8][9]:

  1. 1947-07-27 Tom Blower
  2. 1970-09-11 Kevin Murphy
  3. 1972-00-00 Kevin Murphy
  4. 1973-08-11 Ted Keenan
  5. 1988-08-22 Alison Streeter
  6. 1988-08-23 Margaret Kidd
  7. 1989-00-00 Kevin Murphy
  8. 1989-00-00 Alison Streeter
  9. 1997-00-00 Alison Streeter
  10. 1999-07-27 Paul Lewis
  11. 2000-07-21 Steve Price
  12. 2004-07-31 Colm O´Neill
  13. 2008-09-12 Colleen Blair
  14. 2010-08-31 Steve Redmond
  15. 2010-09-01 Anne Marie Ward

References

  1. ^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition". International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. http://www.iho-ohi.net/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S23_1953.pdf. Retrieved 7 February 2010. 
  2. ^ Andrews, John Harwood (1997-01). Shapes of Ireland: maps and their makers 1564-1839. Geography Publications. p. 88. ISBN 9780906602959. http://books.google.com/books?id=DfcRAQAAIAAJ. Retrieved 18 September 2010. 
  3. ^ "Bridge to Northern Ireland mooted". BBC News (BBC). 22 August 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/6958191.stm. Retrieved 9 October 2011. 
  4. ^ McKenzie, Steven (9 October 2011). "Scotland-Ireland undersea rail link plan 'a surprise'". BBC News (BBC). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-15187431. Retrieved 9 October 2011. 
  5. ^ A Friend (1824). Glympses Across the Irish Channel. http://books.google.ie/books?id=khAHAAAAQAAJ. 
  6. ^ Old Sailor (1820). A view of the British and Irish fisheries:. pp. 74. http://books.google.ie/books?id=ECUoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA74. 
  7. ^ Rooke, John (1838). Geology as a science applied to the reclamation of land from the sea. pp. 41. http://books.google.ie/books?id=jWMEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA41. 
  8. ^ "Irish Long Distance Swimming Association". http://www.ildsa.info/north-channel. 
  9. ^ "Bangorboat". http://www.bangorboat.com/page6.html. 

See also

Coordinates: 55°03′27″N 5°37′19″W / 55.0575°N 5.62194°W / 55.0575; -5.62194


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