McWilliam Sailmakers started 43 years ago to bring the very latest technology to Irish sailors. We quickly took over the lead in their R&D programme.
Our customers enjoyed local and international success assisted by excellent sail design and technology. Eighteen years ago we joined the UK Sails group to make use of their sailmaking patent. Des McWilliam became president of UK International, the parent company of the UK Sailmakers group, which has nearly 50 lofts around the world. While the group has made sails for the last two Chinese America’s
28/08/2026
Great shot of Rosmarina out in front off Roche's Point, with the fleet behind fading into the fog. Ronan Twomey's Beneteau First 40.7 is racing a full set of X-Drive Carbon sails from UK Sailmakers Ireland. 🇮🇪
Royal Cork Yacht Club Seahorse Sailing Magazine Yachting World Afloat Magazine BENETEAU
14/08/2026
One point in IRC. A countback in ORC. Class One at Calves Week 2026 came down to the very last race of the week. 🇮🇪
Finbarr O'Regan and the crew of the J/109 Artful DodJer, sailing for Kinsale Yacht Club, took both the IRC One and ORC One titles at Schull Harbour Sailing Club's Calves Week, held on Roaringwater Bay in West Cork from 4 to 7 August. With six J/109s in the division and corrected time margins measured in seconds, there was nowhere to hide.
Wednesday's Fastnet Rock Race told the story of the week: 15 to 20 knots of northwesterly, a tight reach out and a tight reach home, and three boats separated by 40 seconds after hours of racing. The final day brought light air and a genuine showdown, with an all J/109 podium under IRC and the ORC title decided on countback.
Congratulations also to the Burke, Lemass and Rigley team on the First 40 Prima Forte (ECHO Zero), Ronan Twomey's First 40.7 Rosmarina (Whitesail One ORC) and Aidan Heffernan's Dehler 36 Indulgence (Whitesail One IRC).
More than 80 boats and around 600 sailors made this the biggest fleet Schull has seen since the Centenary Regatta, and plenty of them were flying X-Drive, Titanium and Matrix sails in their inventory. Hats off to Barry Hayes and the team at UK Sailmakers Ireland, who look after so many of the boats racing on that coast.
📸 Photos: Bob Bateman
UK Sailmakers Ireland Schull Harbour Sailing Club Kinsale Yacht Club Royal Cork Yacht Club Royal Irish Yacht Club Scuttlebutt Sailing News Seahorse Sailing Magazine Yachting World Afloat Magazine UK Penrose Sailmakers
Class One Thriller at Calves Week - UK Sailmakers Finbarr O'Regan and the crew of the J/109 Artful DodJer came away from Calves Week 2026 with both the IRC One and ORC One titles, sailing for Kinsale Yacht
29/07/2026
Big Mac's Big Week 🏆⛵
Huge congratulations to the McGrath family and the crew of Big Mac, the Royal Cork YC Dehler 34, on a Cork Week to remember! They walked away with the ICRA National Championship, the Coveney Wave Trophy for best-performing RCYC boat, and the overall win in Non-Spinnaker Division 1.
The highlight came in the All in Harbour Race, the week's marquee event with 100 boats on the line. Big Mac finished 5 minutes ahead of the nearest competitor in their division on corrected time, and beat every boat in their class on the water, all while sailing as the third-lowest-rated boat on IRC.
Skipper Tom McGrath credits new headsails and rig updates ahead of the regatta, working with Barry Hayes of UK Sailmakers Ireland, plus a great crew all week long.
Well sailed, Big Mac! Read the full story at the link below!
Yachting World Scuttlebutt Sailing News Seahorse Sailing Magazine Afloat Magazine Cork Week Royal Cork Yacht Club
Big Mac's Big Week - UK Sailmakers The McGrath family's Royal Cork YC Dehler 34 Big Mac had a Cork Week to remember, finishing the regatta with the ICRA National Championship, the Coveney Wave
⛵💨 Shindig charging upwind in 30 knots!
Round Ireland is Ireland's premier offshore yacht race, the second longest on the RORC calendar. It's a 704 non-stop nautical mile course with a simple rule: leave Ireland and all the islands, excluding Rockall, to starboard, starting and finishing in Wicklow.
Tony Kingston sailed his Swan 40 Shindig double handed in this year's race, competing in Class 6 Two Handed as well as Class 5 Cruisers and IRC Class 4, powering through big swells and 30 kts of breeze upwind and putting the reefs to good use along the way.
Flying UK Sailmakers X-Drive Endure sails that have now clocked up 2 Round Ireland races and 2 transatlantic crossings, Shindig backed it up with results to match: 1st in Class 5 Cruisers, 2nd in Class 6 Two Handed, and 2nd in IRC Class 4.
Proud to have Tony and Shindig racing out of Kinsale Yacht Club with sails by UK Sailmakers Ireland 🇮🇪
Round Ireland Yacht Race Kinsale Yacht Club Afloat Magazine Yachting World Seahorse Sailing Magazine
08/07/2026
Cork Week kicked off this week in Crosshaven! 🇮🇪
Since 1978, sailors from around the world have made their way to Crosshaven for one of the best weeks of racing on the calendar, and we're gearing up to cheer on some fantastic customer boats this year.
UK Sailmakers Ireland is proud to have several customers' boats flying our sails including (pictured):
• Brian Mathews' J/109 Artful Dodger
• Conor Hanlon's Sun Odyssey 34.2 Lapwing
• Fergal Lyons' Beneteau First 35 Out of the Blue
• The McGrath Family's Delher 34 Big Mac
Good luck to everyone racing this week. Fair winds and tight racing to all!
Cork Week Royal Cork Yacht Club
First boat around the Fastnet Rock in the Round Ireland. 💨
We’ve got a unique vantage point down here, so we managed to catch a quick photo as they made the turn. A great milestone for the crew leading the charge, and a spectacular sight as always.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the tracker all weekend. 📸
FromWhereWeStand
19/06/2026
UK Sailmakers Ireland Expands Network https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/uk-sailmakers-ireland/item/71806-uk-sailmakers-ireland-expands-regional-network-across-the-uk-and-ireland
17/06/2026
UK Sailmakers Ireland is expanding its regional network. Our operations now officially extend to cover Scotland, Wales, and Northern England, building on the recent addition of UK Sailmakers GBR South West (Falmouth, formerly Penrose Sailmakers).
Together, these moves mean experienced lofts and reps now cover the entire British Isles alongside our home base in Ireland, giving sailors trusted support and repair capabilities right across the Irish Sea. 🇮🇪
Whether you're sailing in Ireland, Wales, Scotland, or England, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch to chat about your season ahead, podium chase or summer cruise alike.
Read more about the expansion in the link below.
UK Sailmakers Ireland Expands Regional Network Across the UK and Ireland - UK Sailmakers UK Sailmakers Ireland is delighted to announce a major expansion of our market area and local network. Moving forward, our operations will officially
06/06/2026
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| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 4pm |