When Henry Cromwell in 1654 as then Chief Justice of Ireland, decided to rid the city of Dublin of everyone of Irish blood by ordering them to move two miles outside the capital, his decision gave the impetus which created great maritime communities that have survived the test of time around Irishtown and Ringsend and where I always like having a reason to call into the welcoming and highly sociable Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club.
That opportunity this week resulted in my catching Ireland’s international sailor studying maritime matters to refresh and add to his professional knowledge. Within a fortnight he will be applying what he has learned down in Antarctica, a region in which he has sailed, but not operated from before and where he will be commemorating what a Cork sailor did 200 years ago.
In January the County Cork committee which has spent years trying to bring Edward Bransfield to the attention of the Irish public will unveil a monument at the East Cork harbourside village of Ballinacurra to his memory, as the first man to set eyes on Antarctica. Damian, a Kerryman who knows well the legend of Tom Crean, will be following the still-emerging story of Bransfield, as part of the Irish Team South will be running expeditions in Antarctica and retelling the story of Bransfield, with the support of the Cork group whose determination to have him publicly remembered I have discussed previously in this Podcast. Lucy Hunt from Sea Synergy in Waterville and Niall McAllister from West Cork Sailing make it a Kerry/Cork combination. For this week’s Podcast, I was in Poolbeg as Damian emerged from his morning of study!
Listen to the Podcast below
