A former Aran Islands passenger/freight ferry, M.V. Naomh Éanna, is one of the most famous Irish ships ever to serve the country will soon be completely gone as demolition of the veteran vessel is underway in Dublin.

The riveted hulled ship which transported islanders, tourists, cargoes and animals, sailed the Galway Docks-Aran Islands route for over thirty years as Galway Beo reports and subsequently spent further decades rusting in Dublin's Grand Canal Dock and where a decade ago the ship was saved from scrapping.

Since then, plan after plan (including a luxury hotel as Afloat also reported) to save the immeasurable historical value in the MV Naomh Éanna faltered.

The MV Naomh Éanna was launched at the Liffey Dockyard in 1958 and cut the ferocious waves of the wild Atlantic Ocean until withdrawn from service in 1988.

The 483 tonnes ferry cargo ship had operated the three hour route from Galway Docks to Inis Mór during its three decades of unwavering service.

More from Galway Beo on the iconic vessel that languished in the Grand Canal Dock Basin, Ringsend and involved various campaign groups to try and save the vessel over the decades including a plan to return the ferry to Galway as a maritime heritage attraction.

At the beginning of this year, Afloat's WM Nixon highlighted the plight of the MV Naomh Éanna which took on a list during a cold snap which also led to an ingress of water into the hull. 

The incident of semi-submerged small ship took place when docked in a Georgian-era Graving DryDock off the Grand Canal Basin.