The museum is housed in the Mariner's Church on Haigh Terrace in Dun Laoghaire. The church was active from 1837 until 1971 when it was deconsecrated and later reopened as a museum. It houses a myriad of exhibitions ranging from the RNLI to the Irish Navy and includes details about Irish shipping during the wars and displays on Irish lighthouses. There were so many interesting stories, the ones below are just a few that piqued my interest.
The RNLI exhibit. I'm always struck by the amazing work they do.
The account of the RNLI Lousia's rescue of the Forrest Green is quite dramatic. It involved dragging the lifeboat on it's keel for 2 km before launching the boat down the side of a steep cliff. Many of the stories about the RNLI are just as dramatic.
Another outstanding story is that of the Kerlogue. In December 1943 they rescued 168 German airmen. A thank you letter to the captain of the Kerlogue written by the Nazi German Minister in Dublin, Dr Eduard Hempel, is on display in the museum.
It was a bit chilling to see the emblem of the Third Reich.
We all know that the British war ship the Helga bombed Dublin in 1916 but did you know that she was later bought by the Irish Free State and renamed the Muirchú? She protected Irish waters until her sinking off the coast of Co Wexford in 1947.
The beautiful rose window above the exhibits
A number of brilliant displays depict the impact of the steam revolution on maritime travel. I learned that it was pioneered by several Scottish engineers and to this day a ship's engineer is always known as Scotty! I probably should have known that!
The expansive Great Eastern
Perhaps my favorite story was that of The Great Eastern. She was by far the largest ship of her time. Too large in fact to be commercially viable as a passenger ship. She was eventually used to lay telegraph cables beneath the Atlantic Ocean. When she was finally taken out of service in 1889 it took a whooping eighteen months to dismantle her but in doing so the body of at least one worker who disappeared during her building was discovered. The Great Eastern also has a football connection. One of her six masts is now the flagpole in Anfield and proudly flies the flag of Liverpool Football Club.
View from the gallery featuring the optics from the Bailey Lighthouse. It was the last Irish lighthouse to be automated.
The stories go on and on! I spent an hour and a half looking at the different exhibitions and I could easily have spent double that amount of time. I'm always delighted when something I assume is quite innocuous turns out to be so fascinating and consuming. I thought it was a great pity that there was only myself and two other people visiting the museum while I was there, this little gem deserves much, much more attention.
The National Maritime Museum
Haigh Terrace
Dun Laoghaire
Co Dublin
01 280 0969
Website