fishingboats

1886 - lots of ships sunk at moorings

14 Ships in total see www.irishwrecksonline.net/Lists/WicklowListA.htm

On 15-16th October 1886 a hurricane, at least equal in intensity to the Great Wind of 1839, devastated the island for two days before leaving a further trail of shipwreck, death and destruction in the Irish Sea, Wales, southern England, and northern Europe and may be the same that swept across Texas and Louisiana on the 12th. Its passage across Ireland was described in daily and regional newspapers; though many have little or no local information. Locally the Wicklow Newsletter had reports, 23rd October to the end of November, from Bray, Greystones, Wicklow and Arklow, but none from the mountains. The damage in Arklow where the flooding and storm damage were worst, was widely reported around Ireland. www.iancantwell.com/pdf/Floods.pdf

The worst damage happened in Arklow when floodwaters, of a height and volume not seen in living memory, floated one of the many dilapidated old hulks lying derelict in the upper part of the river. It collided with the Ida, a schooner owned by James Tyrell, which was hove down on her side and attached to a heavy barge by pulleys for repairs. The three were then swept into the fleet of fishing smacks, anchored lower down, carrying twentythree out of the harbour, while the Ida passed the new pier and was thrown broadside onto the pier slope on the southern side of the breakwater with the hulk’s keel lodged inside, where it rapidly broke up. Most of the smacks were holed below their water lines and sank at the river’s mouth, while the rest were swept out to sea www.iancantwell.com/pdf/Floods.pdf

Some Reports in the Irish times on 17th October 1886

Before the rebuild (1896). See www.flickr.com/photos/state-records-nsw/3794327782/ This 1887 (see note) James Barnet building was much better proportioned than what is there now. (imho!)

Princes Stairs - see comments - www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/4289987600/

The trawler doesn't look that big until you look at the size of the digger beside it. Even a small boat is much bigger looking out of the water.

The boat is Venture SO 523 on a slipway. The "block" is a boatyard building. www.google.ie/maps/@54.6324935,-8.44514,3a,60y,87.73h,89....

Sligo registration on the trawler and digger looks like a Ford H-42 with that pivot arrangement on main Jib

14 May 1976 was a Friday ...

Rocks, blocks and chocks; but no sign of clocks ...