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'Jeanie Johnston' to
visit the Foyle
18.08.08
PEOPLE living along the
Foyle including Redcastle and Quigley's Point will
be able to see the famous replica famine ship
'Jeanie Johnston' this week.
The stunning vessel will make her way up Lough Foyle
for an unscheduled stopover in Derry on Tuesday
August 19 and
Wednesday August 20 after setting sail from Galway yesterday.
Londonderry Port and Harbour Commission (LPHC)
assistant harbour master Bill Martin said the ship
will berth at Queen's Quay.
He explained the crew had planned a Rathmullan
stopover until it emerged that construction of
timber fenders on the quay would make that
impossible. |
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“The ship's crew then
contacted us to see if they could berth in Derry and
we were delighted to say yes,” he said.
The ship in all its glory and, weather-permitting,
should be visible along the north Inishowen coast on
its way into the Foyle. Captain Dermot Kavanagh said
he was sorry to miss Rathmullan but was delighted
Derry port could |
accommodate the ship.
He hoped that "people from both Derry and Donegal
can come to see the ship".
The vessel is a copy of a 19th century sailing ship,
one of the last of its kind before the steam ship
era dawned. She operates as a sail training vessel,
a famine history museum and a corporate
entertainment venue.
It was built at Blennerville, near Tralee, Co Kerry,
under funding from EU and Government funding,
Shannon Development and FÁS, the IFI’s Wider
Horizons programme and Kerry County and Tralee Town
Councils.
She was bought by Dublin Docklands Development
Authority in 2005 and is operated for them by
Rivercruise Ireland, who are based at Blennerville.
The 'Jeanie Johnston' is captained and crewed by a
team of highly skilled sailors. Anyone signing up
for a sail training trip are given the chance to
learn seamanship, climb the rigging, hoist the
sails, heave lines, take the helm and participate in
watch duties. |
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