National Maritime Museum of Ireland
Encyclopedia
Mariners' Church, Dún Laoghaire
The Mariners' Church is a former Church of Ireland church located in Haigh Terrace, near the centre of Dún Laoghaire town, southeast of Dublin city...
in Haigh Terrace, near the centre of Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
town, southeast of Dublin city.
The church was built in 1837 for seafarers and remained open until 1971. In 1974 the Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
and the Maritime Institute of Ireland
Maritime Institute of Ireland
The Maritime Institute of Ireland was founded in 1941, at a time when World War II was raging and many seamen were in great peril of either being severely injured or losing their lives. Ireland, being an island nation, was dependent on the sea for all forms of movement external to the island as...
signed an agreement that led to the museum's opening.
Popular exhibits include:
- The Irish Lights: this exhibit is dominated by the Baily Optic from the Baily LighthouseBaily LighthouseThe Baily Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the southeastern part of Howth Head in Dublin, Ireland. It is maintained by the Commissioners of Irish Lights.-Early history:...
on Howth HeadHowth HeadHowth Head is a headland north east of Dublin City in Ireland. Howth falls under the local governance of fingal county council. Entry to the headland is at Sutton while village of Howth and the harbour are on the northern shore. Baily Lighthouse is on the southeastern part of Howth Head...
, which was in use from 1902 to 1972. It includes some inventions of John Richardson WighamJohn Richardson WighamJohn Richardson Wigham was a prominent lighthouse engineer of the 19th century.-Early life:Wigham was born to a Quaker family in Newington, Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Henry, operated a mill for the manufacture of shawls. When he was 15 years old he was apprenticed to his brother-in-law...
.
- The Great Eastern display: a history of the (designed by Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
) including items belonging to its captain Robert HalpinRobert HalpinRobert Charles Halpin, Master Mariner, born 16 February 1836 at the Bridge Tavern Wicklow, Ireland – 20 January 1894 and died at Tinakilly, Wicklow. He captained the Brunel-designed leviathan SS Great Eastern which laid transoceanic telegraph cables in the late 19th century. He was, arguably, one...
and a clockworkClockworkA clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
model of the ship.
- Artefacts recovered from the wreck of the RMS Leinster and some contemporary accounts of the event. It was torpedoed in 1918 off the Kish lighthouseKish BankThe Kish Bank is a shallow sand bank about seven miles off the coast of Dublin, in Ireland. It is marked by the Kish Lighthouse, a landmark well known to sailors and ferry passengers passing through Dublin Bay and Dún Laoghaire harbour.Many ships were wrecked on these shallows...
, within sight of Dún Laoghaire. Over 500 people were drowned. There are mirror-backed half-modelsShip modelShip models or model ships are scale representations of ships. They can range in size from 1/6000 scale wargaming miniatures to large vessels capable of holding people....
of the City of Dublin Steam Packet CompanyCity of Dublin Steam Packet CompanyThe City of Dubin Steam Packet Company was a shipping line established in 1823. It served cross-channel routes between Britain and Ireland for over a century. For 70 of those years it transported the mail...
's ships: , , and RMS ConnaughtRMS Connaught (1897)RMS Connaught was a steamship built in 1897 and operated by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company for Royal Mail as well as passenger service. Connaught was the second ship of this name operated by the line...
.
- St Columba's Chapel: this area remembers Irish ships during World War IIIrish Mercantile Marine during World War IIThe Irish Mercantile Marine during World War II continued essential overseas trade during the conflict, a period referred to as The Long Watch by Irish mariners....
. There is a collection of paintings by Kenneth King and the bullet-holed flag of the .
In July 2011 two stained-glass windows by artist Peadar Lamb were installed in the former church, sponsored by the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company.
The Museum has been refurbished. In 2006 substantial funding was authorised by the Government for capital expenditure to cover the cost of the refurbishment, however this funding has since been cut off, and the Museum is now dependent upon donations and voluntary help. It is scheduled to reopen officially in March 2012, although it has been open since the 70th anniversary of the Maritime Institute, on a preview
Preview (theatre)
Previews are a set of public performances of a theatrical presentation that precede its official opening. The purpose of previews is to allow the director and crew to identify problems and opportunities for improvement that weren't found during rehearsals and to make adjustments before critics are...
or invitation basis since 16 October 2011.