a day ago
Historic maritime monument from Wexford shipwreck to be unveiled
The unveiling will take place on Sunday, August 24, which coincides with Water Day during National Heritage Week, and a propeller which was recovered from the vessel (before its complete deterioration) will be installed as a permanent structure on the Shore Road in St. Kearns, overlooking Bannow Bay where the boat made its final voyage.
With support from Wexford County Council, the propeller was salvaged and preserved. Funding from the Heritage Council and the Saltmills and St Kearns Community Group has enabled the construction of this enduring tribute to the Portláirge and to Wexford's maritime legacy.
Built in 1907 by the Dublin Dockyard Company for the Waterford Harbour Commissioners, the SS Portláirge served for 77 years as a channel-clearing steam dredger. After sea trials on the Clyde, it operated mainly in Waterford, with assignments in New Ross and Liverpool. By its final year, the mud boat was regarded as Europe's last working steam dredger. In 1921, it famously transported two officers of the Irish Provisional Government to Youghal. The boat's last journey, in August 1987, ended in Bannow Bay, where it ran aground during a storm and has been its resting place ever since.
Over the past four decades, the vessel has deteriorated beyond repair. In summer 2023, the Community Group, in collaboration with Wexford County Council, removed the historic propeller. With land donated by Tommy and Jodie Hickey, of Hook Head Oysters, the group commissioned a monument that celebrates the boat's legacy and the region's rich seafaring past.
The unveiling event will be hosted by the Saltmills and St Kearns Community Group in partnership with the St Kearns Rowing Club, and the organisers have promised a day full of activities, including ecological dredging talks, rowing trials, maritime-themed entertainment, barbeque with live music and face painting for children.
The events get underway at 2 p.m. and everyone is welcome to take part in the festivities, explore the community's maritime roots, and view this unique piece of Irish nautical history.
