A Seapoint tragedy – Loss of the Rochdale and Prince of Wales
On calm sunny afternoons at Seapoint it’s hard to imagine the bay as anything other than a steady and benign body of water, welcoming bathers,…
Read MoreIrish Maritime Heritage
Kish Lightship Withdrawn from Service | 9th November 1965
Lost on Carlingford Lough | Remembering the Connemara and Retriever
Six Terrifying Tales & Unexplained Mysteries from the Irish Coast
HMS Audacious | An Early Casualty in the Great War
The Long and Illustrious Career of RMS Olympic
The First of the Guinness Fleet – The W.M Barkley
Man of Steel – The first brave diver to the RMS Lusitania
HMS Drake struck by U-Boat off Rathlin Island | 2nd October 1917
Victorian Tragedy – Coast Guard rescue crew off Bray Seafront
Bound for Liverpool, the Leona would get lost and sink off Bray. In heavy weather and tragic circumstances, three crew members and…
The Sinking of HMS Wasp – A Mystery Veiled in Darkness
On the morning of September 22nd 1884 the HMS Wasp was sent on the less than savoury task of ferrying police and…
It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day! Here’s a look at Ireland’s Piratey Past
As an island nation we have produced some of the world’s most renowned seafarers – they’ve led explorations around the globe, helped create…
SS Empire Heritage and the Sherman Tanks of Malin Head
The SS Empire Heritage was built in 1930 by Armstrong Whitworth & Company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne but actually started life under another name as…
Sinking of SS Athenia: The First British Ship Lost in World War 2
It was only a few hours after British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had delivered his 11 am speech declaring war on Germany the…
HMS Guide Me II lost off Dublin Bay | 29th August 1918
The HMS Guide Me II was a steam drifter built in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1907. During the First World War in March…
SS Arabic: Bound for America, sunk off Kinsale (1915)
The impressive SS Arabic was built in the Belfast shipyards of Harland and Wolff for the illustrious White Star Line. She was…
Donegal’s Seafaring History | Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium
The Inishowen Maritime Museum in Donegal has long been on Coast Monkey’s bucket list, and with its fascinating maritime displays and exhibits,…
New York sailboat survivors rescued by Irish Rose (1942)
On this day August 11th 1942, an Irish ship was in the right place at the right time and rescued the survivors of…
Howth Gun running: The Asgard’s Story
The Asgard’s contribution to Irish history is considerable; the guns it delivered to Howth in 1914 would go on to arm the rebels…
20th July 1918 | SS Justicia Sinks off Malin Head after Sustained Attack
On the 20th July 1918, after a grueling 22 hour assault involving two separate U-boats, the SS Justicia finally succumbed and went…
RMS Carpathia Remembered | Titanic Rescue saved hundreds of Lives
On the 17th July 1918, the RMS Carpathia was lost 190 km south of Cork. A transatlantic passenger steamship, she made her maiden…
Robert Halpin | The Irishman who Revolutionized Global Communications
We live in a digital world where everyone is connected and online. Friends and family even in far-flung corners of the world…
Remembering the SS Arandora Star Lost off Donegal 2nd July 1940
In the early hours of 2nd July 1940 the SS Arandora Star was struck by a torpedo off the Donegal coast and…
Defending Ireland’s Coastline | Irish Torpedo Boats in the 1940s
When war came to Europe in 1939, Ireland needed boats to protect her waters and her neutrality. With the establishment of Marine and…
Celebrating Admiral William Brown Father of the Argentine Navy
Ireland has produced some of the world’s finest captains, skilled seafarers and formidable military strategists. And it’s no surprise their influence can be…
Epicentre of Science | Robert Mallet’s Explosive Experiments on Killiney Beach
In 1849 Irishman Robert Mallet (3 June 1810 – 5 November 1881) carried out experiments on Killiney beach in Dublin creating groundbreaking…
Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) Creator of the Wind Force Scale
Sir Francis Beaufort was born in Navan, Co Meath on 27th May 1774 and from an early age was an enthusiastic explorer…
The Convict Ship Neva | An Irish Maritime Tragedy on Australian Shores
On 13th May 1835 the convict ship Neva transporting Irish prisoners was wrecked off the coast of Tasmania. It was one of the…
Remembering the RMS Lusitania | Tragically Lost 7th May 1915
On the 7th May 1915 the RMS Lusitania was lost 18 kilometres off the coast of Kinsale. History recalls the great ocean…
HMY Helga | The Boat that Shelled Liberty Hall
HMY Helga sailed up the Liffey in 1916 to unleash a storm. Playing the role of enforcer she shelled Dublin far and wide…
Dazzle Camouflage | Grand Design to Fool the Enemy at Sea
Believe it or not, these surreal pictures below aren’t photoshopped or part of some art project. These are examples of the beautiful…
Test you knowledge of the Legendary RMS Titanic – Try this Quiz!
Titanic was perhaps the most famous of all ships to have ever set sail. But how well do you its short but…
RNLI celebrates milestones in lifesaving technology on World Heritage Day
This World Heritage Day the RNLI is reflecting on some of the historic milestones in lifesaving technology from the charity’s nearly 200…
Olympic-Class Ocean Liners: Olympic, Titanic & Britannic
Born in the Belfast shipyards of Harland & Wolff, they were three magnificent sisters, the pride of the White Star Line. The…
Remembering the Legendary RMS Titanic
Built in the Belfast shipyards of Harland & Wolff, the RMS Titanic was the pride of the White Star Line. The second…
Alexander Mitchell | Inventor of the screw-pile lighthouse
Alexander Mitchell’s (13th April 1780 – 25th June 1868) story is inspirational – despite his complete blindness he used his incredible engineering…
1916 Easter Rising | “SS Aud” scuttled in Cork Harbour
Easter weekend commemorates a momentous event in Irish history – the 1916 Rising. The Easter rebellion has proved to be a focal…
Great Irish Coast | The Bull Walls and Poolbeg Lighthouse
The iconic red lighthouse at the end of the Great South Wall is a welcome sight to visitors entering Dublin Port from…
The Titanic Photos of Fr Browne | A Unique Glimpse Onboard
On the 10th April 1912, the newly-built RMS Titanic set out on her maiden voyage, departing from Southampton, England. She first called…
The Sinking of the Lightship Guillemot
It’s March 28th 1917, the height of the first world war and a time before advanced navigation technologies like radar. You are captain…