IRISH HISTORY JOINS FIRST SEAFAIR HAVEN CELEBRATIONS

The captain of a replica of an historic Irish ship has sailed away from Milford Haven with a special plaque presented to him to commemorate the vessel’s maiden international voyage to the West Wales port as part of a major new festival.

The plaque also commemorated the three-masted barque Dunbrody’s presence at Seafair Haven 2006, a week long celebration of Pembrokeshire’s maritime history involving classic craft ranging from tall ships to row boats.

Captain Tom McCarthy was presented with the plaque by Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, Andrew Davies, at the event, which took place in early July.

The arrival of Dunbrody was just one element of the week-long Seafair Haven celebration, which involved nearly 100 classic and traditional craft dating from 1898 to the present day from Brittany, UK and Ireland “raiding” Haven communities, interspersed with races and expeditions and many opportunities for land-based visitors to view them at close range.

The event also coincided with Pembrokeshire Fish Week, an established festival encompassing a lively range of family fun events, special fish promotions by the hospitality industry, cookery demonstrations and special pub events such as sea shanty nights.

Seafair Haven 2006 and the visit of the Dunbrody were arranged through two European Union Interreg 3A-funded projects, managed by the Welsh European Funding Office, the Maritime Heritage Programme and Celtic Maritime Connections. Both were hosted by Milford Haven Port Authority with sponsorship from Dragon LNG, South Hook LNG and Semlogistics, and aimed to generate community and economic gains by capitalising on the maritime heritage of the region.

The 400 or so crew members taking part were split into four classes - Sail and Oar, Old Gaffers, Classic Bermudan and Large Traditional. All were hosted during the Festival by local people with events and activities varying from Sea Shanty sessions to Welsh Cawl and music nights, designed to build connections between the visitors and communities and broaden the profile of the rich maritime heritage of Pembrokeshire.

The Seafair Haven 2006 parade of sail was led by the Dunbrody, which was built in 2001 and carries over 10,000 sq ft of sail and is usually moored in New Ross, Co. Wexford. Whilst in Milford Haven, she hosted civic receptions on board to help promote the Celtic Maritime Connections Project.

The original Dunbrody, built in Quebec for the Graves family of New Ross in 1845, carried thousands of Irish emigrants to the new world between 1845-1870, and her replica will be offering 60 sea-hardy souls a day a taste of what they went through when they made the trans-Atlantic voyage on a sailing around the Pembrokeshire Islands and coast.

The Dunbrody was primarily a cargo vessel and carried timber from Canada, cotton from the southern states of the USA and guano from Peru. The ship was fitted out with bunks and facilities for passengers desperate to escape the harrowing conditions at home.

From 1845 to 1851, between April and September, under the command of William John Williams of St. Davids, she carried passengers on her outward journeys to Canada and the USA. She usually carried 176 people but on one crossing, at the height of the Famine in 1847, she carried 313.

Andrew Davies, Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, said that the visit of Dunbrody – with its joint Irish and Welsh crew – symbolised the strength and the growth of the Celtic connections between Wales and Ireland.

He added, "Trade and investment links between Ireland and Wales are growing stronger and stronger, supported by developing links at governmental level which are strongly supported by the Welsh Assembly Government."