"It was fascinating to see the work of the people who had spent their life learning their craft and trade. The work was REAL..." Eddie Cleary, Co. Tipperary
The workshop was fantastic, the crew in the boatyard were great, we all gelled together as a team and despite the busy social life, we managed to complete our work. Mike Ruane, Co. Wexford
For 3 days I was lost in time, watching and helping Fachtna & Liam turn out intricate frames from the rough-sawn slabs of oak Captain J.G. Burns, MNI, Serving Master Marine
I was convinced that not only did the shipwrights appreciate our assistance – however inexpert – they enjoyed too the colour, the banter & energy we brought with us. Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh UCD National Folklore Collection
Connect with a piece of the Ilen - sponsorship of a plank is a meaningful way for you to support our project.
Donations are very much appreciated and allow us to continue to provide hands-on education.
Limited edition poster print of the Ketch Ilen is now available.
What's Happening
- The Irish Times, Extract - An Irishwoman's Diary, Lorna Siggins
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...FURTHER ALONG the coastline, this Friday is also an auspicious day for Gary McMahon and a team of master shipwrights who have been working on restoration of a very special vessel. The ketch Ilen is as significant in Irish maritime history as the Asgard or it successor, Asgard II .
- Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival - Framing Out Ceremony
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One of the opening events of the festival this year is the Framing Out Ceremony of the good ship followed by a tour of the vessel and a talk on the Ilen Project.
- Next Workshop Dates Confirmed
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Traditional Wooden Boat Building
June Wed 23 – Fri 25th 2010
The Ilen
Auxiliary Ketch Ilen: Beginnings
During Conor O'Brien's famous circumnavigation in the yacht Saoirse, he broke his homeward journey in The Falkland Islands in December 1924. His stay there led to the commissioning by The Falklands Islands Company of a larger version of the Saoirse, the A.K. Ilen. By October 1925, a 56 foot ketch, with auxiliary engine, was under construction in Baltimore under the supervision of Tom Moynihan. O'Brien remarked when he saw her ready for launching on the slip at Baltimore that she was 'a handsomer model' than the Saoirse. The fact that she was to survive 60 brutally busy years as the Falklands service boat, undertaking harsh work of many kinds, testifies to the excellent quality of her construction.
Following the launch of the Ilen in the spring of 1926, O'Brien sailed her to his favourite haunts in Kerry and into the Shannon Estuary, his home, calling at Derrynane on the way. There he raided the Saoirse and plundered her gear before setting sail for the Falklands with two Cape Clear men as crew – Denis Cadogan and his cousin Con. With Saoirse, he had endured many crew changes on the circumnavigation, but the 'Capers' proved congenial shipmates, and went all the way to the Falklands. They sailed via Bristol, south to Madeira and ports in Brazil (including Rio de Janeiro, where O'Brien much admired the architecture) and on to Mar del Plata in Argentina. When the Ilen reached Port Stanley early in the New Year of 1927, she received a great reception. Conor O'Brien fondly concluded his account of this venture thus: '(We) put upon the sails of my old ship, with the help of the two good comrades who had brought her from Ireland, that careful stow which is the due of any port, before I closed the most enjoyable of all my voyages with the conventional order: That will do, men.’
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