#IrishShipping - Tributes have been paid to Irish Shipping veteran Des Branigan, who died recently aged 98, as The Irish Times reports.
The Dubliner was among the first recruits of the Irish Shipping company — merchant sailors who put their lives on the line to maintain Irish imports during the ‘Emergency’ in the early 1940s.
Later, Branigan was active as a trade unionist in the seafaring sector, and as a diving enthusiast he joined the search for the Armada vessel Santa Maria de la Rosa in the 1960s.
He also played a role in the establishment of the National Maritime Museum at the mariners’ church in Dun Laoghaire.
Two years ago, Branigan joined fellow former officers and crew at the 30th anniversary of Irish Shipping’s liquidation, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
