They do things differently in Limerick and along the west coast. Where other migrating birds of passage head south as winter approaches, the restored 56ft trading ketch Ilen of 1926-vintage is departing her usual base in the Shannon Estuary today (Friday), and is heading north to spend part of the winter in Galway, where she has been allocated a snug berth in the docks at the heart of a city where she’ll find plenty of traditional sailing craft with which to share the long nights.
It now seems a long time since she made a free-spirited voyage to western Greenland in 2019, but even with her wings clipped by pandemic regulations, when possible she has made shorter passages along the Irish coast, a programme which revealed that the spirit of the Ilen Marine School can be carried to many ports.
Galway in particular provided a hospitable showcase, and Ilen is expected into port around 2.30 pm tomorrow (Saturday).