#JeanieJohnston - Jeanie Johnston departed Dublin Graving Docks today following the replica 19th barque's most extensive maintenance work since her purchase by the DDDA more than a decade ago, writes Jehan Ashmore.
She is scheduled to resume her famine emigrant museum ship role with tours starting this Saturday (1 November).
Among the work carried out by the dockyard which faces closure as previously reported, was cleaning of her hull, removal of debris notably along the waterline and timber replaced where necessary in addition to repainting.
Graving Dock No.2 was flooded to allow the replica tallship to vacate from the Alexandra Basin based ship-repair facility with tug assistance to her current lay by berth next to the East-Link Bridge.
She will then continue her final short leg upriver with a transit also involving the opening of the Samuel Beckett swing –bridge to moor along her usual Custom House Quay berth.
The visitor attraction which had 20,000 visitors to date this year, tells the story of the famine and the emigrant carrying barque whuch sailed to the New World. Between 1848-1855 she carried more than 2,500 people from Ireland on 16 crossings to North America.
A bonus for the museum ship has been a rise in Canadian tourists due to more flight capacity. They are drawn to the museum ship as the original Jeanie Johnston was built in Quebec in 1847 along the St. Lawrence River.
