The Ilen is the last of Ireland’s traditional wooden sailing ships.

Who designed the Ilen?

The Ilen was designed by Conor O’Brien, the first Irish man to circumnavigate the world.

Where does the name Ilen get her name?

Ilen is named for the West Cork River which flows to the sea at Baltimore, her home port.

The Ilen was built by Baltimore Sea Fisheries School, West Cork in 1926. Tom Moynihan was foreman.

What is Ilen built from?

Ilen's wood construction is of oak ribs and planks of larch.

What are the dimensions of the lIen?

As-built initially, she is 56 feet in length overall with a beam of 14 feet and a displacement of 45 tonnes.

How did the Ilen get from Baltimore to the Falkland Islands in 1926?

Conor O’Brien set sail in August 1926 with two Cadogan cousins from Cape Clear in West Cork, arriving at Port Stanley in January 1927 and handed it over to the new owners.

How much did the Ilen cost in 1926?

The Ilen was delivered to the Falkland Islands Company, in exchange for £1,500.

What roles has Ilen performed in her lifetime?

Ilen served for over 70 years as a cargo ship and a ferry in the Falkland Islands, enduring and enjoying the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties, and Screaming Sixties. She stayed in service until the early 1990s.

Who from Ireland rediscovered the Ilen in the Falkland Islands?

Limerick sailor Gary McMahon and his team located Ilen. MacMahon started looking for her in 1996 and went out to the Falklands and struck a deal with the owner to bring her back to Ireland.

What condition was Ilen in when she was found in the Falkland Islands?

After a lifetime of hard work in the Falklands, Ilen required a ground-up rebuild.

How did the Ilen come back to Ireland?

A Russian cargo ship transported her back on a 12,000-mile trip from the Southern Oceans to Dublin. The Ilen was discharged at the Port of Dublin 1997, after an absence from Ireland of 70 years.

Who restored the Ilen?

It was a collaboration between the Ilen Project in Limerick and Hegarty’s Boatyard in Old Court, near Skibbereen. Much of the heavy lifting, of frames, planking, deadwood & backbone, knees, floors, shelves and stringers, deck beams, and carlins, was done in Hegarty’s. The generally lighter work of preparing sole, bulkheads, deck‐houses fixed furniture, fixtures & fittings, deck fittings, machinery, systems, tanks, spar making and rigging is being done at the Ilen boat building school in Limerick.

How long did it take to restore Ilen?

Ten years. The boat was much the worse for wear when it returned to West Cork in May 1998, and it remained dormant for ten years before the start of a decade-long restoration.

What is the role of the Ilen today?

Ilen now serves as a community floating classroom and cargo vessel – visiting 23 ports in 2019 and making a transatlantic crossing to Greenland as part of a relationship-building project to link youth in Limerick City with youth in Nuuk, west Greenland.

What is so good about Ilen’s relatively small size as a sailing cargo ship?

At a mere 56ft, Ilen is capable of visiting most of the small harbours of Ireland.

Displaying items by tag: Commercial Regatta

8th April 2018

Commercial Regatta Beats the Rain as Trinity the Top Men's Eight

#Rowing: Trinity won the men’s senior eight at Commercial Regatta at Islandbridge today. Commercial had divided their Championships winning eight into two crews. The rain came – at almost exactly the same time as in Saturday’s Neptune Regatta, but the full set of races were held. Neptune beat Commercial in the women’s club one eight, one of the last of a long day.

Commercial Regatta, Islandbridge, Sunday (Selected Results)

Men,

Eight – Senior: Trinity bt Commercial, 2l. Club One: UCD bt Commercial 1l. Novice: UCD B bt Trinity A 1l. Jun 18A: Neptune beat Coláiste Iognáid 1l. Jun 15: Athlone bt Coleraine GS 4l.

Four – Inter, coxed: Trinity bt Commercial 2l. Club One, coxed: Commercial B bt Neptune, canvas. Jun 18A: Col Iognaid bt New Ross 3l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club One, coxed: Neptune bt Commercial, scratched. Novice: Commercial bt Neptune 1l. Jun 18A, coxed: Col Iognaid bt Blackrock ½ l. Jun 16, coxed: Blackrock A bt Coleraine GS 1 ½ l.

Double – Senior: Commercial/Neptune bt Neptune ½ l. Club One: King’s Hospital bt Neptune distance. Jun 18A: Neptune C bt Three Cstles B 2l. Jun 16: Blackrock bt Carlow B 3l.

Single – Inter: Sligo (G Patterson) bt Offaly (C Brady) 3l. Club One: Lagan (N Darby) bt Carrick-on-Shannon (E Djeribi) 5l. Jun 18: Carrick (F Early) bt Neptune (S Byrne) 1l.

Women

Eight – Inter: Commercial bt Trinity 3l. Club One: Neptune bt Commercial 1 ½ l. Nov: UCD A bt UCD B distance. Jun 18A: Col Iognaid bt Commercial 3l. Jun 16: Coleraine Grammar School bt Commercial 1 ½ l.

Four – Senior, coxed: Commercial A bt Commercial B 1l. Inter: Commercial B bt Commercial A, distance. Club One, coxed: UCD D bt UCD B 3l. Jun 18A, coxed: Col Iognaid bt Commercial ½ l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club One, coxed: Neptune A bt Athlone ¾ l. Nov, coxed: Neptune bt Trinity 2l. Jun 18, coxed: Col Iognaid bt Sligo 4l. Jun 16, coxed: Commercial bt Neptune 2l.

Double – Club One: King’s Hos A bt King’s Hos B, 3l. Jun 18A: Commercial A bt Carrick-on-Shannon 3l. Jun 16: Commercial bt Athlone A 3l.

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Commercial's Strength on Show at Home Regatta

#Rowing: Commercial’s strength and depth were very evident at their own regatta at Islandbridge in Dublin today. After a huge programme was worked through, many of the finals involved the host club – some with two home crews competing against each other. The Intermediate eight was one such race. In the club eight, Trinity came out on top.

Commercial Regatta, Islandbridge, Sunday (selected results)

Men

Eight – Club: Trinity bt Blackrock 5l. Inter: Commercial A bt Commercial B ½ l. Novice: UCD bt UCD B 5l. Masters: Commercial bt Neptune 1l.

Four – Sen, coxed: Commercial C bt Commercial A ½ l. Jun 18, coxed: Commercial bt Neptune 3l.

Pair – Sen: Commercial A bt Commercial B.

Sculling,

Quadruple – Novice: Commercial A bt Neptune 2l. Jun 18, coxed: Three Castles bt Commercial 4l. Jun 16, coxed: Blackrock A bt Commercial ¾ l. Club, coxed: Neptune bt King’s Hos 3 ½ l.

Novice: Commercial B bt King’s Hos 4l. Jun 16: Three Castles bt New Ross 4l.

Double – Sen: Commercial A bt Commercial B 1 ¼ l. Club: Waterford A bt Garda distance. Jun 18: Three Castles A bt Three Castles B 5l.

Single – Club One: Carrick-on-Shannon (Earley) bt Commercial (Connolly) 2 ½ l . Inter: Commercial (N Beggan) bt Commercial (J Phelan) 2l. Nov: Offaly (K Morris) bt Commercial (J Wareham) dnf. Jun 18A: New Ross (L Sutton) bt Killorglin (J McCarthy) 3 ¼ l. Jun 16: Carlow (H Slattery) and Three Castles (L Flynn) dead heat.

Women

Eight – Novice: Trinity A bt Neptune canvas. Jun 16: Carlow bt Athlone disq.

Four – Sen, coxed: Commercial C bt Commercial A 1l. Club, coxed: Commercial bt Trinity 3l. Jun 18: Commercial bt New Ross 1l. Jun 16: Commercial bt Galway scr.

Pair – Sen: Commercial C bt Commercial A 2l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club, coxed: King’s Hos bt Killorglin 2l. Novice, coxed: Commercial B bt Neptune A 4l. Jun 18, coxed: New Ross bt Commercial 3l. Jun 16, coxed: Carlow bt Killorglin 1 ¼ l.

Double – Sen: Neptune bt Commercial 3½ l. Club: Neptune A bt UCD 3l. Jun 18: New Ross B bt Offaly dist. Jun 16: Commercial bt Killorglin 3l.

Single – Inter: Neptune (C Feerick) bt Athlone (Y Curley) 4l. Club: Garda (J Ryan) bt Neptune (E Power) dist. Nov: Commercial (S Bedair) bt Commercial (S Donnelly) dist. Club One: Garda (J Ryan) bt Neptune (E Power) distance. Jun 18A: Carrick-on-Shannon (T Duggan) bt Commercial (D O’Toole) 2 ½ l. Jun 18B: Offaly (E Dowling) bt Waterford (L Drohan) 3l. Masters: Offaly (C Nolan; C) bt Commercial (A Ryan; B) distance.

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Commercial Regatta

Huge Junior Participation at Commercial Regatta

#Rowing: Commercial Regatta was the biggest ever run by the club, with a huge entry from juniors in particular. Some of the top results also went the way of the host club. Trinity had to give way in the men’s intermediate eight, though in the women’s club eight they reversed the order. Scott Addison of Trinity won the men’s club single.

Commercial Regatta, Islandbridge, Sunday (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Intermediate: Commercial bt Trinity ¾ l. Club One: Commercial B bt Commercial 2¼ l. Novice: Neptune bt UCD, disqualified. Jun 18A: Neptune bt Commercial ¾ l.

Four – Inter, coxed: Trinity bt Commercial 5l. Club One, coxed: Commercial bt Neptune 3l. Jun 18A, coxed: Commercial bt Waterford ¾ l.

Pair – Senior: Commercial B bt Commercial A 2 ½ l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club One, coxed: Sligo bt Carlow 4l. Novice, coxed: Neptune B bt New Ross 2 ¾ l. Jun 18A, coxed: Commercial bt Waterford 4l. Jun 16, coxed: Commercial bt New Ross 5l.

Double – Senior: Commercial A bt Commercial B ¾ l. Jun 18A: Three Castles B bt Commercial , DNF. Jun 16: Killorglin bt Waterford 3ft.

Single – Intermediate: Trinity (S Addison) bt Commercial (C Carroll) 1 ¼ l. Club One: Sligo (G Patterson) bt Portadown (A Lavins) 2 ¾ l. Novice: Commercial (E Jarvis) bt New Ross (E Jones) easily. Jun 18A: Commercial (E Meehan) bt Three Castles (O Clune) 2l. Jun 16: Waterford (S O’Brien) bt Commercial (K Browne) 2l.

Women

Eight – Club One: Trinity bt Commercial. Novice: UCD bt Trinity A easily. Jun 18: Commercial A bt Commercial B ½ l. Junior 16: Athlone bt Carlow 3/4l.

Four – Club One, coxed: Commercial bt Trinity 1 ¾ l. Novice, coxed: Commercial bt UCD 1l.

Sculling, Quadruple – Club One, coxed: Commercial B bt Commercal A 1l. Novice, coxed: Commercial bt Neptune easily. Jun 18, coxed: Waterford bt Sligo A 4l. Jun 16 coxed: Commercial bt Carlow 5l.

Double – Sen: Commercial bt Portadown easily. Jun 18A: Neptune bt Sligo A 5l. Jun 16: New Ross bt King’s Hospital 5l.

Single – Club One: New Ross (J Walsh) bt Portadown (A Martin). Jun 18A: Neptune (C Feerick) bt Fermoy (A O’Sullivan) 3 ½ l. Jun 16: Offaly (E Dowling) bt New Ross (A Coughlan) 1 ¼ l.

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