At noon this Christmas Eve at the end of the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew will gather to lay wreaths at sea and remember 15 of their lifeboat colleagues who were lost while on service in gale force conditions to the SS Palme that had run aground off Blackrock, back in 1895.
The annual ceremony, which has become a Christmas Eve tradition for the station, also remembers all those who have drowned around our coasts, in rivers, inland waters and abroad.
The ceremony will see lifeboat crew joined by members of the Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard and Civil Defence, who will form an honour guard. Both Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s inshore and all-weather lifeboat will launch, and the crew will lay wreaths off the east pier in view of the public. This year broadcaster, PJ Gallagher, will read an account of the disaster, published at the time of the tragedy.
Joe O’Donnell of ‘Wedding Pipers’ will play a lament from the Lighthouse Battery and musician, William Byrne, will perform the ‘Ballad of the Palme.’
On 24 December 1895, the 'Civil Service No. 1' Dun Laoghaire lifeboat was wrecked while proceeding to the assistance of the SS Palme of Finland. The entire crew, 15 in total, were drowned. The lifeboat capsized 600 yards from the distressed vessel and, although every effort was made to send help to the lifeboat and to the Palme, nothing could be done.
The second Dun Laoghaire lifeboat 'Hannah Pickard' also launched but it too capsized under sail, fortunately, all crew returned safely. The Captain, his wife, child and 17 crew were eventually rescued on the 26th of December by the SS Tearaght.
The short ceremony takes place under the lighthouse at the end of the East Pier. It includes an ecumenical blessing, a reading from a news article published at the time and music.
Commenting on the event, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Ed Totterdell said, ‘The loss of fifteen lifeboat volunteers devastated the local community at the time but the RNLI here kept going. Volunteer lifeboat crew came forward then, as they still do, to help those in trouble at sea and on inland waters. We hold this ceremony to honour their memory but also to remember all those we have lost to drowning.’
‘Our lifeboat crew is on call this Christmas as they are every day of the year, and we hope everyone has a safe and peaceful time. We are also delighted to welcome back PJ Gallagher, who was a valued member of our crew when he lived in Dun Laoghaire and who remains a great friend of the lifeboat service in Ireland. People are very welcome to come and join us at the end of the East Pier, it’s our Christmas tradition and one that is very special to us.’
