When Conor O’Brien returned from his round the world voyage in Saoirse to Dun Laoghaire in 1925, it was all carefully choreographed so that he arrived in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and the DBSC fleet, having abandoned their racing in his honour, were thus able to provide an escort as Saoirse came into port writes W M Nixon
But it looks as though there’ll be no fancy frippery of that sort when the Conor O’Brien-designed 1926-bult 56ft restored ketch Ilen of Limerick arrives in Kinsale tomorrow morning, fresh back from Greenland after a very successful double Transatlantic voyage. The word is that Ilen is currently close west of the Skelligs in mist and a good westerly breeze, and she's due in Kinsale at 0400 hours tomorrow (Wednesday).
It may not be everyone’s favourites time of day. But some of the crew have been away from Ireland for a very long time, and the links of home are calling them in, regardless of the selfish temporary convenience of others.