The unmistakable sight of the traditional ketch Ilen as she crosses Dublin Bay today (Monday, December 7th).
The restored vessel is on a 'Sailing into Wellness' programme on the capitals' waters this week, working with organisations Coolmine, Tiglin and @tolkariver
The Ilen is the last of Ireland’s traditional wooden sailing ships.
The Ilen enjoyed lively conditions for her voyage up the east coast to Dublin, reaching speeds of seven knots and more.
Designed by Limerick man Conor O’Brien and built in Baltimore in 1926, she was delivered by Munster men to the Falkland Islands where she served valiantly for seventy years, enduring and enjoying the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties, and Screaming Sixties.
Returned now to Ireland and given a new breath of life, Ilen may be described as the last of Ireland’s timber-built ocean-going sailing ships, yet at a mere 56ft, it is capable of visiting most of the small harbours of Ireland.
After a week in Dublin, the Ilen sails south towards other adventures out of Kinsale.