Ilen Passes The "Kilmore Test" While Heading for O'Brien Centenary in Dun Laoghaire

18th June 2025

Afloat.ie Team

Ilen begins departure from her confined berth in Kilmore Quay by going astern on the starboard aft spring, while hauling a cross-harbour port bow warp Credit: David Beattie

The trading ketch Ilen's stately progress from Baltimore towards the Royal Irish Yacht Club for Friday (June 20th's) Conor O'Brien Circumnavigation Centenary saw skipper James Lyons of Sailing Into Wellness, owners of the ketch, making a neat job of extracting the ship from compact Kilmore Quay.

A locally-fresh south'wester was holding Ilen and her extensive "acreage" of spars hard against the fishing boats. But with a cross harbour warp and the use of astern on the engine with a starboard aft spring, Ilen's bow was soon coming clear, and the departure towards the narrow harbour mouth was under way.

Ilen is the flagship for the Centenary Flotilla that will rendezvous with a welcoming fleet (including the restored Dublin Bay 21s) off Dalkey before proceeding towards the 17:00hrs arrival at the RIYC.

Clear water starts to show between their vessels as the Kilmore fishermen wish the Ilen Bon Voyage. Photo: David Beattie

Published in Conor O'Brien, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Ilen

Published in Conor O'Brien

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About Conor O'Brien, Irish Circumnavigator

In 1923-25, Conor O'Brien became the first amateur skipper to circle the world south of the Great Capes. O'Brien's boat Saoirse was reputedly the first small boat (42-foot, 13 metres long) to sail around the world since Joshua Slocum completed his voyage in the 'Spray' during 1895 to 1898. It is a journey that O' Brien documented in his book Across Three Oceans. O'Brien's voyage began and ended at the Port of Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland, where he lived.

Saoirse, under O'Brien's command and with three crew, was the first yacht to circumnavigate the world by way of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin; and was the first boat flying the Irish tri-colour to enter many of the world's ports and harbours. He ran down his easting in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties between the years 1923 to 1925.

Up until O'Brien's circumnavigation, this route was the preserve of square-rigged grain ships taking part in the grain race from Australia to England via Cape Horn (also known as the clipper route).

At a Glance - Conor O'Brien's Circumnavigation

In June 1923, Limerick man Conor O’Brien set off on his yacht, the Saoirse — named after the then newly created Irish Free State — on the two-year voyage from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that was to make him the first Irish amateur to sail around the world.

June 1923 - Saoirse’s arrival in Madeira after her maiden passage out from Dublin Bay

2nd December 1924 - Saoirse crossed the longitude of Cape Horn

June 20th 1925 - O’Brien’s return to Dun Laoghaire Harbour