The Earl of Granard has, within the last ten days, placed a neat little steam-boat for pleasure on the Shannon. She is upwards of fifty tons burden, and is, we believe, the first steam-boat for pleasure ever placed on the Upper Shannon.
Longford Journal 8 October 1859 from the
British Newspaper Archive
According to the Irish Times of 11 February 2017
Margaret Gaffney was born on Christmas Day 1813, in Tully, Co Leitrim. Five years later, faced with extreme poverty and religious persecution, her parents and the three youngest of their six children, including Margaret, boarded a steamer bound for Boston.
Eoin Butler, the author of the article, provides no details of the vessel, but I hope he will: up to now folk have believed that an American vessel called the Savannah was the first to use steam on any part of the Atlantic crossing, and that was in 1819, the year after Margaret Gaffney’s crossing.
For extent and population it is now the fourth town in Ireland. The shipping at the quays was not numerous. There are but two small steamers which ply from the port, and both are employed only in the summer, one being laid up during winter, as the other is found sufficient for the trade. These steamers ply down the river to Kilrush, calling off the ports on each side on their way. […]
Dung, in any quantity, may be got in Limerick, for 1s per load of 20 to 30 cwt.
James Caird, Farmer, Baldoon The Plantation Scheme; or, the West of Ireland as a field for investment William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London 1850
Posted in Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Non-waterway, Operations, Passenger traffic, Shannon, shannon estuary, Steamers, Tourism
Tagged Baldoon, dung, James Caird, Kilrush, Limerick, steamer
On the morning of the day on which I left Limerick, a truly melancholy and fatal accident occurred. Just as the steamer which starts every morning for Kilrush and Kilkee, was in the act of leaving the quay, a car was seen to approach very rapidly to the station, from which the vessel had just begun to move. Planks are not used at these quays, the water being sufficiently deep to admit of the steamer lying so close as to enable the passengers to step off from the quay on board the vessel.
A fine young man jumped off the car, and took a female who was on the opposite side in his arms, and ran with her to the packet, and had just succeeded in placing her feet in the side of the boat. In order to get her safely aboard he had to push her forward, and by this means accomplished the object he had in view. But alas! in achieving so much for her, he lost himself; for at this moment the packet moved off, and it became impossible for him to reach her; while the efforts he had previously made to get the lady on board occasioned him to stretch so far forward that it was equally impossible for him to recover his upright position on the quay. The consequence was that he fell between the quay and the steamer, and, as it was supposed, was struck by a revolution of the paddle, for he never rose.
What must have been the feelings of the poor female in witnessing the sudden and melancholy death of her gallant preserver? She was in delicate health, and was about to proceed to Kilkee for the benefit of sea-bathing, when this awfully heartrending event took place, which deprived her of him who was her darling and her pride; for alas! he was her son.
Thomas Lacy Home Sketches, on both sides of the channel, being a diary Hamilton, Adams, & Co, London; W H Smith & Co, London; McGlashan, Dublin, 1852
Date of event (deduced) Wednesday 28 August 1850
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Passenger traffic, Safety, Sea, Shannon, shannon estuary, Sources, Steamers, Tourism, Waterways management
Tagged accident, boarding, drowned, Kilkee, Kilrush, Limerick, plank, quay, Shannon, steamer
On Saturday, a man applied at one of the Scotch sailing vessels, opposite the North Wall, Dublin, and offered a large parcel directed for Greenock. He stated that the parcel was a set of books, but the foul smell proceeding from it excited suspicion, and it was opened by the mate, who found that it contained a body, wrapt in oil-cloth, and over that a thin matting, the entire contained in a bag.
The body was that of a boy, about 13 years of age, tightly corded, and doubled up. The bones of the legs and arms were broken, and blood flowing from the mouth and nose. This gave rise to a suspicion, that the boy had met a violent death.
Many persons exclaimed “this is Burkism“, “seize the villain” &c. Such was the excitation of the multitude, that it was only by the intervention of some of the police, that the fellow who brought the parcel was saved from destruction. He and the body was taken to the Police-office, where the latter remains for inquest, and the former in custody to abide the result of the inquiry. Several of the Faculty that examined the body, have given their opinion that death came by disease, the legs being dropsical. The prisoner says his name is M’Dowell.
Drogheda Journal, or Meath & Louth Advertiser 18 February 1829
On 28 February 1829 the Leeds Patriot and Yorkshire Advertiser carried a longer report, which it said it had taken from the Dublin Morning Post; it did not give the date of the Post issue.
This report said that a boy spotted a cart coming down Eden Quay to the North Wall. He recognised the man sitting on the cart’s shafts as a resurrectionist and told the mate of the ship to “have an eye” to him. That was why the mate was suspicious enough to open the parcel.
The report added some more gruesome details about the body. It said that, although the man gave his name as M’Dowel, he was found to be John Cadwell, from Longford. After he was taken into custody by peace-officer Gilloghly and police constable Paine from the Henry-street office, he said that he had been given the body by a gentleman he met in Grafton-street and employed to put it on board the vessel. The body was taken to Tucker’s-row watch-house for inspection, identification and inquest.
The boy appears to have been somewhat about 12 or 13 years of age, soft and full countenance, with a profusion of extremely fine light-brown hair, and looking remarkably fresh.
The Tipperary Free Press of 18 February 1829 gave the man’s real name as John Caldwell; it said that he had been taken up on suspicion of murdering the boy to sell his body to the “Scotch surgeons”. However, “After an examination before the Coroner, it appears that the boy was not murdered” although Caldwell could not account for his possession of the body.
The Clonmel Herald of 25 February 1829 gave a longer report of the inquest, taken from the Dublin Morning Post “of Tuesday”. It was less information about the specifics of the case than about what seemed to be a lively trade. It said that the vessel in question was the Scotia steamer, not a sailing vessel, and there was a strong suggestion that the mate was concerned in the trade, having investigated the parcel only when it became impossible to avoid investigating the parcel.
Caldwell himself said that he had delivered two or three similar parcels to the Scotia within the past fortnight but he did not name their senders; he did not know the Grafton-street gentleman’s name and had never carried parcels for him before, but had accepted half a crown to carry this one. He did not know a “medical man named Rea”.
James Killin, a ship labourer, said that Caldwell had taken two or three similar packages down the quay on the previous Saturday; Killin seems to have known that they contained bodies:
The witness then gave an account of dead bodies that had been discovered to have been shipped on board the same vessel, by the prisoner on the Saturday week preceding.
One of the jurors said that the body looked like those prepared for dissection; another said that
[…] he had heard a gentleman say that day that he had within the present season cleared £220 by the exportation of subjects.
He said that an Edinburgh surgeon had offered an Irish resurrectionist £10 per body plus post and packing.
There was no funding to pay a member of the profession to examine the body in such cases and the coroner said that he was unable to afford to pay for one out of his own remuneration, so the jury was unable to decide on the cause of death. The body was sent to Surgeons’ Hall for examination and Caldwell was remanded in custody.
Posted in Economic activities, Foreign parts, Historical matters, Ireland, Operations, People, Sea, Steamers
Tagged Burke, Caldwell, coroner, dissection, Dublin, Greenock, Hare, inquest, police, Rea, resurrectionist, Scotia, steamer, surgeon
The steamer Foyle, Captain Wyse, from Londonderry, arrived at the Broomielaw on Sunday morning, after a boisterous passage.
Among the other freight the Foyle has brought over 25 tons of eggs, which, at eight to the pound, amounts to 448,000, or 37,333 dozens; and at 6d a dozen, are worth about £933. On Saturday evening scarcely an egg was to be had in Glasgow.
Southern Reporter and Cork Commercial Courier 13 March 1834 quoting the Caledonian Mercury
Posted in Economic activities, Foreign parts, Historical matters, Industrial heritage, Ireland, Sea, Steamers, Weather
Tagged Broomielaw, eggs, Foyle, Glasgow, Londonderry, steamer, Wyse
Mr Kernaghan’s steamer is navigating Lough Gill, which has increased the value of country produce in Sligo market 15 per cent, and it is proposed to connect the Lough with the Shannon four miles distant.
Roscommon & Leitrim Gazette 11 May 1844
Dwarkanauth Tagore, of Calcutta, the distinguished and princely East Indian, who is making a tour of the United Kingdom, arrived in this city, on Tuesday evening with his suit [sic], in an elegant drag with four horses, and he put up at Cruise’s hotel.
The native Prince merchant partook of a dejeune at Killaloe on Tuesday. The City of Dublin Steam Company placed all their vessels on the Upper Shannon, at his command, and they were gaily decorated with flags, in compliment to the distinguished stranger, who left Limerick this day on a visit to Killarney Lakes, and is expected to call at Derrynane, the seat of Mr O’Connell.
Dwarkanauth Tagore dined and slept at Lord Rosse’s, on Monday night, where he examined the prodigious telescope — drove to Banagher, on Tuesday morning, and embarked on board the Lansdown [sic] steamer, proceeded through Victoria Locks Meelick, accompanied by Colonel Jones, and Mr Rhodes CE, also by Mr Howell, Secretary to the Dublin Steam Company. He was much pleased with the new works at Meelick, and also with the operations of a diver in a helmet, who exhibited the mode of using that apparatus.
The dejeune on board the Lansdown was provided by the Steam Company. Several ladies and gentlemen came up by the Lady Burgoyne to join the party of [at?] Portumna in the Lansdown. After partaking of the good cheer, they had dancing and music on deck till they reached Killaloe, much to the amusement of the stranger guest, who felt edlighted, not only with the scenery of the lake, but also with the company of the ladies.
Limerick Reporter 5 September 1845
Posted in Ashore, Built heritage, Canals, Charles Wye Williams, Economic activities, Engineering and construction, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, People, Politics, Shannon, Sources, Steamers, waterways, Waterways management
Tagged Banagher, Birr, City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, Colonel Jones, Cruise's hotel, Daniel O'Connell, Derrynane, diver, Dwarkanauth Tagore, Howell, Killaloe, Killarney, Lady Lansdowne, Limerick, Lord Rosse, Meelick, Parsonstown, Shannon, steamer, Thomas Rhodes, Victoria Lock
From our own correspondent, Dublin, Dec 11
You may remember a statement I sent last week, respecting the arrival of the Penelope war steamer, with six gun-boats of formidable calibre, which were sent down by the Grand Canal to Banagher, in order to guard the pass across the Shannon between Leinster and Connaught. A letter which I have seen this morning, from that place, announced that the gun-boats reached their destination, but, strange to say, no one can be induced to come forward and take charge of them. All persons in authority, who had been applied to, disavowed all responsibility regarding them; and an application has been made to the Castle on the subject, to ascertain what is to be done with these formidable gun-boats. The wisest course would be to take them back to the dock-yard from whence they have been imported.
Morning Chronicle 13 December 1843
Posted in Canals, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Ireland, Irish inland waterways vessels, Operations, Shannon, Steamers, waterways
Tagged Banagher, Grand Canal, gunboat, Penelope, Shannon, steamer
Irish waterways history 