Asgard (yacht)

Not to be confused with Asgard II.
Asgard at sea, near Dublin.

The Asgard is a 51-foot (16 m) gaff rigged yacht. It was formerly owned by the English-born Irish nationalist, and writer Robert Erskine Childers (DSC) and his wife Molly Childers.[1][2] It is most noted for its use in the Howth gun-running of 1914.

The Asgard is sometimes mistaken for the Dulcibella, the boat in Robert Erskine Childers's classic novel The Riddle of the Sands.[3] This was based on a smaller vessel, Vixen, previously owned by Childers.[4][5]

Design and early use

Asgard was bought for £1,000 in 1904 (£84,000 in 2006) from one of Norway's most famous boat designers, Colin Archer.[6] The interior was custom built to the specifications of Childers and his wife Molly. Molly, disabled following a childhood accident, sometimes took the helm of Asgard, strapped onto the deck with harnesses so she could navigate the rough waters of the Irish Sea.[7] Its most famous trip was the Howth gun-running in 1914. Childers, his wife and a small crew, made the channel crossing with a hold full of rifles from Germany into Howth harbour just north of Dublin, to arm the Irish Volunteers in response to the arming of the Ulster Volunteers by the Larne gun-running in April.[2] There is a plaque on dock wall in Howth as a memorial to this historic boat journey.[8] Shortly after the Easter Rising, the Asgard was put into long-term dry-dock in Northern Wales, where it was sold in 1928.[1] In 1968 the Government formed the committee known as Coiste an Asgard and placed "Asgard" under their guidance and control to be used as a sail training vessel for the young people of Ireland. Sail training cruises were carried out on the Asgard each year from 1969 to 1974.

Restoration and display

Asgard, 1960 Dublin Docks.
The newly restored Asgard at Collins Barracks. Taken at official opening, 09-08-2012.

In 1961, the Irish Government procured the ageing vessel and returned it to Howth on 30 July 1961 in a re-enactment of the 1914 landing, using some of the original rifles and surviving members of the Irish Volunteers.[1][9] It was used for sail training until 1974, when it was dry-docked and installed inside Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin where it remained as a museum attraction, until 2001.[10]

Since August, 2012 the restored Asgard is on permanent display in Collins Barracks, Dublin . Work on the project began in 2007.[11] The focus of the restoration was on preserving as much as possible of the original wooden hull and its metal supports, before replacing pieces with new material.[11][12] In a project led by master shipwright John Kearon, over 70% of the original deck and hull were preserved. The yacht and related artifacts are now on permanent display in an exhibition titled ' Asgard: The 1914 Howth Gun Running Vessel Conserved'.[13]

Nessa Childers MEP and her brother Prof. Rory Childers were the guests of honour at the official opening by Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan.[14]


See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Robert Erskine Childers, Private Papers (Trinity College Library, Dublin)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ring (1996), pps. 95-99.
  3. ↑ Boyle (1977), pps. 108-119.
  4. ↑ Dulcibella and the Riddle of the Sands
  5. ↑ Buchan, Alastair (January 2006). "Coastal Cruising - Riddle in the Sands". Cruising World 32 (1): 87. ISSN 0098-3519. Retrieved 11-08-2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ↑ Colin Archer Gjenværende Skøyter
  7. ↑ Boyle (1977), pps. 185-196.
  8. ↑ Asgard Memorial, Howth, County Dublin
  9. ↑ Correspondent (31 July 1961). "Irish reenact gun running expoit. Yacht carrying 1914 rifles sails in.". The Times. p. 12.
  10. ↑ Asgard takes to the air on way back to sea
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Restoring Ireland's Most Historic Vessel". Seascapes News Summary - 10th December 2007. RTÉ. 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  12. ↑ Restoring Ireland's Most Historic Boat
  13. ↑ O'Halloran, Marie (09-08-2012). "Asgard docks at Collins Barracks". Irish Times. Retrieved 09-08-2012. Check date values in: |date=, |accessdate= (help)
  14. ↑ Gibbons, James (11-08-2012). "A tour de force at the Military Archives". Irish Times. Retrieved 11-08-2012. Check date values in: |date=, |accessdate= (help)
Sources